The Passover seder is one of the most widely observed of all Jewish customs, and at the center of every seder is a seder plate. Because of the popularity of the Passover seder, and because of the seder plate's central position in its observance, the plate has become a very common outlet for Jewish artistic expression.

Most seder plates have six dishes for the six symbols of the Passover seder. These are:

• Maror (bitter herbs)
• Zeroa (shankbone)
• Charoset (apple, nut, spice and wine mixture)
• Chazeret (bitter vegetable)
• Karpas (vegetable)
• Beitzah (egg)

Some seder plates have only five dishes, as there is some controversy among the authorities as to the requirement of chazeret. Plates with five dishes omit the second bitter herb (or bitter vegetable).

The buildings around the rim depict the city of Jerusalem, and the text at the bottom is taken from Psalm 137: "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning." The seder itself proceeds from Egyptian bondage to redemption, from slavery to freedom: "Next year in Jerusalem!"

This page originally created by Congregation Beth Chaim, Princeton Junction, NJ