Around the Passover Table Read Online Free PDF Page A

for the maror (the same vegetable cannot be used for both karpas and maror). A few Eastern European Jews may use boiled potato, a reminder of the harsh early spring in that part of the world, making their karpas—the first of the ritual foods eaten during the service—a more substantial “snack.”
    If there is no room on the seder plate for enough karpas to serve all your guests, place a representative amount on the seder plate and put the remainder in a separate dish.
    The karpas will be dipped in a bowl of tears—symbolic not only of the Israelites’ suffering, but, some say, of God’s pain when slaying the Egyptians. Ashkenazim use salted water, while many Sephardim prefer vinegar, or lemon or lime juice. The bowl may be put on the seder plate or placed alongside it.
    MAROR Recalling the misery of the Israelites’ slavery and oppression and the suffering that continues in our day, this bitter herb may vary from community to community, even from one family to another. Asheke-nazim favor freshly ground or sliced fresh horseradish root, prepared grated horseradish, or romaine lettuce. Sephardim prefer bitter greens, choosing among endive, escarole, chicory, sorrel, arugula, dandelion, purslane, watercress, and so on, either singly or in combination. Some Sephardim choose celery leaves, which tastes sweet at first but then turns bitter in the mouth—a metaphor for the Israelites’ sojourn in Egypt. And others have used wasabi, mustard greens, or, in a multicultural family, even the spicy Korean condiment kim chee.
    Maror is eaten by all the participants, so if you do not have room on the seder plate for enough maror, put the additional in a separate bowl.
    HAROSET This is the fruit and nut dip symbolic of the clay or mortar the Israelites used to construct the pyramids; for fun, if your haroset paste is stiff enough, sculpt it into a pyramid shape on the seder plate.
    Today some hosts like to offer two or three harosets from different communities, reflecting the diversity of the Jewish people (see Classic Ashkenazi Haroset , Grandma Dorothy’s Haroset , Date Haroset , and Tangy Haroset Bites for suggestions). You’ll need plenty of haroset for everybody; serve the extra in a separate bowl.
    HAZERET Many seder plates call for a second bitter herb in addition to the maror, to be used in the traditional Hillel sandwich: matzoh enclosing a filling of bitter herbs and haroset. This may be any of the bitter foods not used previously for maror. Plan to have enough hazeret for each guest, since it will be eaten during the service.
    ZEROA (FOREARM) The roasted shankbone recalls the ancient Paschal lamb sacrifice in the Temple. It also starkly represents the protective arm of God: the Israelites marked their doorposts with blood from the lamb slaughtered on the eve of the Exodus. Seeing this sign, the Angel of Death “passed over” their homes, sparing them from God’s tenth and final plague, the slaying of the firstborn males.
    A lamb shank, poultry wing or neck, or, for vegetarians, a beet (mentioned in the Talmud, because beets “bleed”) may be used; the zeroa is not eaten at the seder. It is roasted and scorched to simulate the burnt sacrificial offering. To prepare it, place the bone under the broiler or on a sheet of heavy-duty foil in a very hot oven until it is browned all over. Or spear it with a long-handled fork and char it over an open flame on the stove. Roast the beet, if using, on a sheet of foil, unwrapped, in a hot oven, until browned at the edges.
    BEITZAH This roasted egg is symbolic of the festival sacrifice each Jew brought to the ancient Temple, as well as a complex metaphor for spring, life, mourning, and rebirth. The egg, like the shankbone, is not eaten during the regular seder service, though many Sephardim put one of the Huevos Haminados here that all the celebrants will later eat at the beginning of the meal. Ashkenazim use a roasted