16 Mar HALACHICALLY SPEAKING: WHAT TO USE FOR MARROR AT THE PESACH SEDER
Weeks before Pesach the newspapers are full of advertisements for romaine lettuce that does not need to be inspected for insects. What is the ideal item to use for marror on Pesach? Horseradish? Lettuce? Romaine lettuce? Is one preferred over the other one? Is hydroponically grown lettuce permitted for marror? Does the marror need to be bitter? Is it permitted to mix different kinds of marror? All these and other related issues will be addressed in this issue.
Marror – The Mitzvah
The Torah requires us to eat the korbon Pesach with marror. When there is no Bais Hamikdosh and no korbon Pesach, there is an obligation d’rabbanan for both men and women to eat marror on the seder night(s).
What is Marror?
The Mishnah in Meseches Pesachim lists five species that may be used for marror: chazeres, tamcha, charchavina, ulshin and marror. The Gemorah identifies chazeres as “chasah,” which is lettuce. The poskim identify tamcha as horseradish (see below), and ulshin as endives. The Chayai Adam says that only the items listed in the Mishnah may be used, even if another item may be bitter. The Gemorah adds that marror has to be similar to matzah (grain), which grows from a seed in the ground (this will be discussed later as it relates to hydroponically grown lettuce).
We are not familiar with the other types of marror; therefore, we will only be focusing our attention to the two popular species: lettuce and horseradish.
Why Lettuce
Lettuce does not have a bitter taste to it, but is still used as marror (see below). Why is this so? The Gemorah (and this is quoted as well in the poskim) says that lettuce (generally assumed to mean romaine lettuce) is used for marror because it reminds us of the work done by the Jews in Mitzrayim in the following manner: When lettuce grows, it is sweet, but at the end it is hard (and bitter). Similarly, in the beginning the work was soft, and at the end it was hard. In addition, lettuce in Hebrew is “chasah” which serves as a reminder that Hashem had pity (chas) on the Jews in Mitzrayim. Others say that lettuce is preferred because it is the first in the list of acceptable marrors in the Mishnah. In addition, it is difficult to eat a kezayis of bitter horseradish, but this is not so with lettuce.
Which Lettuce
It is reported that Harav Aron Kotler zt”l used iceberg lettuce for marror at the seder, while Harav Moshe Feinstein zt”l and Harav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l used romaine lettuce. It is the opinion of other poskim as well that romaine lettuce is preferred over iceberg. The Chacham Tzvi zt”l and the Chasam Sofer zt”l ate lettuce for marror. Harav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach zt”l used lettuce, as did Harav Benzion Abba Shaul zt”l.
The consensus is that romaine lettuce should be used for the seder.
Lettuce and Insects
There are poskim who maintain that lettuce should be avoided since it is difficult to check properly for insects. Therefore, one should either buy lettuce with a good hechsher that it was grown in such a way that there is no concern of infestation, or one should learn how to check for insects.
Lettuce – Sweet Taste
The Gemorah says that marror must have a bitter taste. The Chazon Ish zt”l was of the opinion that if lettuce is not bitter it may not be used for marror.
Although lettuce does not have a bitter taste, many use it for the seder. As mentioned before, most poskim say that even if lettuce is sweet it is the preferred marror for the seder. This does not contradict the Gemorah, for there is no need to actually eat something bitter, as long as one tastes the food that is defined as marror. To be sure, one who swallows marror is not yotzei because he has not tasted any marror, but there is no requirement to have a bitter experience when consuming marror. Furthermore, the comparison to marror and Mitzrayim does not mention anything about “bitter,” just that in the beginning the work there was soft and at the end it was “hard.”
Some suggest that lettuce may have a bitter taste at the first bite. In reality romaine lettuce does have a slight bitterness to it.
Others suggest using the stalk of the lettuce instead of the leaves, since it is bitterer. In addition, there are those who maintain that any item identified as marror may be eaten, even if it is not bitter.
The Torah never mentions eating marror because it is bitter. In fact the Ibn Ezra says that the reason why marror was eaten was because it was served as a side dish to be eaten at the meal. This would not refer to something that is so bitter that it is nearly inedible.
Leaves or Stalks
One fulfills the mitzvah of marror with lettuce leaves or the stalk. However, it is preferable to use the leaves, because it is easier to eat the correct shiur (kezayis).
When using romaine lettuce leaves one should use a size of 8 inches by 10 inches.
Others were afraid of infestation on the leaves so they ate the stalks.
Lettuce vs. Others
The best way to fulfill the obligation of marror is with lettuce. Even if lettuce is more expensive, one should use it for marror as opposed to other items. In addition, in many cases horseradish is so bitter that one is not able to consume the correct shiur and has not fulfilled the mitzvah of marror properly. Therefore, one should use lettuce if it is available.
Berachah of Marror and Lettuce Grown in Pot / Water / Greenhouse
No berachah of hoadama is recited on marror. It is not eaten as part of the meal, but rather for mitzvah purposes. Therefore, it should require its own berachah. In order to resolve this issue we make a hoadama on karpas and have the marror in mind. However, if marror is grown in a way which would require a shehakol, then there would be a problem with the berachah. We will explain the different methods of planting lettuce below.
Lettuce Grown in a Pot
Lately, it has become the practice to grow lettuce in a pot above the ground in order to avoid insect infestation. The question arises if one is yotzei his obligation of marror by using such an item.
The Chayai Adam says that one does not recite hoadama on an item which is planted in a pot since it is not connected to the ground. However, there are many poskim who maintain that the berachah on such an item is still hoadama. Therefore, one may use lettuce which grows in a pot for marror on the night(s) of the seder. Their logic is that as long as an item is from a class of produce which is grown in the ground, then even if one particular specimen is grown in a pot the berachah status does not change. The Chayai Adam holds that it is not viewed as a plant that grows in the ground and the berachah is shehakol.
Lettuce Grown in Water – Hydroponics
Hydroponics refers to produce that is grown in water. “Hyrdo” means water and “ponos” is labor. Today it is common for many vegetables to be grown hydroponically, such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.
What berachah is made on such products? Are they considered grown from the ground?
This may affect the status of marror as it would impact the berachah.
The opinion of a few poskim is that the berachah made on these products is hoadama. Some explain this with the same reasoning that applies to produce grown in a pot. Since the basic item generally grows from the ground, the fact that this particular specimen was grown in water does not affect its status. Others do maintain that the berachah for such produce is a shehakol. Even according to this view, if one recited a hoadama he does not have to recite a new berachah.
Some suggest that one should take lettuce that grows from the actual ground, and if none are available then he can use the hydroponically grown lettuce.
Lettuce Grown in Greenhouses
Today it is very common for lettuce to be grown in a greenhouse. There are different methods of growing lettuce in greenhouses. Some growers put the plant in the ground and surround the area with a cloth to prevent insects from attacking the lettuce. On these products one recites a hoadama. Others grow the produce on a nylon sheet covering the ground. This may be considered as growing a plant in a pot without holes as discussed above. It would seem that the nylon is botel to the ground, and the lettuce is considered grown in the ground. Therefore, the berachah is hoadama.