Pesach will begin in less than a month—on the evening of Saturday, April 12, 5785 / 2025.
We must consume two foods at the Pesach Seder: first, Matza, which reminds us that it was God, and not Moses or any other political leader, who liberated us from Egypt. and second, Maror, a bitter herb, which reminds us of the taste of slavery. The Sages added two more foods to help us experience slavery and freedom as physically as possible. On the one hand, they introduced four cups of wine to celebrate our freedom. On the other hand, they instructed us to prepare the Charoset, which, according to Maimonides, is a Mitzva established by the Rabbis, to remember slavery, especially when combined with the Maror. Harose is a paste made from fresh fruits, nuts, and wine or vinegar, reminding us of mud’s color and texture. The image of mud on our hands has been etched into the collective memory of our people as a national trauma of slavery and oppression. And the Haroset reminds us of this at the Seder.
MAIMONIDES’ RECIPE
There’s something else. Strictly following what the Tora says, Maimonides indicates that Haroset should have “pieces of herbs” (tebalin) added to it, visually representing the straw added to the mud to build the bricks. We don’t know what these edible herbs were, but they were not meant to flavor the Haroset but to create the “visual effect” of mud with straw. Therefore, Maimonides indicates that these herbs should not be ground but cut into small pieces so that they look like straw (teben), thus making the Haroset look like “mud with straw” (טיט ותבן) mentioned in the Tora. The presence of this ingredient, the herbs or tebalin, which very few people add to Haroset today, was an indispensable element in Talmudic times. The Gemara in Pesachim recounts that the widespread custom in Jerusalem was that when people came to the markets to do their Pesach shopping, the merchants would announce: “Come and take (for free) the herbs to fulfill the mitzvah [the precept of Haroset with the herb].”
THE FUNCTION OF THE HERBS
Since the effect of these herbs is visual, there is no specification regarding the type of herbs or vegetables to be used for this purpose. Some rabbis mentioned cinnamon, ginger, or sprigs of hyssop, clarifying that they should NOT be ground but cut. Rabbi Maharil (1366-1427) was perhaps the most explicit in saying that herbs should be cut into long, thin pieces (מחותכין ארוכין) to give them the appearance of “straw.” Today, for some reason that I have not yet understood, almost all Haroset recipes include spices or aromatic herbs. But none mention these herbs that give Haroset the visual effect it should evoke in our memory…! For some reason, this critical element has fallen into disuse.
HAROSET AS CONDIMENT
What function does Haroset serve at the Seder? Let’s imagine a formal dinner at a high-end restaurant. On the table, there will never be a lack of obligatory condiments: salt, pepper, vinegar, and olive oil. Now, let’s imagine Maimonides’ Seder dinner. On his table, there’s one element that night LITERALLY replaces ALL condiments: Haroset is the “exclusive” dressing that must accompany all the foods we consume during the Seder night. Let’s see.
KARPAS WITH HAROSET
After inaugurating the Pesach Seder with the Kiddush, we first eat a piece of celery or Karpas. In ancient times, it was typical for a festive dinner to begin with an appetizer (celery or another fresh vegetable) before serving the main course, as this stimulated the appetite. Now, the general custom at the Seder is to dip the Karpas in vinegar (or saltwater) to remember the bitter tears we shed in captivity. But according to Maimonides, the Karpas should be dipped in Charoset, not in water and salt. It is worth clarifying that Maimonides’ Haroset recipe includes adding a significant amount of wine vinegar, which gives it a sour taste.
MATZA WITH HAROSET
The second time Haroset is used, according to Maimonides, is when we recite the blessing over the Matza (Hamotzi – Matza). We should also “dip” the Matza in Haroset instead of using salt, as we usually do when saying Hamotzi for bread. This gesture reminds me of a beautiful custom practiced in some homes on Rosh Hashanah: to wish each other a good and sweet year; when we say Hamotzi, we dip the bread in honey or season it with sugar instead of salt. Although it is worth clarifying that the honey or sugar used on Rosh Hashanah is more of a popular tradition or folklore, while the use of Haroset with the Matza for Maimonides is a formal Halachic requirement, a “Rabbinic Mitzvah” as we will see below.
