Our Seder Plate:

Three things we must remember at our Seder - Pesach, Matzah, Maror.

SHANKBONE: The roasted bone or beet that sits on our plate reminds us of the sacrifices our ancestors made at the Temple in ancient times. We don't make sacrifices from animals or grains any more, but we maintain our connection to the earthiness of these ancient prayer practices.

MATZAH: We eat matzah at the seder to fulfill our connection to the affliction of enslaved people - our ancestors, and people enslaved in every generation. This is the bread of affliction. But it also serves as the bread to connect us to the grain offerings, the shewbread, of Temple times. We are obligated to eat Matzah tonight, but we may excuse ourselves from eating it the rest of the week when leavened bread is put aside.

MAROR: Bitterness. Sharpness. What is the flavor of Maror? What is the purpose, as it burns an impression in our tastebuds, in our sinuses? Maror not only reminds us of the bitterness of oppression, it wakes our senses to cry out against that oppression.


haggadah Section: Koreich