{"id":5782,"date":"2011-03-16T15:00:35","date_gmt":"2011-03-16T13:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=5782"},"modified":"2021-03-22T13:34:11","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T11:34:11","slug":"04-16-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/04-16-15\/","title":{"rendered":"15.\u00a0Karpas<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

As noted, the Sages ordained eating a vegetable dipped in liquid between kiddush<\/strong> and the recitation of the Hagada in order to change routine; all year long, we eat vegetables during the meal, after washing hands over bread, but at the Seder we eat a bit of vegetable before reciting the Hagada and before washing hands for the meal. Two things are unusual about this: first, we eat a vegetable before the meal, and second, we wash our hands twice instead of once (Rashi and Rashbam on Pesa\u1e25im<\/strong> 114a; Tur<\/strong> \u00a7473). In addition, because we eat a vegetable before reciting the Hagada, our Seder meal is imbued with added importance, because the finest banquets generally begin with appetizers and hors d\u2019oeuvres, followed by a pause for a different part of the program, after which the main meal begins (based on Ba\u1e25<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

The word \u201ckarpas<\/strong>\u201d appears neither in the Mishna nor in the Talmud; we are only told that a vegetable is eaten before the Hagada is recited (Pesa\u1e25im<\/strong> 114-115). But a few Rishonim (Maharil, Raavan) write that karpas<\/strong> should be used, because its Hebrew name alludes to the 600,000 men put to hard labor in Egypt (the Hebrew letters of the word karpas <\/strong>can be rearranged to spell \u201csamekh parekh<\/strong>\u201d; the letter samekh<\/strong> has a numerical value of sixty or 600,000, and parekh<\/strong> means hard labor). Though not mandatory, the A\u1e25aronim say that it is good to use karpas<\/strong> (SA 473:6, MB 19 and Kaf<\/strong> Ha-\u1e25ayim<\/strong> 49 ad loc<\/strong>.). However, there are differing opinions about what karpas<\/strong> is. Some say it is celery, and this is the widespread custom among Sephardim. Others say it is parsley, which is the custom of some Ashkenazim. Most Ashkenazim, however, use neither celery nor parsley, because according to Ashkenazic custom, there is uncertainty about what blessing to recite over them. They instead use boiled potatoes. Each family should continue its own tradition.[14]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

We dip the karpas<\/strong> in salt water or vinegar and recite the berakha <\/strong>of \u201cborei<\/strong> pri<\/strong> ha-adama\u201d<\/strong> (Who creates the food of the soil) with the intention that it also apply to the maror<\/strong> that will be eaten later in the meal. It is not necessary to recline while eating karpas<\/strong> because some poskim<\/strong> say it alludes to the suffering of enslavement in Egypt, and therefore need not be eaten as a demonstration of freedom.<\/p>\n

