The traditional Seder plate

The foods on the Seder plate symbolize various parts of the story of Passover:

Karpas (Parsley) represents the tears that the Israelite slaves shed over their condition. Karpas also symbolizes the new spring. 

Charoset (Apple, Nuts, Spices & Wine) symbolizes the mortar that the Israelite slaves used to construct buildings for Pharaoh.

Maror (Main Bitter Herbs) represents the bitterness of slavery.

Hazeret (Secondary Bitter Herbs) is another representation of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt.

Zeroa (Shankbone) symbolizes the lamb that Jews sacrificed as the special Passover offering at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Beitzah (The Roasted Egg) symbolizes the korban chagiga or festival sacrifice that was offered at every holiday (including Passover) at the Temple in Jerusalem. Since the destruction of the Temple, the beitzah serves as a visual reminder of the chagigah. The roundness of the egg also represents the cycle of life - even in the most painful of times, there is always hope for a new beginning.


haggadah Section: Introduction