What does chocolate have to do with Passover?

Everything, if it's the theme of the Seder plate used to tell the story of how the Jewish people left the land of Egypt — as it was at Temple Israel's pre-Passover family Seder last Saturday.

''It's just a fun, creative way to tell the story,'' said Rabbi David Lipper of Temple Israel on Merriman Road in Akron. ''We still tell the same Passover story, but we do it a little differently. It's a way to get children more involved and adults like chocolate, too.''

Passover, which begins at sunset today and ends at sundown on April 26, is the most observed tradition of Judaism among Jews of all backgrounds. The Seder, which is celebrated the first two evenings of Passover, is a ritual meal designed to help Jews understand their identity as the People of God and celebrate freedom.

At the center of the feast is the Seder plate, which contains symbolic foods that help tell the story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt with the help of God and their leader Moses.

When families gather around the table tonight, their Seder plates — unlike the ones filled with chocolate treats at Temple Israel's communal Seder — will contain the traditional foods: a roasted lamb bone, chopped apples and nuts, a bitter herb (horseradish), a roasted egg, parsley, saltwater and matzo.

The matzo is a reminder that the Hebrews had to leave Egypt in such haste that the dough for their bread did not have time to rise. The chocolate Seder substitute was chocolate-covered matzo.

At traditional Seders, a green vegetable is dipped in salt water. The vegetable symbolizes the coming of spring and the rebirth of hope. The saltwater represents the tears shed in Egypt. At the chocolate Seder, a strawberry, symbolizing the rebirth of the world, was dipped in chocolate sprinkled with salt as a reminder of the bitter tears of past generations.

A few of the participants at Temple Israel chose to dip the roasted egg, a universal symbol of life, in chocolate syrup. Most, however, ate it without the chocolate.

Bittersweet chocolate and green M&Ms symbolized the bitterness of Jewish life in slavery to the Egyptians. The traditional Seder plate tends to have a piece of romaine lettuce or some other sour green vegetable as a reminder that if God had not taken them out of Egypt, they still would be slaves.

Traditionally, the mixture of chopped apples and nuts represents the mortar used to make bricks for the Egyptians. The chocolate Seder mixture was made of M&Ms, bittersweet chocolate chips and marshmallow fluff.

The roasted lamb bone on the traditional Seder plate is symbolic of the lamb that was roasted and eaten with matzo during the first Passover. The chocolate Seder did not include the bone.

Seder customs also include drinking four cups of wine. The chocolate Seder used four cups of chocolate milk instead.

Susan Kushner Benson, who attended the chocolate Seder with her husband, Mark, and their 6-year-old daughter, Abby, said she hopes the event becomes an annual tradition at Temple Israel. She said it is a great way to rehearse the order of the Seder before Passover and a fun way to engage all ages.

''It gives the Seder a new twist that's fun and delicious. The chocolate gave the matzo, which is really kind of bland, quite a different taste sensation,'' Kushner Benson said. ''Abby loved the egg dipped in chocolate.''

The Seder and Passover have been celebrated at home since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Before that, it was customary for the Jewish faithful to observe Passover by going to the Temple. The story of Passover is told using the Haggadah, which serves as a guide, regardless of the type of Seder.

''The chocolate Seder is something that has been going around the Jewish world for several years as a way to make Passover fun and interesting,'' Lipper said. ''It's fun and it gets your attention. The important thing is, it meets the goal of retelling the story in a way that helps people make a connection to the past and look to the future with hope.''