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The Sedar Plate and Its Symbols
Contributed by Joe Pahl

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Our Seder plate, which we place on the table, holds sixsymbolic foods:

·        Maror מרור (bitter herbs): Maror , or grated horseradish, symbolizes the bitter lot of the enslaved Israelites described in the Haggadah.

·        Karpas כרפס (parsley): Karpas , the green vegetable, symbolizes the renewal of spring. We dip it in salt water, symbolizing the tears of the Israelite slaves--and of all oppressed people--during the Seder.

·        Charoset חרוסת (sweet food mixture): This is a mixture of chopped apples, walnuts and cinnamon. It is moistened with wine. Charoset symbolizes the mortar that the Israelite slaves used to cement the mud and straw bricks.

·        Zeroa זרוע (bone): The bone symbolizes the “mighty arm” of G*d, described in the Bible as carrying the Children of Israel out of Egypt. It is also a reminder of the lambs that the Israelites sacrificed before the tenth plague. By marking their doorposts with blood from these lambs, the Israelites signaled that the Angel of Death should “pass over” their homes without killing their first-born sons.

·        Baytza ביצה (egg): We roast a hardboiled egg and place it on the Seder tray. The egg symbolizes the festival sacrifice from when the Temple existed in Jerusalem. It also  represents the renewal of life.

·        Tapuz תפוז (orange): The orange is a newer addition to the Seder plate, yet its meaning and origins are already cloaked in myth and mystery. Originally, the orange represented the struggle for lesbians to achieve parity in Judaism. Later, both lesbians and gay men recognized the orange as a symbol of liberation. Today, the orange represents the feminist notion that there is—there must be—a place at the table for all of us, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. In all of its uses, the orange marks a conscious effort to acknowledge those who have been marginalized by mainstream Judaism and to demonstrate commitment to their inclusion. Tonight, we place an orange on the Seder plate in solidarity with all who are marginalized—by the Jewish and global communities. We commit ourselves to fighting for everyone’s full participation as human beings.

It is tradition for even the poorest Jews to eat the Passover meal in a reclining position because they are “free” to recline. Jews also drink four cups of wine during the Seder. We drink the first two cups before the meal; we drink the second two after the meal. (So if you try to sneak out during dinner, you only get two cups of wine!!)
haggadah Section: Introduction

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