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| A traditional Ke'ara or Seder Plate |
A distinguishing characteristics between our Seder plate and a traditional Jewish Seder plate is the absence of the Beitzah, or egg. It has been our understanding that the egg was added to the Seder meal during the Babylonian captivity of Israel. The egg is a symbol borrowed from the ancient fertility rites and rituals of the pagan people in Babylon. According to the Chabad "a hard-boiled egg represents the holiday offering brought in the days of the Holy Temple. The meat of this animal constituted the main part of the Passover meal." (see The Egg, Chabad.org) In other words, the lamb shank bone represents the lamb that was slain for the Passover meal and the egg represents the Festival sacrifices that were performed on the first day of Passover or Unleavened Bread. We, however, understand that all of the sacrifices performed in the Holy Temple were types and shadows of Yeshua's death. Therefore, this boiled egg would be, in a way, symbolizing Him. For this reason we have excluded it from our Seder meals. We do not want to use a pagan symbol to represent our Messiah, nor do we want to use any pagan symbolism in the worship of our God.
Other items on the Seder plate that are not commanded to be there are the parsley (karpas) and the sweet apple mixture (charoset). The parsley is symbolic of the season; it is green and so is the springtime. The sweet apple mixture is symbolic of the mortar that the Hebrews used in building amazing structures for Pharaoh. These symbols are harmless and actually add to the Seder meal. The only items we are commanded to eat on Passover are the lamb, the bitter herbs and the unleavened bread.
Below are some related images for your amusement...
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| Beitzah - the roasted or boiled egg used at a traditional Jewish Seder. |
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| Kokkina Avga (Red Eggs) are a traditional food during Easter for the Greek Orthodox Church. |
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| Rabbits and the eggs are symbols of springtime and fertility in many cultures. |
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| Eostre - a Germanic pagan fertility goddess. Notice the rabbits and the red eggs in her basket. |
The Egg in Exodus
By Yossy Goldman (Chabad.org)
Are the Symbols and Customs of Easter of Pagan Origin?
By Roger Patterson (AnswersInGenesis.org)
The Symbolism of Cracking Red Eggs on Easter
By Anastasios Papapostolou (GreekReporter.com)
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2 comments:
I really like that you left the egg out of the Seder. I was going to do the same but another person lead it and he wanted to go full traditional so I didn’t get a say in it. I can’t decide which will be more fun for next year having the egg and explaining why it doesn’t belong then tossing it in the trash for the dramatic effect or just leaving it out and seeing if anyone cares.
Shalom,
Andre Robles
holy-habitaiton.org
Thanks Andre.
We've never used the egg because it's too closely related to the colored eggs of our Catholic past. I was taught early on that this was not right and we still hold to this line of thinking.
Also, the egg doesn't have a 'part' in the Rabbinic Haggadahs that I've seen; so it probably wouldn't be missed. Like I mentioned in my blog post, it represents the festival sacrifices so it's not as significant as the lamb shank. But throwing it in the trash sounds great. Or, for even more dramatic effect, stand up right before the cup of redemption, hold the egg up for all to see and scream "we've been delivered from this garbage!" and throw it against a wall smashing it to pieces! THAT would be awesome! It would make a mess but it would be awesome.
Shalom to you.
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