The Seder Plate - Passover Guide

On Pesach it is customary to use our most beautiful silver and dishes, remembering how G-d freed us from Egypt and made us into a proud, Jewish Nation.

At the head of the table is the beautiful Seder Plate. In Hebrew, we call it a “Ka’arah”. Before the Seder we arrange the Seder Plate by placing three whole Matzot in a cover or special compartment under the plate. Then we arrange six items on top, each one reminding us of the Passover Story:

Zeroah: A Roasted Bone
This reminds us of the Pesach offering we used to bring in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Zeroah in depth

Beitzah: A hard-boiled Egg
This reminds us of the festival offering which was brought to the Holy Temple on Pesach.
Beitzah in depth

Maror: Horseradish Root
These bitter herbs symbolize the harsh suffering and bitter times we endured when we were slaves in Egypt.
Maror in depth

Charoset: A mixture of chopped apple, walnuts and red wine. Ground up together, Charoset resembles bricks and mortar, reminding us how hard we were forced to work when we were slaves in Egypt. Charoset in depth

Karpas: This can be a small slice of onion, boiled potato or sprigs of parsley. We dip the Karpas into salt water at the beginning of the Seder, representing the salty tears we cried when we were slaves. Karpas in depth

Chazeret: Romaine Lettuce
This is the second portion of bitter herbs which we eat during the Seder. This is eaten in a Matzah sandwich together with Maror.
Chazeret in depth

Next: The Seder