KARPAS

The participants wash their hands but do not say a blessing. A small quantity of greens is dipped in salt water. Say the following over the karpas: Praised

are You, LORD our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the ground.
Eat without reclining.

(6) [There were hangings of] white cotton [karpas] and blue wool, caught up by cords of fine linen and purple wool to silver rods and alabaster columns; and there were couches of gold and silver on a pavement of marble, alabaster, mother-of-pearl, and mosaics.

(22) Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and to the two doorposts. None of you shall go outside the door of your house until morning.

(3) Now Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons—he was the child of his old age; and he had made him an ornamented tunic.

(3) The attendants brought vegetables before the leader of the seder prior to the meal, if there were no other vegetables on the table. He dips the ḥazeret into water or vinegar, to taste some food before he reaches the dessert of the bread, i.e., the bitter herbs, which were eaten after the matza. They brought before him matza and ḥazeret and ḥaroset, and at least two cooked dishes in honor of the Festival. The tanna comments that this was the practice, although eating ḥaroset is not a mitzva but merely a custom. Rabbi Eliezer ben Tzadok says: Actually, it is a mitzva to eat ḥaroset. And in the period when the Temple stood and they offered the Paschal lamb, they brought before him the body of the Paschal lamb.

(4) The attendants poured the second cup for the leader of the seder, and here the son asks his father the questions about the differences between Passover night and a regular night. And if the son does not have the intelligence to ask questions on his own, his father teaches him the questions. The mishna lists the questions: Why is this night different from all other nights? As on all other nights we eat leavened bread and matza as preferred; on this night all our bread is matza. As on all other nights we eat other vegetables; on this night we eat bitter herbs. The mishna continues its list of the questions. When the Temple was standing one would ask: As on all other nights we eat either roasted, stewed, or cooked meat, but on this night all the meat is the roasted meat of the Paschal lamb. The final question was asked even after the destruction of the Temple: As on all other nights we dip the vegetables in a liquid during the meal only once; however, on this night we dip twice.

(1) Rue, goosefoot, purslane, hill coriander, celery [or: water parsley], and meadow-berries, are exempt from tithes. And they may be purchased from anyone during the sabbatical year, since such produce is not usually stored.

GEMARA:Reish Lakish said: That is to say that mitzvot require intent. One who performs a mitzva must do so with the intent to fulfill his obligation. The proof of this from the mishna is that since one does not eat the lettuce at the time of his obligation to eat bitter herbs, he eats it after reciting only one blessing: Who creates fruit of the ground. And clearly the reason is that perhaps he did not intend to fulfill his obligation to eat bitter herbs, and therefore he needs to dip it again for the purpose of bitter herbs. For if it could enter your mind that mitzvot do not require intent, why do you need two dippings? But he has already dipped the lettuce once.The Gemara rejects this contention: From where do you know that this is the case? Perhaps I can say that actually mitzvot do not require intent. And that which you said, why do I need two dippings, perhaps the reason is so that there should be a conspicuous distinction for the children, which will cause them to inquire into the difference between this night and all others. And if you say: If so, let the tanna teach us this halakha with regard to other vegetables as well, as there is no obvious reason that lettuce is chosen for this distinction. In response, I would say that had the mishna taught us about other vegetables, I would have said that it is only where there are other vegetables that one requires two dippings, one for the other vegetables and one for the bitter herbs; however, if one has only ḥazeret, he does not require two dippings, as one dipping is sufficient. Therefore, the mishna teaches us that even if one has just ḥazeret he requires two dippings, so that there be a conspicuous distinction for the children.And furthermore, it was taught in a baraita: On Passover, if one ate vegetables of doubtfully tithed produce, i.e., he bought the vegetables from an am ha’aretz, he has fulfilled his obligation. If he ate them without the intent of the mitzva, he has fulfilled his obligation. If he ate them in halves, by eating half an olive-bulk of bitter herbs, pausing, and then eating an additional half an olive-bulk, he has fulfilled his obligation. And the Gemara adds: With regard to this last case, one who eats an olive-bulk in halves, that is the halakha, provided that he does not pause between eating the first half an olive-bulk and the other half an olive-bulk more than the time it takes to eat a half-loaf of bread. If one takes longer than this amount of time, the two parts of bitter herbs cannot combine. This baraita indicates that even if one eats the bitter herbs without intention he has fulfilled his obligation, which presents a difficulty for Reish Lakish. The Gemara answers: The issue of whether or not mitzvot require intent is a dispute between tanna’im, as it was taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yosei says: Although one has already dipped the ḥazeret once, it is a mitzva to bring before him ḥazeret and ḥaroset, and two cooked dishes. Apparently, he lacked intention during his first consumption of lettuce, and therefore he must be given additional lettuce with which to fulfill his obligation. The Gemara asks: And still this is no conclusive proof, as from where do I know that Rabbi Yosei is of the opinion that mitzvot require intent? Perhaps Rabbi Yosei maintains that mitzvot do not require intent, and the reason that we require two dippings is so that there should be a conspicuous distinction for the children. The Gemara rejects this argument: If so, for what reason does Rabbi Yosei use the term mitzva? There is no mitzva from the Torah to provide a distinction to stimulate the curiosity of the young ones. The mitzva is to eat bitter herbs, and evidently this individual must return and eat them again because he lacked intention the first time.