MAROR WITH A BIT OF HAROSET
Haroset is mainly used to season the Maror, the bitter herb. In the particular case of Maror, the rabbis indicate that the presence of Haroset should be minimal so that the sweet-sour taste of Haroset does not deprive us of experiencing the bitter taste of Maror. For this reason, some rabbis write that the Haroset should be removed after dipping the Maror in Charoset so that only a superficial layer remains impregnated in the Maror. Maimonides clarifies that, in this case, by dipping the Maror in Charoset, we are fulfilling a rabbinic precept. However, we do not recite a specific blessing for the Haroset(according to some opinions, this is because of iqqar and tafel; the Haroset is considered an accessory to the Maror, for which we do recite the blessing, ‘al akhilat maror).
MATZA AND MAROR WITH HAROSET
Finally, Haroset is also added to the Korekh, the Matza and Maror sandwich that reminds us of the qorban Pesach, the ritual sacrifice consumed during the Pesach Seder in the times of the Bet HaMiqdash. Like in the case of Maror, the use of Haroset in Korekh is also practiced by all Jewish communities.
WHY HAROSET
As we have already explained, Haroset is not mentioned in the Torah but was established by the rabbis. According to Maimonides, Haroset is basically made with dried fruits (dates, figs, or raisins) and wine vinegar. The most appropriate word to define the taste that Haroset should have is undoubtedly: “sweet-sour.” And this concept also defines the taste of the seder night. On one hand, we vividly remember the bitter memories of slavery, oppression, and genocide that we suffered in Egypt.
But on the other hand, we are celebrating our freedom! Each of the elements and foods of the Seder represents a gesture of joy and freedom or a gesture of pain. Haroset simultaneously combines both.
MY OWN CHAROSET RECIPE (written in 2019)
According to Maimonides, Charoset is made with dried fruits (dates, figs, or raisins), wine vinegar, and tebalin or herbs. The fruits give it the color and texture of mud; the vinegar gives it its sweet-sour flavor, and the tebalin gives it the appearance of the material used by our ancestors in the slavery of Egypt to make “adobe,” that is, the mud and straw brick.
Following Maimonides’ recipe, I effortlessly prepared a paste with dried dates, dried figs, and vinegar.
But since no one seemed to pay attention to the tebalin, I had to look for something to put in the Charoset that visually resembles “teben” or straw.
I went shopping, looking for something unfamiliar. First, I went to the supermarket. It occurred to me that alfalfa sprouts could be the tebalin, but I needed dry herbs, not something fresh that could spoil. I once said, “Eureka,” I found the “straws.” They were some “Japanese Enoki mushrooms” with Kosher certification. They were long, white, and thin. Perfect for visual effects. I bought a small bag to try. But Coty was not very happy with having Japanese mushrooms at the Seder. At that moment, I had to choose between my wife and Maimonides… and as everyone will understand, I put aside the “Enokis”…
Then, I went to “Everfresh,” the local Kosher store, to look for an alternative. I saw cinnamon sticks, which could have the perfect shape, but they were too dark, too similar to the color of Charoset. And I needed special color effects to mark the contrast between mud and straw. I also found a bag of dried orange peels, which seemed too short. Then I saw “Frozen zucchini spirals” in the freezer, but they were too similar to spaghetti… not for Pesach. The lavender branches looked perfect. I called my wife, and she reminded me it should be edible.
I came home with some purchases: Some edible items, others not edible, and others frozen. I was undecided about what to use and knew I had to experiment. Then, a small miracle happened!
Coty brought me a small package of Rosemary Leaves to ask if they were kosher for Pesach.
And when I saw them, the light bulb turned on! The dried Rosemary leaves were a perfect option. The color is light, between white and yellow. They were herbs as required by Maimonides, and edible, as required by my wife. But there was a problem. The leaves were too short. They would get lost inside the Charoset… As I was looking at the little leaves and thinking about how to mix them with the Charoset, I had a “vision”: I remembered the Moroccan Charoset, which is prepared in the form of balls, like falafel or meatballs. And suddenly, I visualized the Rosemary leaves mixed with the Charoset balls. And that’s when I “saw” the mud with the straws!
