Pesach is a discovery of how the Passover meal becomes a tangible experience of salvation history through the senses of sight, taste, and touch, writes Sr. Eliana Kurylo, CB, in a reflection for the Abraham J. Heschel Center of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin.

Sr. Kurylo recalls that Pesach is “a feast commemorating the Israelites’ bondage in Egypt and their eventual exodus into freedom.” It is “a story that shaped Jewish consciousness and values. To this day, it remains deeply meaningful for all people. It is worth noting that Pesach is the oldest continuously celebrated Jewish holiday.”

A key element of Pesach is the Seder (from Hebrew, meaning “order” or “sequence”). Sr. Eliana Kurylo explains that the Seder is “a meal rich in spiritual meaning.” “The purpose of the ceremonial dinner is to relive the Exodus from Egypt, to rekindle the shared memory of a foundational Jewish story, and to meditate on deliverance from Egyptian bondage,” she emphasizes. During the Seder, participants eat matzah (unleavened bread), maror (bitter herbs), karpas (parsley) dipped in salt water, and a sweet paste called charoset. The rituals that accompany the Seder are described in the Haggadah, a prayer book used only during Pesach.

Each of the foods served is linked to the story of liberation. As Sr. Kurylo notes, the Seder plate contains “three pieces of matzah placed one on top of the other and then covered. They represent the three groups of Jews: Priests, Levites, and Israelites.” The plate also includes the zeroa, “which is not eaten during the Seder. It is typically a shank bone or a piece of roasted meat and symbolizes the Passover lamb sacrificed on the eve of the Exodus.”

During the Seder, Jews also eat Beitzah, a hard-boiled egg. It represents a pre-festival offering once brought in the days of the Temple. Maror and Chazeret are bitter herbs that symbolize the bitterness of slavery. “Freshly grated horseradish, lettuce, or endive are most commonly used,” adds Sr. Eliana. Charoset is a paste made from a mixture of apples, pears, nuts, dates, and wine. “It symbolizes the mortar and bricks made by the slaves for Pharaoh’s buildings,” the sister explains. Another element is karpas—a vegetable, usually parsley. “It symbolizes the hard labor endured by the Jews during their slavery in Egypt.”

“Each item on the plate carries a specific symbolic meaning and helps to tell the story of redemption from slavery through the senses of sight, taste, and touch,” Sr. Kurylo writes. She concludes: “Rabbi Nachman often reminded us that the Exodus from Egypt takes place in every person, in every generation, in every year, and even every day. The experience of the Seder meal makes this truth very real and helps us remember—every day, especiallyally during Pesach—that God can lead us out of any kind of bondage into freedom.”