Seder Plates 101: What Is It? Why Do We Use It?
What is a Seder plate?
On the first night of Passover, Jewish families get together for a Seder. The word Seder literally means order. This is because the Seder is written in a special order, numbered 1 through 12. In these 12 categories, different parts of the exodus from Egypt are re-lived, and there are celebratory services too, such as eating, drinking wine, and blessings. During the Seder, leavened bread, or regular bread, as we know it, is forbidden. This is in memory of the Jews leaving Egypt, who couldn’t eat leavened bread, as there was no time to let it rise. Instead we eat matza. Matza is a cracker-like bread which has not risen for more than 18 minutes before it is fully baked. The matza is placed alongside or within the iconic seder plate. This “seder plate” contains important symbolic foods that are given out to eat, show and discuss during the Seder. Our sages teach us the importance of beautifying our seder and therefore the practice is to place all these symbolic foods on a special plate.
What does a Seder plate look like?
A Seder plate can look different in a few ways. Some Seder plates are one floor. One floor means that only the six food items are placed on it. These items are:
- Maror - Bitter herbs.
- Charoset - A special blend, symbolic of the cement used to build the pyramids.
- Chazeret - Horseradish.
- Zeroa - A piece of roast lamb, symbolic of the Korban Pesach, the sacrifice of Passover.
- Beitza - An egg.
- Karpas - A vegetable.
Some Seder plates, however, are more detailed. These Seder plates have three floors, and a roof. On each floor are matzot. (Matzot is plural for matza). The three floors are symbolic for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the three patriarchs. Each “patriarch” is used for a different part of the Seder. The six aforementioned symbolic food items are placed on the exposed roof of this layered plate. They own the seder plate “penthouse”. This Seder plate is simply majestic. It is usually silver, though there are many different designs and materials used in making this type of seder plate. It is magnificent.
Why buy a Seder plate?
Our sages taught that when someone glorifies and beautifies judaism, god rewards them greatly. What better way to glorify god’s name, show gratitude for the exodus and celebrate the re-birth of our nation than by having a masterpiece of a seder plate at the front of the table on Seder night.
