What Are the Five Bitter Herbs

What are the five bitter herbs? In Hebrew, they are called Maror. As a part of Jewish Passover, Maror is used in one of the rituals during this celebration.

Matzah bread

It's necessary to explain in a bit more detail what Passover is to answer the question, “What are the five bitter herbs?” Historically, Passover is the Jewish tradition celebrating the liberty of Jewish slaves from the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses. According to the Old Testament, because Ramesses denied Moses and his people their request for freedom, the Egyptians were condemned to suffer the ten plagues. The final plague was to be the most severe, killing every firstborn in the land of Egypt. With the blood of a sacrificial lamb, the Israelites marked their doors causing the devastating plague to pass over their homes and preserve their loved ones. Today Passover is celebrated, as tradition entails, for seven to eight days with the first two nights involving the feast called Seder. Seder, a Hebrew word meaning “order,” alludes to the ceremony of reading and acting out the Haggadah, which involves a series of practices designed to convey the story of Exodus. A proper Seder plate includes the chief elements of Passover:

A traditional Passover Seder plate

• Three whole Matzahs (unleavened bread)
• Maror (bitter herbs)
• Charoseth (a mixture of apples, nuts, wine, and cinnamon)
• Karpas (a vegetable such as parsley or celery)
• Zeroah (a piece of boiled meat or poultry)
• Baytzah (a roasted or boiled egg)

When representing the story of Exodus during Seder, the quality of Rachamim (forgiveness) is symbolized through Maror. Horseradish, chicory, sow thistle, endives, and lettuce are the five bitter herbs most commonly used as Maror. The Maror are usually placed in or near the center of the plate in order to depict Rachamim at the heart of every person. While the bitter herbs are indeed a reminder of the austerity and pain of enslaved Israelites, it is the belief that bitterness of spirit produces a discovery of bounteous mercy. The extreme hostility experienced creates an abundance of compassion. It's this belief that makes the center of the dish the accepted position for the Maror.

All participants in Seder are required to eat bitter herbs twice during the feast. During the first round, eat the bitter herbs sitting upright, not reclining as in other times of the Seder when wine is shared or vegetable greens are dipped and dined on. Because Jewish slaves were not permitted to recline as the free Egyptians did when they consumed their meals, participants pay homage to their ancestors in this act and recognize the harshness of slavery. Traditionally, you dip the bitter herbs in Charoseth during the first act of consumption.

During the second round, you eat them with Charoseth in the Hillel Sandwich. This is symbolic of the subjugated Israelites who were able to bear slavery in all its bitterness as the sweet taste of liberation and deliverance was well within their reach and faith.

Hillel the Elder was a legendary Jewish theological figure accredited with creating the Hillel Sandwich. He used a little portion of Matzah, bitter herbs, and a piece of the Paschal (lamb) sacrifice together to create the meal. In this way, he adhered to the commandment of conserving Passover. Now participants eat the Hillel Sandwich after reciting a Hebrew saying that commemorates and acknowledges Hillel who assembled the lamb, the Matzah, and the bitter herbs into one unified symbol of Passover.

Hopefully now you have the question, “What are the five bitter herbs,” answered. They play a significant role in the experience of Passover, one of the most important celebrations in Jewish tradition. The core of the practice is to reinforce the unity of Jewish individuals as free and delivered people. Through this practice, they are able to come together once every year and recall that true quality of life is characterized by their freedom and ability to live in mercy and happiness.

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