On the Seder Plate

During the course of the Seder, the items on the Seder plate are pointed out, lifted up and displayed, and explained.

On the Seder plate (use either a special one for this purpose or a regular dinner plate), include:

• Shank bone—zaro’ah, symbolizes the lamb that was sacrificed in ancient days

• Roasted Egg—beitzah, represents the Passover offering of ancient days as well as the wholeness and continuing cycle of life

• Bitter herbs—maror (horseradish or romaine lettuce), reminds us of the bitter lives of the Hebrew slaves

• Charoset (the mixture of apples, nuts, sweet wine, cinnamon and sugar in the Ashkenazic fashion or dates, nuts and sweet wine in the Sephardic tradition), reminds us of the bricks and mortar made by the Hebrew slaves

• Greens—karpas, symbolizes the springtime of the year when Passover takes place

From the Jewish Parent Page of the Union for Reform Judaism