Seder Plate
Germany, late 19th century
Silver, silver mail, velvet, h. 15 x dia. 13 in.
B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum Collection, 2015.17.425
On the first and second nights of Passover, Jews around the world engage in a methodical meal call the Seder. Seder in Hebrew means order. The Passover seder follows a specific order to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt, where the Jewish people had been enslaved by the Pharoah. Jews are commanded to retell this story every year as a reminder of freedom and redemption at the hands of God.
At the seder, a seder plate is at the center of the table. It includes seven foods, each of which symbolizes a significant element of the Passover story. Matzo, or unleavened bread reminds Jews of the escape from Egypt, when there was not enough time to allow the bread to rise, so they took with them this unleavened bread. Maror means bitter herbs, representing the bitter memory of slavery endured by the Jews, and is represented on the plate by an onion. Charoset is a mixture of fruits and nuts which represents the brick mortar used by the Jews when they were slaves in Egypt and forced to labor on the Pharoah’s building projects. Karpas, or parsley, symbolizes spring. Chazeret, or horseradish, also represents the bitterness of slavery. Beitzah, an egg, references springtime and new life. Finally z’roah, a lamb bone, represents the Passover sacrifice that took place when the Temple stood in Jerusalem over 2000 years ago. A modern tradition is the inclusion of an orange to the seder pate to represent the women leaders of the Jewish people.
Seder plates come in all shapes and sizes. Some are simple, others elaborate, like this three-tiered circular tray connected by three pillars with eagles, fitted around velvet applied with silver mail—a decorative silver mesh curtain—and hand engravings in Hebrew—Passover, Bitter Herbs, Matzah. Behind the curtain are three shelves for the matzo, and on top are six dishes engraved with the names of items used for the seder, all surmounted by a Star of David.