With regard to the halakha of eating vegetables, the Gemara clarifies: It is obvious that where there are other vegetables available besides bitter herbs, at the first dipping one recites over the other vegetables the blessing: Who creates fruit of the ground, and eats, with the intention of including in this blessing the bitter herbs he will eat later. And then, at the second dipping, he recites the blessing: Commanded us over eating bitter herbs, on the lettuce and eats it. However, what is the halakha where there is only lettuce available? When should one recite each blessing? Rav Huna said: One initially recites the blessing: Who creates fruit of the ground, over the bitter herbs, i.e., the lettuce, and eats them. And ultimately, after the matza, one recites the blessing: Commanded us over eating bitter herbs, over the lettuce and eats it. Rav Ḥisda strongly objects to this opinion: Do you think that after one fills his belly with lettuce, he then recites another blessing over it? Rather, Rav Ḥisda said: Initially one recites two blessings over the lettuce: Who creates fruit of the ground, and: Commanded us over eating bitter herbs, and he eats it; and later in the seder he eats lettuce without a blessing.The Gemara comments: In Syria, they act in accordance with the opinion of Rav Huna. And Rav Sheshet, son of Rav Yehoshua, acted in accordance with the opinion of Rav Ḥisda. The Gemara summarizes: And the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rav Ḥisda. The Gemara relates that Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, would seek other vegetables for Passover to preclude himself from taking sides in the dispute. He first recited only the blessing: Who creates fruit of the ground, and later added the blessing: Commanded us over eating bitter herbs, thereby satisfying all opinions.

Rabbi Elazar said that Rav Oshaya said: Anything that is dipped in a liquid before it is eaten requires the ritual of washing of the hands. The obligation to wash one’s hands was instituted to preserve ritual purity and to prevent people from causing teruma food to contract ritual impurity. Hands are generally considered impure to the second degree of ritual impurity, and they confer impurity upon any liquid with which they come in contact. Liquids that become ritually impure are automatically impure to the first degree and will therefore transfer ritual impurity to any food that is dipped in them.

The verse states: “There were hangings of ḥur, karpas, and sky blue” (Esther 1:6). The Gemara asks: What is ḥur? Rav said: A fabric fashioned with many holes [ḥarei ḥarei], similar to lace. And Shmuel said: He spread out for them carpets of white wool, as the word ḥavar means white. And what is karpas? Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: Cushions [karim] of velvet [pasim].

Rav Sheshet raised an objection: And is it permitted to purchase produce from an ownerless field worth only the value of three meals and no more? He raised a contradiction from a mishna (Shevi’it 9:1): Rue and sorrel, two types of herbs, and vegetables such as asparagus, purslane, coriander that is found in the mountains, water parsley of the rivers, and garden-eruca are all exempt from the requirement of tithes in all years, and they may be purchased from any person during the Sabbatical Year because there is no plant of their species that is safeguarded. These plants are not cultivated but grow wild, rendering them ownerless. Apparently, these plants that grow wild may be purchased in any quantity, even from an am ha’aretz, with no three-meal limit.

