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    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.
    Romaine Lettuce and Cleaning for Insects
    Romaine lettuce is known as an open leaf
    lettuce. This means that it grows in the ground
    like a flower and then closes up toward the
    end of its growth. Since the lettuce grow
    open it is more common to find insects in
    this lettuce, as opposed to other lettuce which
    grows closed like a ball. Aphids and thrips
    often infest the lettuce, and their green color
    creates an excellent camouflage. These bugs
    can be present on the inner layers of the
    lettuce as well. One can use a light box to
    check for infestation. The poskim speak about
    the importance of checking lettuce for bugs.
    This is the manner for checking that is advised
    by the KOF-K Vegetable Guide:
    Separate leaves from head and open all folds.
    Fill basin with water and enough liquid soap
    to make the water feel soapy. Place the leaves
    in the water but do not overload the basin. The
    leaves must float freely in the water. Allow to
    soak for 3-5 minutes.
    First rinse – Place the leaves in another basin
    of fresh water. Agitate vigorously for several
    minutes and then allow them to soak for three
    minutes.
    Second rinse – Hold each leaf and spray with
    strong stream of water, making sure that entire
    surface of every leaf is hit. Remember, both
    sides of each must be washed.
    Those who do not wish to check for insects
    may purchase romaine lettuce which have a
    good hechsher and that come from a company
    which either grows it in a way that there are
    no insects, or has a very rigorous cleaning
    process.
    Using Horseradish
    Many people use ground horseradish for
    marror. If one has a custom to use horseradish,
    but is concerned that ingesting it will damage
    him (because of the sharpness), he may use
    lettuce.
    A case against using horseradish can be made
    based on the fact that we use the root, and the
    halacha clearly says that one should fulfill the
    mitzvah of marror with the leaf or the stem
    of the plant and “not the root.” Others explain
    that this only applies to a small root, but large
    roots are permitted since they are considered
    extensions of the stem.
    Is Horseradish Really Tamcha?
    Many Gedolim say that “tamcha” is not
    horseradish. Rashi identifies it as horehound.
    The Rif says it is el shalim. Early literature does

    not categorize tamcha as horseradish, and it
    was not used until many years later.
    One issue with horseradish is that it seems
    to be sharp rather than bitter, which is not
    mentioned in the poskim as an issue. It
    is possible that the sharpness masks the
    bitterness.
    Why Horseradish Was Used
    Many poskim mention that the only reason
    why horseradish was used was that the other
    kinds of marror were not available. One has
    to understand that in colder climates it was
    uncommon to find lettuce; therefore, the
    only item that was available in those locales
    was horseradish. In addition, those who
    were concerned about insects on lettuce used
    horseradish for marror.
    Custom of Those Who Used Horseradish
    Many had the custom to use horseradish
    for marror, including Rav Akiva Eiger zt”l.
    It appears that the Chofetz Chaim zt”l used
    horseradish for marror at the seder.
    Ground Horseradish
    Whole horseradish is too strong to ingest,
    and it is dangerous to do so. In addition,
    eating it whole is not the normal way to eat
    it. Therefore, we grind it and let it sit open
    to lose some of its sharpness. Others had
    the custom to eat it whole, but this is not the
    overwhelming custom.

    Some take issue with the fact that if it is
    ground it does not look like horseradish, in
    which case it would be a shehakol. However,
    since no berachah is recited on the marror, it
    is good enough to consider it a hoadama and
    have it in mind during karpas.
    When to Grind the Horseradish
    Some have the custom to grind the horseradish
    after coming home from shul on the seder
    night and cover it until the seder begins. Once
    the seder begins, one removes the cover so
    that the horseradish lose some of its sharpness
    (this does not apply
    when Pesach falls out
    on Shabbos). Others
    say that this is not
    practical, for it would
    be too sharp to eat.
    Therefore, it should
    be ground earlier in
    the day. There is no
    need for marror to be
    so strong that it causes vomiting, as long as it
    has some bitterness.
    Why is a Horseradish Hoadama
    As mentioned above, there is no berachah of
    hoadama made on marror since the berachah
    of hoadama made on karpas exempts it. One
    might argue, however, horseradish should be
    a shehakol, since it is not normally eaten raw.
    It is possible that it is defined as an important

    food since it is used for a mitzvah; therefore,
    one recites the berachah for food which grows
    from the ground (hoadama), regardless of
    whether it is the normal manner to eat it raw.
    This is especially true since our custom is to
    grind it.
    Different Items
    As mentioned before, the Chayai Adam says
    that one may not use any item for marror
    other than those mentioned in the Mishnah.
    One may use a different bitter item, but no
    berachah is recited on it.

    Eating Horseradish
    Against a Doctor’s
    Orders
    If one usually uses
    horseradish, and his
    doctor advises him
    to avoid it for health
    reasons, he should
    discuss this matter

    with his local halachic authority.
    Soaking the Marror
    Regardless of which item one uses for marror,

    it should not be soaked for a period of twenty-
    four hours, since it will make the marror less

    sharp. If nothing else is available, one can
    use it. One should lechatchilah not soak the
    marror in vinegar. It is questionable whether
    one may soak lettuce in vinegar to cleanse it

    from insects. However, those who use the
    stalks can soak them or even use dry stalks,
    since their thickness will prevent them from
    losing their bitterness.
    Cooked marror may not be used, as it loses the
    bitterness.
    Commercially Made Horseradish (Marror)
    Commercially made horseradish with vinegar
    may not be used, since the vinegar removes
    the bitterness of the marror.
    Using Different Marror Together
    One may mix and match the different types of
    marror and end up with a kezayis of marror
    for the seder.
    Some poskim frown on this practice, as we are
    not sure which is the correct marror, and the
    improper type might nullify the bitterness of
    the true marror.
    Based on the above, some have the custom
    to take some lettuce and some horseradish
    for their marror obligation at the same time,
    while others have the custom to take lettuce
    for marror and horseradish for korach.
    Sick Person
    One who is sick and cannot have a specific
    kind of marror should try to take another kind,
    For example, if he cannot eat horseradish he
    should take lettuce. If he can’t eat any marror
    at all, he should take a drop. He should see to
    it that he is not mevatel a mitzvah.