Fayette, West Virginia, 1862
"Horseradish or parsley we could not obtain, but in lieu we found a weed whose bitterness, I apprehend, exceeded anything our forefathers ‘enjoyed.’ …
The necessaries for the choroutzes we could not obtain, so we got a brick which, rather hard to digest, reminded us, by looking at it, for what purpose it was intended . . ."
"We all had a large portion of the herb ready to eat at the moment I said the blessing; each [ate] his portion, when horrors! What a scene ensued . . . The herb was very bitter and very fiery like Cayenne pepper, and excited our thirst to such a degree that we forgot the law authorizing us to drink only four cups, and the consequence was we drank up all the cider. . ."
Published originally in the Jewish Messenger, March 30, 1866
(ח) וְאָכְל֥וּ אֶת־הַבָּשָׂ֖ר בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַזֶּ֑ה צְלִי־אֵ֣שׁ וּמַצּ֔וֹת עַל־מְרֹרִ֖ים יֹאכְלֻֽהוּ׃
(8) They shall eat the Passover lamb that same night, roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and bitter stuff.
(ו) וְאֵלּוּ יְרָקוֹת שֶׁאָדָם יוֹצֵא בָהֶן יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ בְּפֶסַח, בַּחֲזֶרֶת וּבְעֻלָשִׁין וּבְתַמְכָא וּבְחַרְחֲבִינָה וּבְמָרוֹר. יוֹצְאִין בָּהֶן בֵּין לַחִין בֵּין יְבֵשִׁין, אֲבָל לֹא כְבוּשִׁין וְלֹא שְׁלוּקִין וְלֹא מְבֻשָּׁלִין.
(6) These are the vegetables with which a person fulfills their [maror] obligation on Pesach: with chazeret, with ulshin, with tamcha, with charchavina, and with maror; we may fulfill our obligation with them whether they are fresh or dried, but not if they are pickled, boiled, or cooked.
גְּמָ׳ חֲזֶרֶת — חַסָּא. עוּלְשִׁין — הִינְדְּבִי. תַּמְכָא, אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: תְּמַכְתָּא שְׁמָהּ. חַרְחֲבִינָא, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ: אַצְווֹתָא דְּדִיקְלָא. וּבְמָרוֹר — מְרִירָתָא.
...
רַבִּי אִילְעָא אוֹמֵר מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר: אַף עַרְקַבָּלִים, וְחָזַרְתִּי עַל כׇּל תַּלְמִידָיו וּבִקַּשְׁתִּי לִי חָבֵר, וְלֹא מָצָאתִי. וּכְשֶׁבָּאתִי לִפְנֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב, הוֹדָה לִדְבָרַי.
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ שָׂרָף. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן בְּרוֹקָה אוֹמֵר: כֹּל שֶׁפָּנָיו מַכְסִיפִין. אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים: [כׇּל] יָרָק מַר יֵשׁ לוֹ שָׂרָף וּפָנָיו מַכְסִיפִין. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: מִדִּבְרֵי כּוּלָּן נִלְמַד, יָרָק מַר יֵשׁ לוֹ שָׂרָף וּפָנָיו מַכְסִיפִין. אָמַר רַב הוּנָא: הֲלָכָה כַּאֲחֵרִים.
רָבִינָא אַשְׁכְּחֵיהּ לְרַב אַחָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרָבָא דַּהֲוָה מְהַדַּר אַמְּרִירָתָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מַאי דַּעְתָּיךְ, דִּמְרִירִין טְפֵי? וְהָא חֲזֶרֶת תְּנַן. וְתַנָּא דְּבֵי שְׁמוּאֵל: חֲזֶרֶת, וְאָמַר רַבִּי אוֹשַׁעְיָא: מִצְוָה בַּחֲזֶרֶת. וְאָמַר רָבָא: מַאי חֲזֶרֶת — חַסָּא.
מַאי חַסָּא — דְּחַס רַחֲמָנָא עִילָּוַון. וְאָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן: לָמָּה נִמְשְׁלוּ מִצְרִיִּים כְּמָרוֹר? לוֹמַר לָךְ: מָה מָרוֹר זֶה שֶׁתְּחִילָּתוֹ רַךְ וְסוֹפוֹ קָשֶׁה — אַף מִצְרִיִּים תְּחִילָּתָן רַכָּה וְסוֹפָן קָשָׁה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הֲדַרִי בִּי.
GEMARA: Ḥazeret is lettuce. Olashin is hindevi...."And with maror": This is merirata.
...
....Rabbi Ile’a said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: Maror is also arkablim. And I went around all of Rabbi Eliezer’s students looking for a colleague who agreed, but I did not find anyone. But when I came before Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov, he conceded to my statement.
Rabbi Yehuda says: Any plant that has white sap. Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka says: Anything whose surface is light. Aḥerim say: Any bitter herb that has sap and whose surface is light. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From the statements of all these, we can learn that a bitter green herb has sap and its surface is light. Rav Huna said: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Aḥerim.
Ravina found Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, searching for merirata. He said to him: What is your opinion? If you are looking for that which is most bitter, but we learned ḥazeret first in the mishna. And the school of Shmuel taught ḥazeret first. Rabbi Oshaya said: The mitzva is ḥazeret, and Rava said: What is ḥazeret? It is lettuce [ḥassa].
What is lettuce [ḥassa]? It means that God has mercy [ḥas] on us. And Rabbi Samuel bar Naḥmani said Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Why are the Egyptians likened to bitter herbs in the verse: “And they embittered their lives” (Exodus 1:14)? To tells you that just as these bitter herbs are soft at first and harsh in the end, so too, the Egyptians were soft at first, but were harsh in the end, as they enslaved them. This applies to ḥazeret, which has a bitter aftertaste. Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, said to Ravina: I retract my position and concede that it is preferable to use ḥazeret.
. . .
One of the most important things is not to try to eliminate [bitterness]. People say, "Oh it's bitter," and they'll put some sugar in ... Try to balance bitterness with something else. Something salty -- salt will often cut the bitterness -- but also something fatty....Fat and bitter are perfect partners.
אָמַר רָבָא: בָּלַע מַצָּה — יָצָא, בָּלַע מָרוֹר — לֹא יָצָא.
Rava said: If one swallowed matza without chewing he has fulfilled his obligation. If one swallowed bitter herbs without chewing, he has not fulfilled his obligation.
מָרוֹר זֶה שֶׁאָנוּ אוֹכְלִים, עַל שׁוּם מַה? עַל שׁוּם שֶׁמֵּרְרוּ הַמִּצְרִים אֶת־חַיֵּי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְמָרְרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהם בַּעֲבֹדָה קָשָה, בְּחֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵנִים וּבְכָל־עֲבֹדָה בַּשָּׂדֶה אֶת כָּל עֲבֹדָתָם אֲשֶׁר עָבְדוּ בָהֶם בְּפָרֶךְ.
This marror [bitter greens] that we are eating, for the sake of what [is it]? For the sake [to commemorate] that the Egyptians embittered the lives of our ancestors in Egypt, as it is stated (Exodus 1:14); "And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor."
(ה) חַיָּב אָדָם לְבָרֵךְ עַל הָרָעָה כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהוּא מְבָרֵךְ עַל הַטּוֹבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ו) וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ.
One is obligated to recite a blessing for the bad that befalls him just as he recites a blessing for the good, as it is stated: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5).