The seder plate is the center of attention at Passover; it’s a physical link to the roots of Judaism and an opportunity for modern innovations. Seder plates often include symbols of feminism, respond to the sensibilities of vegetarians and vegans, and are customized in a great number of ways. The traditional symbols include both powerful meanings and irksome details (blood on doorposts, for example).

Old and new, all of the seder plate items represent aspects of freedom, equality and springtime renewal.

  • The roasted egg symbolizes rebirth and springtime. Just as we grew into a free nation through our exodus from Egypt, the egg symbolizes growth and new life. Plant seeds are a similar symbol; consider an avocado pit or a large nut, which has more heft than a small vegetable seed.
  • Parsley represents the spring season of the Passover holiday.
  • Bitter herbs (usually horseradish) are a symbol of the bitterness of slavery.
  • Lettuce, romaine or another bitter green takes on the symbolism of both the bitter herbs and the parsley, of slavery and renewal.
  • Charoset is a mixture of chopped apples and nuts, much like the mortar of bricks, which we laid as slaves in Egypt. It is also sweet, like freedom.
  • The shank bone is a symbol of the Passover lamb; our forefathers used its blood to mark their doorposts, and the angel of death passed over their homes in the Passover story. Steamed or roasted beets have a deep red color and serve as a vegetarian alternative.

New spins on these ancient symbols include many popular practices, and some that are unique to families and individuals.

  • An orange, which has come to symbolize GLBT and gender equality.
  • Fair-Trade Chocolate which can represent economic freedom, because most of the world’s chocolate production relies on underpaid or slave laborers, often children.
  • An Artichoke heart, symbolizing the inclusion of interfaith families.
  • A tomato, representing solidarity with those suffering from slavery, underpaid labor and oppressive working conditions in American agriculture.

What symbolizes freedom and renewal in your life? Think about adding your own symbol, or ask the people you’re celebrating with what symbols might resonate with them.


haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu
Source: http://www.jewishboston.com/bitter-chocolate-shank-beets-and-an-orange-whats-on-your-seder-plate/