(1) The order of the fulfillment of these mitzvot on the night of the fifteenth [of Nisan] is as follows: In the beginning, a cup [of wine] is mixed for each individual. They recite the blessing, "Borei pri hagafen" and the kiddush of the day on it, and the blessing, shehecheyanu. Then, they drink [it].
Afterwards, one recites the blessing, "al n'tilat yadayim" and washes one's hands. A set table is brought, on which are maror, another vegetable, matzah, charoset, the body of the Paschal lamb, and the meat of the festive offering of the fourteenth of Pesach. At present, we bring two types of meat on the table: one in commemoration of the Paschal sacrifice and one in commemoration of the festive offering.

(2) He begins and recites the blessing, "Borei pri ha'adamah", takes the vegetable, dips it in charoset, and eats an olive size. He and all those eating together with him, each and every one, do not eat less than an olive size.
Afterwards, the table is taken away from the person reciting the Haggadah alone. The second cup [of wine] is mixed. Here is where the son asks, and the one reciting [the Haggadah] says:
Why is this night different from all other nights?
On all other nights, we are not required to dip even once. On this night, we dip twice?
On all other nights, we eat chametz (leaven) or matzah. On this night, only matzah?
On all other nights, we eat roasted, boiled, or cooked meat. On this night we eat only roasted?
On all other nights, we eat any type of vegetables. On this night, we eat maror (bitter herbs)?
On all other nights, we eat either sitting upright or reclining. On this night, we all recline?

(12) A person who does not have any wine on the nights of Pesach recites the kiddush on bread, as he would do on the Sabbath. [Afterwards,] he carries out all the [above] matters according to this order.
A person who has no other vegetable besides bitter herbs: At the outset, he recites two blessings over the bitter herbs: borey pri ha'adamah and al achilat maror, and partakes of them. When he concludes the Haggadah, he recites the blessing over the matzah and eats it. Afterwards, he eats from the bitter herbs without reciting a blessing.

What is meant by three species of the same type? For example, river parsley, parsley that grows in meadows, and parsley that grows in gardens. Although each of them has a distinct name, since they are of one type, they can be combined to [cause a dish to be forbidden if they] spice [it].

Anyone who eats bread over which the blessing hamotzi is recited must wash his hands before and after partaking of it.This applies even when the bread one eats is not sacred food.
Although a person's hands are not dirty, nor is he aware that they have contracted any type of ritual impurity, he should not eat until he washes both his hands. Similarly, before [partaking of] any food dipped in liquid, one must wash one's hands.

(5) ...One washes their hands for the first dipping but does not recite a blessing over the washing. Then, they take a piece of karpas (less than the size of an olive), dip it in vinegar, recite the blessing Borei Peri Ha’adama (Who creates the fruit of the earth), and eat it without reciting a blessing afterward.

Greens.

Take from the greens less than a kazayit - so that you will not need to say the blessing after eating it; dip it into the salt water; say the blessing "who creates the fruit of the earth;" and have in mind that this blessing will also be for the bitter herbs. Eat without reclining.

Blessed are You, our God, Source of the universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.

Is there really any reason for a sprig of parsley to be on the Seder table? What is the connection between karpas and the Jewish People leaving Egypt?

Winter, with its bleak landscape and cold, short days, can lead to gloom and despondency.

In contrast, spring breeds hope. Seeds frozen in the earth rested over the winter. Now, in the spring, they awaken. Even when all is cold and dark, the indomitable force of life works beneath the surface, eventually bringing new flowers into the light of day. The first growth of spring, the first green stem to rise up, renews our trust in the stubborn and invincible force of life.

We begin the Seder by eating karpas, a breath of spring. With it, we ingest the resolute force of new life. Its color, smell, and taste remind us of the tough power of life within. We are eating the hope of nature itself.

What aspect of the natural world gives you hope? What is the most hopeful place you have ever been?