We have now told the story of Passover…but wait! We’re not quite done. There are still some symbols on our seder plate we haven’t talked about yet.

The shank bone represents the Pesach, the special lamb sacrifice made in the days of the Temple for the Passover holiday.

The matzah reminds us that when our ancestors were finally free to leave Egypt, there was no time to pack or prepare. Our ancestors grabbed whatever dough was made and set out on their journey, letting their dough bake into matzah as they fled.

The bitter herbs provide a visceral reminder of the bitterness of slavery, the life of hard labor our ancestors experienced in Egypt.

The charoset represents the mortar used by the Hebrew slaves to make bricks.

The karpas symbolizes the freshness of spring.

The orange is traditionally put on the seder plate in response to a less evolved rabbi who told a young girl that a woman belongs on a bimah as much as an orange on a Seder plate. The orange is now said to be a symbol of the fruitfulness of all Jews, whether they be gay, straight, male or female.


haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu
Source: Jewbelong