In ancient times, the Talmudic scholar Hillel ate lamb, matzah, and bitter herbs together to symbolize the interconnectedness of slavery and freedom.

Today, we honor this tradition at our seder by making the famous  koreich, also known as the “Hillel Sandwich.” Between two pieces of matzah, we combine sweet  charoset  (which represents the mortar used to build the pyramid) and  maror  (bitter herbs), a reminder not to forget the relationship between bitter and sweet.

Tonight, our seder is both bitter and sweet. While we cannot celebrate Passover the way we typically would, the fact that we are all virtually here together, sharing in this moment, makes these circumstances a little more sweet. 

How does tasting the bitterness increase our enjoyment of the sweet?


haggadah Section: Maror