An Oyster Plate with Jewish Words? What IS that?!!

Here is a conundrum for the seller unfamiliar with Jewish traditions - a plate with six indentations - just like an oyster plate - but with Hebrew (Jewish) lettering. Why would an oyster plate have Hebrew letters? It's one of those funny things: Jews who observe the laws of Kashruth (keeping Kosher) are forbidden to eat oysters and other shellfish. However, back in the day, it was very convenient to use finely crafted oyster plate blanks and then decorate them for use at the Passover Seder. The Seder plate, you see, also has 6 round or oval indentations (sometimes a 7th) on which to place six traditional foods used at the festive meal. Older seder plates may be made of fine porcelain (like oyster plates) but are often made of other materials such as silver. Seder plates today are made in all different materials and different shapes (not necessarily round)...but if you find an old "Oyster Plate" with Hebrew writing, it is a Passover Seder plate.Here is what a typical Seder Plate looks like:Here is another one with Handles:Please pay particular note to the big word in the middle. That word is "Pesach" - "Passover" in Hebrew. We very often see photographs with Hebrew words presented upside down. If you find a Seder plate and would like to sell it, the orientation shown above is the correct one.

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