Maror - Biblical Source

Biblical Source

In some listings of the 613 biblical commandments, such as the Minchat Chinuch, the biblical obligation to consume maror is included within the commandment to consume the meat of the sacrificial pascal offering. Ever since the pascal offering ceased to exist with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, the obligation to consume maror on the first night of Passover has been rabbinical in nature because the only biblical reference to the maror is the verse quoted above in which it is mentioned in reference to the offering. This is in contradistinction to the obligation to consume matzo on the first night of Passover, which remains a biblical commandment even in the absence of the pascal lamb, because there are other biblical verses that mention matzo as a standalone obligation (Exodus 12:18, Deuteronomy 16:8)

The word derives from the Hebrew word mar (מֵר or מָרָה — "bitter"), and thus may be related to the English word myrrh (through Aramaic ܡܪܝܪܐ murr).