B"H
Tuesday, Nissan 4, 5782 / April 5, 2022
At the Pesach (Passover) seder we place a “ka’arah” (plate) as the center piece on the table. We place three matzot and the following items: On the right, we put a bone ("zeroa"); on the left, a hard boiled egg ("beitza"); a little lower, in the center of the plate, we place the "maror" (bitter herbs). Below the bone, the "charoset". Below the egg, we put the vegetable ("karpas") and below the maror, we place maror ("chazeres") again.
A dish with salt-water is placed on the Seder table. After the Kiddush, we wash our hands, recite the blessing over the vegetable, dip the vegetable in the salt water and eat it.
Q. What is the significance of the salt-water at the Seder?
A. The salt-water is symbolic of the "tears" which the children of Israel shed as a result of their great suffering during their enslavement in Mitzrayim-Egypt.
Q. What does the bone and hard boiled egg represent?
A. At the time of the Beth HaMikdash (Holy Temple), Jews would offer two sacrifices in honor of the Passover holiday -- the Peasch sacrifice ("Korban Pesach") and the Chagigah sacrifice ("Korban Chagigah"). The bone on the Seder plate recalls the Pesach sacrifice; the hard-boiled egg symbolizes the Chagigah sacrifice.
Q. Why was an egg chosen to represent the Chagiga sacrifice at the Seder?"
A. A mourner eats an egg at the first meal when starting Shiva, for the egg is round and symbolizes the cycle of life. Thus, the egg is a symbol of mourning.
Our Sages tell us that at the time of our rejoicing, we must also remember the destruction of the Holy Temple. Our happiness is not complete without the Temple. Although we gathered at the Seder table to rejoice and celebrate our freedom, at the same time, we also remember our Holy Temple and mourn its destruction. True freedom will be only when we have our Temple back with the coming of Moshiach.
It is interesting to note that the night of the 9th of Av ("Tisha B'Av"), when both Temples were destroyed, always falls on the same night as the first Seder.
Rabbi Abraham Iben Ezra has another interpretation for the egg at the Seder. He explains that eggs were a forbidden food in Egypt. Thus, the egg at the Seder symbolizes our freedom from the Egyptians.
Also, unlike other foods, eggs become firmer when boiled. This recalls the story of the Jewish people in Egypt, as the Torah tells us that the more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied and became exceedingly mighty.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY