Contemporary Judaica

The Seder Plate (Hebrew) or Passover Plate is a special plate containing six symbolic foods used by Jews during the Passover Seder.

Each has a significance to the re telling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt (marking the departure of the Israelites from the enslavement in ancient Egypt) which is in the form of a ritual meal.

The seventh symbolic item used during the meal, a stack of three matzoz, is placed on its own plate on the Seder table.

According to the Jewish Law, the items must be arranged in the order in which they will be used during the Seder, with the first item to be used placed closest to the leader of the Seder.

The seventh symbolic item on the Seder table is a plate of three whole matzot, which are stacked and separated from each other by cloths or napkins. The middle matzah will be broken and half of it put aside for the afikoman (dessert). The top and other half of the middle matzot will be used for the hamotzi (blessing over bread), and the bottom matzah will be used for the korech (Hillel sandwich).

Maror or Bitter herbs, symbolizing the bitterness and harshness of the slavery which the Jews endured in Egypt.

Charoset, A sweet, brown mixture, representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. In Ashkenazi homes, charoset is traditionally made from chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, and sweet red wine, whilst Sephardi recipes may add dates and honey into the mix.

Karpas, a vegetable other than bitter herbs (usually parsley) is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder (which represents tears) and is meant to mirror the pain felt by the Jewish slaves in Egypt, who could only eat simple foods. The consumption of the karpas early in the Seder is meant to spark questions from the children at the table. Usually on Shabbat or a holiday meal, the first thing to be eaten after the kiddush over wine is bread. At the Seder table, however, the first thing to be eaten after the kiddush is a vegetable. This leads immediately to the recital of the famous question, Ma Nishtana — "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

Z’roa, A roasted lamb or goat shankbone, chicken wing, or chicken neck; symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb that was offered in the Temple of Jerusalem, then roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night. Since the destruction of the Temple, the z'roa serves as a visual reminder of the Pesach sacrifice.

Beitzah, A hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the sacrifice that was offered in the Temple of Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night. Although both the Pesach sacrifice and the chagigah (festival offering) were meat, the offering is commemorated by an egg, a symbol of mourning (as eggs are the first thing served to mourners after a funeral), evoking the idea of mourning over the destruction of the Temple and our inability to offer any kind of sacrifices in honour of the Pesach holiday. Since the destruction of the Temple, the egg serves as a visual reminder of the chagigah; it is not used in any way during the formal part of the seder, but some people eat eggs with saltwater as the first course of the meal.