The Passover meal itself was and still is, for orthodox Jews, a remembering of the Passover meal which the Israelites ate on the last night before release from slavery in Egypt, 1500 years earlier.
The Passover Seder revolves around foods that are symbolic of the events that led the Jews out of slavery when they made their exodus from Egypt thousands of years ago. Friends and family gather around the table to recreate the historic event with ritual foods, prayers, and songs. Since the time of Exodus, the Pasch or Passover is the most important festival of the Jewish religion being the festival of freedom.
The Passover Seder is celebrated on the first and second nights of the eight-day holiday. On every Seder table is the ritual Seder plate. Traditionally a roasted lamb bone representing the Paschal lamb that the ancients sacrificed for this holiday has its place on the plate. Also there is a roasted egg that symbolizes life. Horseradish, a bitter herb, represents the bitter life of the Jews in Egypt, while Charoset, a sweet tasting mixture of grated apples, chopped walnuts, wine, and unrefined sugar represents the mortar the Jews used to build the pyramids.
Greens such as parsley, watercress, or lettuce are dipped in salt water and eaten to symbolize hope and renewal that the spring season brought to the Jews. Matzoh, the cracker-like bread eaten during the week of Passover, represents the unleavened bread the Jews took with them when they hurriedly left Egypt.
Wine, symbolic of redemption, is an important part of the Seder ritual with the cup refilled four times during the service.
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2. One of the major issues or themes in the accounts of the last supper was the idea "transubstantiation" indicating a miraculous or mystical change in the substance of the bread and wine into Jesus" body and blood. Rather, these food items are emblems or symbols which represent the spiritual significance of the death of Jesus Christ when His body was broken and His blood was shed.
