We have now told the story of Passover…but wait! We’re not quite done. There are still some symbols on our seder plate we haven’t talked about yet. Rabban Gamliel would teach that all those who had not spoken of three things on Passover had not fulfilled their obligation to tell the story, and these three things are:

The shank bone represents the Pesach, the special lamb sacrifice made in the days of the Temple for the Passover holiday. It is called the pesach, from the Hebrew word meaning “to pass over,” because G-d passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt , as it is written in the Torah: “And You shall say, ‘It is the Passover offering for G-d, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, sparing our homes.” –Ex 12:27

<Point to the matza.>

The matzah reminds us that when our ancestors were finally free to leave Egypt, there was insufficient time for the dough of our ancestors to rise. Our ancestors grabbed whatever dough was made and set out on their journey, letting their dough bake into matzah as they fled,  as it is written in the Torah: “And they baked the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt into matzah – cakes of unleavened bread – which had not risen. They had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay, and they had not prepared any other provisions., for having been driven out of Egypt they could not tarry, and they had made no provisions for themselves.” –Ex 12:39

<Point to the maror.>

The bitter herbs remind us of the bitterness of slavery, the life of hard labor our ancestors experienced in Egypt as the Torah states: “And they embittered their lives with harsh labor involving mortar and bricks, as well as all kinds of work in the field. All the work they made them do was intended to break them.” Ex 1:14


haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu