Revision 1st Form Flashcards
What goes on a Seder plate?
4 cups of wine Maizot (unleavened bread) Lamb shank bone (zeroa) Roasted egg (beitzah) Bitter herbs (maror and chazaret) Salt water Charoset Vegetables (carpas)
What does the lamb shank bone represent?
It commemorates the Paschal sacrifice, the most important part of celebrating Passover in the term of the Jerusalem Temple, which was destroyed in 70 CE. It can also be seen as representative of the outstretched arm of God taking the Jews out of Egypt. This is not meant to be eaten.
What does the maizot represent?
The fact that the Jews did not even have time to wait for their bread to rise before they left Egypt.
What does the roasted egg represent?
The his commemorates the Hagigah sacrifice that was eaten with the Paschal sacrifice in Temple times. Eggs are used because they are typically a mourner’s food, and so remind the Jews that they are mourning the destruction of the temple.
What do the vegetables represent?
The vegetables are dipped into the salt water before eating, to remind the Jews of the Israelite slaves’ tears. Any vegetable can be used as long as it could not be used as bitter herbs.
What do the bitter herbs represent?
Mar means “bitter” in Hebrew and as such Marmor is meant to remind the Jews of the bitterness of slavery. Two foods are commonly used as maror: romaine lettuce, which eventually turns bitter, and is common in Israel, and grated horseradish, which was more common in Germany and Eastern Europe, as lettuce was harder to come by.
What does charoset represent?
Charoset is representative of the mortar which the Israelites used to build under their Egyptian overlords. The word is though to have come from the Hebrew word “heres”, which means clay.
There is a fifth cup of wine on the Seder plate. What is this used for?
It is for the prophet Elijah, because it is believed that he will return before all the people of the world are free. Someone would open the door to see if he has arrived.
