Before we begin the meal, we will eat charoset with maror, followed by a “sandwich” of matzah, charoset, and maror.

We turn to the Sephardic Passover Haggadah, written by Rabbi Benzion Uziel, for this ritual:

“The matsot were eaten after we left Egypt, and are therefore a symbol of freedom. The bitter herbs, maror, are eaten as a reminder of the slavery of Egypt. We eat both of them together to remind us that even at a time when we are in slavery, we should remember our freedom. It is our inner freedom which makes us free. Though we may be in exile, the Passover Seder reminds us to retain our inner freedom and our hope for ultimate redemption. We always find ourselves between exile and redemption. Each day redemption is possible. Exile and redemption are bound together. We must always be awake to the possibility of redemption, with a strong heart and proper spirit. We should not be afraid of oppressors because we have our inner freedom, and we are moving towards real redemption.”

The Passover Meal is Served 

Compiled by Julian Cranberg and Justine Orlovsky-Schnitzler