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D.I.Y. seder
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TRADITIONS and SUBSTITUTIONS
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As we share the Passover story, we are asked to remember it as though we ourselves were once slaves in Egypt. The seder plate in the middle of our table contains five symbolic foods that help us retell and represent the story through our senses—tastes, smells, and feelings.
This year, we may not have access to all of the traditional symbolic objects, with crowded supermarkets, limited stock, and guidelines to stay at home. So we encourage you to reimagine your seder and your seder plate! Below is our guide.
The shankbone
ZEROA
In ancient times, the Israelites were commanded to sacrifice one lamb per family to eat for the Passover meal. After the destruction of the Temples, animal sacrifices were replaced by prayer and other rituals. As we isolate ourselves this year, we make our own sacrifices for ourselves, our families, and our community.
A roasted shank bone is often put on the seder plate to remember the times of sacrificial offering and the sacrifice the Israelites made to God before leaving Egypt. Why not substitute this bone with a vegan alternative—a roasted carrot—to symbolize not just the animal sacrifice of ancient times but also our own value of sensitivity to the animal kingdom? “Zeroa” means arm in Hebrew, and it’s reminiscent of God leading the Israelites out of Egypt “with an outstretched arm”—and the carrot represents this in shape.
The egg
BEITZAH
The second item on the seder plate is a hard-boiled egg, which represents springtime, fertility, and new life. We often leave the egg in a bowl of saltwater to remember the tears of the ancient Israelites. If you are unable to get an egg for your seder plate this year, try some salted sunflower seeds! Like the egg, they represent potential for growth and new life.
Note that sunflower seeds fall into the category of kitniyot, a category of food customarily not eaten by Ashkenazi Jews at Pesach and which includes legumes, beans, seeds, nuts, lentils, and rice. Most Sephardic families consider these items kosher for Passover and acceptable to eat during the holiday, and in recent years more Ashkenazim have also adopted the practice. In spite of this, many Ashkenazi families still refrain from eating kitniyot, in keeping with traditional customs.
The bitter herbs
MAROR
Horseradish is the most commonly used bitter herb to represent maror on the seder plate. Why do we even eat something so bitter? This is a question that we actually ask during the seder. The answer? As one may assume, this bitterness of the herb reminds us of the harshness of the slavery that the Jewish people experienced in the exodus story. First we eat the maror by itself, and then we eat it in a “Hillel sandwich,” with charoset, between two pieces of matzah, balancing the bitter with the sweet, the suffering with the redemption.
If you can’t find horseradish this Passover, we recommend using the peel of a lemon. Just like the maror in the sandwich, the citrus has both a little sweetness and a little bitterness.
Parsley
KARPAS
Traditionally, karpas symbolizes springtime and growth—after all, Passover is also known as chag ha aviv, “holiday of the spring,” and marks the start of the season. It’s the time of year when buds begin to bloom and the weather begins to warm up, bringing in new beginnings and hope.
Parsley is the most common expression of this, but its seder blessing, borei pri ha’adamah, refers to the fruits of the earth, and any vegetable will do! (We suggest a potato, which can last several months without refrigeration—a great vegetable to have on hand while socially distancing.)
Charoset
Dates or apples? Walnuts, almonds, or both? Smooth purée or coarsely chopped mixture? However you make your charoset, it should be a great combination of chopped and blended fruits and spices. Ironically, this sweet and tasty condiment symbolizes a pretty bitter memory—it’s said to represent the clay or mortar that the enslaved Israelites used in ancient Egypt to make bricks and pyramids.
This year, the charoset can also represent the sweetness of reconnecting with family and friends and community during a painful and uncertain time—a modern mortar, holding us together.
Global recipes
Missing traditional charoset ingredients in your home? Why not substitute this sweet snack with honey? Honey has no expiration date, so you are likely to find it in the back of your cupboard. Mix in a few tablespoons of almond butter and an overripe banana for a combination that’s sweet like charoset but sticky in consistency—the perfect alternative.
New traditions
Over time, Jews around the world have taken the tradition of the seder plate and added their own symbolic objects, keeping with the themes of Passover. Check out some of the links below to see how else communities are reimagining their seder plates.
More resources
FRESH SEDER FOOD DELIVERED to YOUR DOOR (ORDER by APRIL 3 at 5:00 p.m.)
RABBINICAL ASSEMBLY PASSOVER KASHRUT RECOMMENDATIONS for 2020
HALACHIC GUIDELINES for USING ZOOM on SEDER NIGHTS