A seder plate holding symbolic foods used during the Passover Seder. Reading the ingredient list of food products is essential
because packing agents and flavorings containing these foods need to be considered. For example, sodas made with corn syrup and some artificial sweeteners such as Equal and Splenda may not be kosher for Passover. Lists of Passover items can be found online (e.g., https: / / oukosher . org / passover / food - items). Te seder, the festive meal held on the first or the first
and second nights of Passover, celebrates the Festival of Matzos and the liberation of the Jewish people from Egypt’s tyranny. Te seder begins after sundown with prayers and a recitation of the holiday’s history using the Haggadah (written seder guidebook), foods that have symbolic meaning during Passover, and four glasses of wine to represent the fourfold promise of redemption. Seder rituals include 15 different points throughout the evening, followed by the main meal, which may start as late as midnight in the Orthodox stream.
Te seder plate, with its symbolic foods, is the centerpiece of the table and deepens the experience. Maror (bitter herbs, often horseradish) and chazeret (a second bitter herb, usually a bitter green) are eaten to remember the bitterness of slavery. Charoset (a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon, honey, and sweet wine) represents the clay and mortar used by the Jews as slaves to make bricks and build the Pharaoh’s agricultural storage facilities.Zeroah (roasted lamb shank bone) symbolizes the sacrificial Paschal offering. Karpas (often parley or celery) symbolize the green color of spring and the renewal of faith and hope in the world. Beitzah (roasted hard-cooked egg) symbolizes life and continued existence.
Shavuot Shavuot follows 49 days after the first night of Passover as the feast of the harvest and the celebration of the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. Traditionally, foods made with dairy products such as cheesecake and blintzes and nonmeat items are served. Various explanations