The Seder Plate

The Passover seder is used to tell the story of our Exodus. The main way that we do that is through the use of symbolic food on the seder plate.

Maror  – The bitter herb. This symbolizes the harshness of the 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 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).

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. Others see the egg as a sign of rebirth and spring.


haggadah Section: Introduction