Bitter Herbs

Introduction

Blessing of the Candles

Bitter Herbs

A Passover Seder in the Light of Christ

THE BITTER HERBS (MAROR)

(The leader breaks the bottom matzo into small pieces and dips his piece into bitter herbs.)

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech haoolam
asher kidshanu b’mitzvootav,
v’tzivanu al aochilat maror.

ALL: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe,
Who made us holy by His law,
And commanded us to eat bitter herbs.

(All eat the bitter herbs. Matzo is eaten with a few shavings from the fresh root.)

LEADER: The bitter herb speaks of the sorrow and persecution of the people under Pharaoh in Egypt. As the horseradish brings tears to the eyes, so also did slavery bring tears to the eyes of the Israelites.

EATING THE BITTER HERBS WITH CHAROSET (KOREKH)

(All take two pieces from the bottom matzo and make a sandwich
with charoseth or ‘sweet apples’ and bitter herbs.)

LEADER: All the seder foods help us to tell the story of Passover. So, too, the sweet apples, or charoseth, is a symbol of the mortar and clay bricks made by the Israelites in Egypt.

(All eat the matzo and charoseth together. It is traditional to put some of the horseradish with the charoseth and make a little matzo ‘sandwich.’

This sandwich was eaten with Lamb during temple times in Jerusalem. It is still the custom today to give this morsel with affection to a loved one: (John 13)

Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” É after receiving the morsel, he immediately went out; and it was night.

Previous: Blessing over Matzoh Next: Passover Meal

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