זרוֹעַ
Zeroa
A roasted shank bone — a memory of the paschal lamb offered in the Temple on the eve of the Exodus.
No leaven
Matzah — bread of affliction and of freedom
Throughout Passover no leaven (chametz) is eaten, and it is cleared from the home. In place of bread there is matzah: unleavened sheets baked in haste, as at the Exodus. It is called the “bread of affliction.”
Matzah recalls two things at once: the bitter slavery where meager bread was eaten, and the freedom that came so fast the dough had no time to rise. The same bread is both memory and hope.
The ke'ara
The Seder plate
At the center of the table is the ke'ara, the Seder plate. On it are six symbols, and each tells its part of the Exodus story.
בֵּיצָה
Beitzah
A roasted egg — a symbol of the festival offering, and a reminder of the cycle of life and of mourning for the destroyed Temple.
מָרוֹר
Maror
Bitter herbs — the bitterness of slavery. They are eaten so the taste of bondage is not forgotten.
חֲרוֹסֶת
Charoset
A sweet paste of fruit, nuts and wine — its color and texture recall the mortar from which the slaves made bricks.
כַּרְפַּס
Karpas
A vegetable (often celery or parsley) dipped in salt water — a symbol of spring and of the tears of slavery.
חֲזֶרֶת
Chazeret
A second bitter herb — used in Hillel's “sandwich” together with matzah and maror.
Matzah reminds us: freedom comes so fast the dough has no time to rise.