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Seder Plate and other symbols - 5781
Contributed by Avi Dolgin

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

Seder Plate and other symbolic items

Often the items on the table, which were meant to stimulate questions and storytelling, are simply ignored as we focus instead on the written text of the haggadah.  So let’s do a quick review of what’s on this table, or perhaps other tables you might visit.

The Seder Plate

Maror – The bitter herb. This symbolizes the harshness of lives of the Jews in Egypt.

Charoset – A delicious mix of sweet wine, apples, cinnamon and nuts that resembles the mortar used as bricks of the many buildings the Jewish slaves built in Egypt

Karpas – A green vegetable, usually parsley, is a reminder of the green sprouting up all around us during spring and is used to dip into the saltwater

Zeroah – A roasted lamb or shank bone symbolizing the sacrifice made at the great temple on Passover (The Paschal Lamb). Vegetarians might substitute a Paschal Yam or a beet (because of the blood colour)

Beitzah – The egg symbolizes a different holiday offering that was brought to the temple. Since eggs are the first item offered to a mourner after a funeral, some say it also evokes a sense of mourning for the destruction of the temple, or the cycle of rebirth. It is also a metaphor that we get tougher when the temperature rises.

Salt water - tears

Newer Objects

Orange - The orange on the seder plate has come to symbolize full inclusion in modern day Judaism: not only for women, but also for people with disabilities, intermarried couples, and the LGBT Community. The complete orange is composed of many independent and interdependent sections.

Rice – Some Ashkenazi Jews, who don’t eat rice or legumes at Pesach, add a symbolic unifier with the Sephardi Jews, who do.

Olives – Identification with Palestinians who also seek independence in their land

This year, 5781, when we gather in virtual seders from our various homes as a result of the pandemic, and with an eye on what comes next, many of us have placed items on our table that reflect our current situation.  Let’s take some time to share, question and discuss.

Elijah’s Cup

The fifth ceremonial cup of wine poured during the Seder. It is left untouched in honor of Elijah, who, according to tradition, will arrive one day as an unknown guest to herald the advent of the Messiah. In this way the Seder dinner not only commemorates the historical redemption from Egyptian bondage of the Jewish people but also calls to mind their future redemption when Elijah and the Messiah shall appear.

Miriam’s Cup

Another relatively new Passover tradition is that of Miriam’s cup. The cup is filled with water and placed next to Elijah’s cup. After the exodus when the Israelites are wandering through the desert, just as Hashem gave them Manna to eat, legend says that a well of water followed Miriam and it was called ‘Miriam’s Well’. The tradition of Miriam’s cup is meant to honor Miriam’s role in the story of the Jewish people and the spirit of all women.
haggadah Section: -- Exodus Story

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