The Four Questions

1. On all other nights we eat all kinds of breads and crackers.
Why do we eat only matzoh on Pesach?
Matzoh reminds us that when the Jews left the slavery of Egypt they had no time to bake their bread. They took the raw dough on their journey and baked it in the hot desert sun into hard crackers called matzoh.

2. On all other nights we eat many kinds of vegetables and herbs. Why do we eat bitter herbs, maror, at our Seder?
Maror reminds us of the bitter and cruel way the Pharaoh treated the Jewish people when they were slaves in Egypt.

3. On all other nights we don't usually dip one food into another. At our Seder we dip the parsley in salt water and the bitter herbs in Charoset.
Why do we dip our foods twice tonight?

We dip bitter herbs into Charoset to remind us how hard the Jewish slaves worked in Egypt. The chopped apples and nuts look like the clay used to make the bricks used in building the Pharaoh's buildings.

We dip parsley into salt water. The parsley reminds us that spring is here and new life will grow. The salt water reminds us of the tears of the Jewish slaves.

4. On all other nights we eat sitting up straight.
Why do we lean on a pillow tonight?

We lean on a pillow to be comfortable and to remind us that once we were slaves, but now we are free.

Passover Recipes Passover FAQ