Please take a piece of parsley. The parsley is our karpas.

It is spring. The air grows warmer. Soon trees will bud and flowers will bloom. The karpas reminds us of springtime and hope. But in Egypt long ago, life was hard for us as slaves, so hard that we cried. The salty water reminds us of our tears. May we never be so comfortable that we become complacent, forgetting the pain of others.

Dipping food in salt water is also a symbol of freedom, for in ancient times only the wealthy had condiments in which to dip their food, while slaves did not. The parsley we dip in the water suggests the possibility of growth and renewal even in the midst of grief. In the spirit of Passover, we come out of the narrow place in our thinking and we are grateful for the awe, wonder and amazement of rebirth and renewal.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech HaOlam, Borei P'ri Ha-Adamah.

Blessed are You, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.

We now dip the Karpas in the salt water and eat it.


haggadah Section: Karpas