Why do some people include an orange on the seder plate? (2024)

FAQs

Why do some people include an orange on the seder plate? ›

Many seder plates include an orange, which is attributed to Susannah Heschel, professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College. Heschel included an orange in recognition of gay and lesbian Jews, and others who are marginalized in the Jewish community.

Many seder plates include an orange, which is attributed to Susannah Heschel, professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College. Heschel included an orange in recognition of gay and lesbian Jews, and others who are marginalized in the Jewish community.

Instead, she suggested an orange as a symbol of this inclusion, saying that it represents the fruitfulness of Judaism when gay and lesbian people are actively engaged and included. The orange also represents the oppression that LGBTQ+ people still face within the world and the Jewish community.

A traditional color palette for such arrangements is white and blue hues, that are associated with purity and divinity respectively in the Jewish faith. As a spring holiday, Passover is blessed with an abundance of seasonal flowers at hand to create a white background brightened with natural blues and lilacs.

In summary, the Karpas is much more than just a simple vegetable. It is a symbol of hope, renewal, and the Jewish people's journey from slavery to freedom. Its significance in the Seder serves as a reminder of the hardships endured by our ancestors and the gratitude we should have for our freedom today.

So, the next year, Heschel put an orange on the family seder plate, "I chose an orange because it suggests the fruitfulness for all Jews when lesbians and gay men are contributing and active members of Jewish life."

Karpas (green vegetable)

If you or your hosts are of Eastern European descent, karpas might be represented with a piece of potato, as green vegetables were less available in those Ashkenazi communities during the Passover season.

Participants eat a segment of the orange, spitting out the seeds as a symbol of rejecting hom*ophobia. Olive – An olive to express solidarity with Palestinians has been added to some seder plates.

Judaism: True blue

Blue is often associated with the Jewish faith because it's the color used for Hanukkah decorations. But the hue has a much deeper symbolic significance. Blue represents the sky and spirituality.

The Hebrew word for orange, the color not the fruit, is katom. This is a relatively new addition to the Hebrew language, which won't surprise you if you've been following the Haaretz Word of the Day series over the past month.

What are the 6 things on a seder plate? ›

There are at least five foods that go on the seder plate: shank bone (zeroa), egg (beitzah), bitter herbs (maror), vegetable (karpas) and a sweet paste called haroset. Many seder plates also have room for a sixth, hazeret (another form of the bitter herbs).

Although traditions vary throughout the world, the basics are as follows: The holiday lasts a total of seven or eight days (depending on where it's being celebrated), and the first night of Passover begins with a ceremonial dinner, called a Seder, where the story of the exodus is told.

Dressing for Dinner: When attending Seder, dress elegantly and modestly in conservative silhouettes and subdued colors. A knee-length dress with a cardigan or a skirt and blouse for women, and slacks, a button up, and jacket for men are appropriate depending on location.

Karpas: A vegetable, often celery, is used to represent hope and renewal. The karpas is dipped in salt water before eaten to represent the tears of the Jews when they were slaves.

The second dipping served as a tikkun, or a repair, for the first dipping (of Joseph's coat), the sin of brotherly hatred that found its repentance in the form of brotherly unity, by which merit we were liberated from Egypt.

These traditional foods include: Karpas: A green vegetable, most often parsley, represents the initial flourishing of the Israelites during their first years in Egypt. A second cup is filled with saltwater, which the parsley is dipped into as a reminder of the tears shed during Egyptian slavery.

A paste of nuts, spices, dried fruits, and wine (charoset) depicts the brick and mortar used by the Israelites as they toiled and built Pharaoh's cities. The onion and parsley on our plate (karpas) alludes to the backbreaking work the Jews endured as slaves and are also dipped in the saltwater.

This is the seder plate, and each food is symbolic for an aspect of Passover: A roasted shank bone represents the Pescah sacrifice, an egg represents spring and the circle of life, bitter herbs represent the bitterness of slavery, haroset (an applesauce-like mixture with wine, nuts, apples, etc.)

Some Jews see this as symbolic of the ultimate redemption from suffering, which comes at the end of the Seder; some see it as a reference to the Passover sacrifice that used to be offered at the ancient temple in Jerusalem; and some see it as a reminder that the poor must always set something aside for the next meal, ...

The waters of this well were said to be healing and sustaining. Thus Miriam's Cup is a symbol of all that sustains us through our own journeys, while Elijah's Cup is a symbol of a future Messianic time.