My Objections to Citrus Fruit on the Seder Plate (and Why Miriam’s Fish is Different)

I address my students' questions about adding citrus to the seder plate, compare that with Miriam's fish, and suggest a halachic way to recall the hostages.

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My Objections to Citrus Fruit on the Seder Plate (and Why Miriam’s Fish is Different)

Preface: I really debated whether to make this article public. But because the third section addresses the question of adding a lemon to the seder plate to raise awareness about the ongoing hostage situation—and because I don’t want to get canceled—I’ve decided to keep the bulk of the article behind a paywall.

The Question of the Orange and My Initial Answer

I decided to use our last day of classes before Pesach break for Pesach Q&A. One of my students asked for my personal opinion about the practice of including an orange on the seder plate. Although I’d heard of this being done in non-Orthodox circles, I didn’t know much about it. An on-the-spot internet search led me to a short article titled An Orange on the Seder Plate, which explained the custom’s origin and intention. Here it is in full: