Maror
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Maror (מָרוֹר mārôr) also spelled Marror refers to the bitter herbs that are eaten at the Passover Seder. The word derives from the Hebrew word מר — "bitter." According to the Haggadah, the traditional text which is recited at the Seder and which defines the Seder's form and customs, the maror symbolizes the bitterness of slavery in Egypt. The following verse from the Torah underscores that symbolism: "And they embittered (וימררו) their lives with hard labor, with mortar and with bricks and with all manner of labor in the field; any labor that they made them do was with hard labor" (Exodus 1:14).
Maror is placed at two places on the traditional Passover Seder Plate. The first place is in the center, called Maror, this maror is used to fulfill the main requirement to eat maror at the Seder. The second place is at the bottom of the plate and is called chazeret (Hebrew: חזרת). This is used for the requirement, called Korech, when the maror is eaten together with matzo. There are various customs about the kinds of maror placed at each location.
Only certain specific herbs are acceptable for maror. The most commonly used vegetables are horseradish and romaine lettuce. Other suitable vegetables include endive and dandelion, both of which are mentioned explicitly in the Mishna. (Note that the latter three all belong to the Composite family.) Some families (Sepahradic) also use curly parsley, dipped in salted water as Maror. The acceptability of horseradish is actually quite questionable, since it only started to be used when Jews moved to Eastern Europe. When using horseradish, many are of the opinion that one may only use freshly grated raw horseradish. No flavorings of any kind may be added. Ordinary jarred horseradish is certainly unacceptable, since it is soaked in vinegar. When romaine lettuce is used, care must be taken to cleanse the lettuce of any insects that may be present on the plant. Some authorities allow ordinary iceberg lettuce to be used for maror. Romaine lettuce is the most preferable, as it is not initially bitter but becomes so after the first taste, and thus are more accurately symbolic of the experience of the Jews in Egypt. [1] It is also much easier to consume the required amount of these than of horseradish. [2]
During the Seder, each participant makes a special blessing over the maror and eats it. It is first dipped into the charoset—a brown, pebbly mixture which symbolizes the mortar with which the Israelites bound bricks for the Egyptians. The excess charoset is then shaken off and the maror is eaten. The Halakha (Jewish Law) prescribes the minimum amount of maror that should be eaten to fulfill the mitzvah (a kazayis or kayazit, literally meaning the mass of an olive [3]) and the amount of time in which it should be consumed.
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