Zeroa (Hebrew: זרוֹע) is a lamb shank bone or roast chicken wing or neck used on Passover and placed on the Seder plate. It symbolizes the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, then roasted (70 CE) during the destruction of the Temple, the z'roa serves as a visual reminder of the Pesach sacrifice.

It is a roasted animal bone, typically lamb, though some use the bone of a different animal. Vegetarians often substitute a roasted beet. The zeroa symbolizes the lamb that Jews sacrificed as the special Passover offering when the Temple stood in Jerusalem.

Apr 18, 2024 · Usually a roasted lamb shank bone, the zeroa (also spelled z’roa or zeroah) is just for show to represent the lamb that was sacrificed the night the Jews left Egypt. (Some communities use a roasted chicken neck instead.) The word zeroa means arm, and people often say this item also symbolizes the outstretched arm of God.

Zeroa – Also transliterated Z'roa, this is typically a roasted lamb shank bone or chicken wing. It is special as it is the only element of meat on the Seder Plate, symbolizing the Korban Pesach (Passover sacrifice), or Pascal Lamb.

It is our custom to eat the Z’roa’ (roasted Shankbone) at the beginning of Shulhan ‘Orekh. How do we know that this is our Minhag?

Meaning of word Zeroa Though you are correct that Zayroa is derived from seed (Zera in Hebrew), yet the word Zeroa or Z'roah means "Arm" referring to the verse in Exodus 6:6 "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm..."

Z’roa symbolizes the traditional Passover sacrifice, a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and then eaten as part of the seder meal. On the modern seder plate, z’roa is represented by a roasted lamb shank bone.

Feb 6, 2025 · Z’roa, the shank bone, commemorates the Passover sacrifice offered in the Temple. This bone symbolizes the Israelites’ liberation from Egypt through the sacrificial lamb’s blood. It encourages reflection on faith and divine intervention.

It is customary to place a shank bone on the seder plate as a reminder of the Passover sacrifice in Temple times.

The z’roa or shankbone has been used to replace the actual roasting and eating of the lamb. As this injunction is biblical, Messianic Jews often choose to roast and eat lamb during Passover.