Seder Plates

Passover Seder Plate

During the Sedder Meal on Passover, the Seder Plate is central to the recounting of the Haggadah, with symbolic foods used during the Seder, geared to arouse the children's curiosity and enable recounting the miracles of the Jews' Exodus from Egypt. The Keara is traditionally round, but the more contemporary ones come in various shapes. There are always six symbolic items on the plate. The Zeroah, is a roasted bone, can be a chicken wing or leg, representing the Passover offering that was brought in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The beitzah, a hard boiled egg, sometimes given an additional couple of minutes on an open flame (make it a small one though), which also is commemorative of the festival offering brought in the Beis Hamikdash. The Maror, or horseradish root are biter herbs symbolizing the bitter suffering the Jews had to endure in Egype. Charoset, or a paste like mixture of chopped nuts, wine and apples is reminiscent of the mortar that was prepared for the brick building in slavery in Mitzrayim. The karpas, which can be a radish, onion, boiled potato or sprig of parsley, is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder, to remind us of the salty tears the Jewish slaves shed. Finally, the Chazeret, or Romaine lettuce is also a bitter herb, eaten in a Matzah sandwich together with Maror.