It is proper to eat less than a kezayit<\/strong> of karpas<\/strong>. Though some Rishonim (Rambam) say that more than a kezayit<\/strong> of karpas<\/strong> should be eaten, it is best to avoid this. Eating more than a kezayit<\/strong> invites uncertainty about making a berakha<\/strong> a\u1e25arona<\/strong>, since according to Ri, a berakha<\/strong> a\u1e25arona<\/strong> is necessary, but according to Rashbam, one should not recite a berakha<\/strong> a\u1e25arona<\/strong>, because the blessing over the karpas<\/strong> covers the maror<\/strong> we eat during the meal. Therefore, as said, it is best not to eat a kezayit<\/strong> of karpas<\/strong>. If one eats more than a kezayit<\/strong> of karpas<\/strong>, he should not recite a berakha<\/strong> a\u1e25arona<\/strong>, because we rule leniently whenever there is uncertainty about reciting a berakha<\/strong> (Maharil; SA 473:6).[15]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
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\n[14]<\/a>. The advantage of eating celery or parsley, in addition to the fact that they are actually karpas<\/strong>, is that they are eaten raw and stimulate the appetite. Moreover, they are usually eaten in small amounts, which makes it easier to eat less than a kezayit<\/strong>, as will be explained below. In Ashkenazic lands, they were not usually eaten raw, so one who ate them raw would have to recite she-hakol<\/strong>. But the berakha <\/strong>on karpas<\/strong> must be \u201cha-adama<\/strong>,\u201d so the custom in Ashkenazic communities is to eat cooked potatoes for karpas<\/strong>, on which the berakha<\/strong> is undoubtedly \u201cha-adama.<\/strong>\u201d In Middle Eastern and North African communities, where celery and parsley were eaten raw, one recites \u201cha-adama<\/strong>\u201d over them.<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a>. This dispute hinges on whether one must recite the berakha<\/strong> of \u201cha-adama<\/strong>\u201d on maror<\/strong>. According to Rashbam, a berakha<\/strong> is necessary, since the berakha<\/strong> of \u201cha-motzi<\/strong>\u201d over the matza covers everything that will be eaten as part of the meal, meaning anything that is eaten with matza to provide satisfaction. But maror<\/strong> is not eaten for this purpose, so it is not covered by \u201cha-motzi.<\/strong>\u201d Therefore, one must have in mind when making \u201cha-adama<\/strong>\u201d on the karpas<\/strong> to cover the maror<\/strong> as well. By doing this, he exempts himself from making a \u201cha-adama<\/strong>\u201d on the maror.<\/strong> However, according to Ri, one need not make a \u201cha-adama<\/strong>\u201d on maror<\/strong> at all, since it is considered a food that is eaten in the context of the meal and hence is covered by the \u201cha-motzi<\/strong>\u201d on the matza. Accordingly, if one eats more than a kezayit<\/strong> of karpas<\/strong>, he must recite a berakha a\u1e25arona<\/strong>. He should not wait until Birkat Ha-mazon<\/strong>, since it only covers food that was eaten during the meal, not before it. So if one eats a kezayit<\/strong> of karpas<\/strong> and does not recite a berakha a\u1e25arona <\/strong>right away, he misses his opportunity to make the berakha<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, be-di\u2019avad<\/strong>, if one ate more than a kezayit<\/strong> of karpas<\/strong>, he should not recite a berakha<\/strong> a\u1e25arona<\/strong>. This is because we are lenient in laws of berakhot<\/strong> in cases of uncertainty. On the one hand, perhaps Rashbam is correct that the berakha<\/strong> on the karpas<\/strong> covers the maror<\/strong>, and since Birkat Ha-mazon<\/strong> covers the maror<\/strong>, it also covers the karpas<\/strong>, which is connected to the maror. <\/strong>(See BHL 473:6, which cites Gra that one must make a berakha <\/strong>and concludes that the matter must be explored further. Nevertheless, practically speaking, one should not recite a berakha <\/strong>about which there is doubt.) On the other hand, if one ate a kezayit<\/strong> and recited a berakha a\u1e25arona<\/strong> afterward, he should not recite a berakha<\/strong> on the maror<\/strong>, since perhaps Ri is correct that the berakha<\/strong> on the matza covers the maror<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The halakha <\/strong>that one must eat less than a kezayit <\/strong>of karpas<\/strong> raises a problem: Why is one required to wash his hands? We learned (SA 158:3; Peninei Halakha:<\/strong> Berakhot <\/strong>2:6) that if one eats less than a kezayit<\/strong>, even of bread, then according to many poskim <\/strong>one need not wash his hands \u2013 so certainly one need not wash for a food dipped in liquid. Indeed, according to Rambam (MT Laws of \u1e24ametz<\/strong> and Matza 8:2) and many other Rishonim, one should specifically eat a kezayit<\/strong> of karpas<\/strong> (in a responsum he instructed his correspondent to recite a berakha a\u1e25arona <\/strong>afterward). The Vilna Gaon and several other A\u1e25aronim had the custom to eat a kezayit <\/strong>of karpas <\/strong>(although it is uncertain whether they recited a berakha a\u1e25arona<\/strong> afterward). BHL 473:6 leaves this issue unresolved. Perhaps according to Netziv (cited above in n. 12), who says that we wash our hands before karpas<\/strong> to remember what used to be done in the Temple, we can suggest that in the times of the Temple people would eat pieces larger than a kezayit<\/strong>, and they knew whether or not to recite a berakha a\u1e25arona<\/strong>. Nowadays, however, since we do not know whether to recite a berakha a\u1e25arona<\/strong>, we eat less than a kezayit<\/strong> to avoid uncertainty, and although technically we need not wash our hands to eat less than a kezayit<\/strong>, we do so anyway to commemorate what was done in the Temple. (Some say that for foods dipped in liquids one washes on even less than a kezayit<\/strong>, citing the law of karpas<\/strong> as proof. See Kaf Ha-\u1e25ayim<\/strong> 158:20.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As noted, the Sages ordained eating a vegetable dipped in liquid between kiddush and the recitation of the Hagada in order to change routine; all year long, we eat vegetables during the meal, after washing hands over bread, but at the Seder we eat a bit of vegetable before reciting the Hagada and before washing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-16-seder-night"],"yoast_head":"\n15.\u00a0Karpas - Peninei Halakha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/04-16-15\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"15.\u00a0Karpas - 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