10.  RABBAN GAMLIEL - רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל

Pesach.  Matzah, U-maror  

Rabbi Gamliel, the head of the Sanhedrin (rabbinical court) near the end of the Second Temple Period (first century CE) said that in the telling of the story of the Exodus, we must first explain the meaning of the three most important symbols:  Pesach (Paschal Lamb),  Matzah and Maror (Bitter Herb).

Pesachפֶּסַח–is the Passover sacrifice as represented by the shank bone. The Pesach sacrifice reminds us that God “passed over” the Israelite houses when the tenth plague was visited upon the Egyptians. Since we no longer sacrifice lambs, we place a symbolic bone on the Seder plate to remind us that there are still Jews who are sacrificing their freedom in the world today.

Matzahמַצַהthe unleavened bread. Matzah is specially prepared with flour and water that is made in less than 18 minutes. It has no yeast and does not rise. We eat matzah to remind ourselves that our people had only a few minutes to escape into the desert and did not have time to allow their bread to rise.

Marorמָרוֹר–is the bitter herb on our Seder plate. It reminds us of the bitter pain and suffering the Israelites went through as slaves in Egypt. Each year, we gather together to tell the Passover story, from slavery to freedom, and remind ourselves to never allow each other to become enslaved and bitter with out lives.

(see page 35 for reading about the orange on the Seder Plate—“The Inclusionary Fruit)


haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu