Why a green vegetable?  Why not an apple or a carrot or a fish all of which also all come from nature? One  idea is that a vegetable which starts as a seed, unseen below the ground and then breaks through above the surface to become a beautiful, edible item is symbolic of breaking the constraints which Pesach is all about. It also is emblematic of spiritual renewal going from a “dead”, hard, lost seed to a live, supple, growing plant. (Carrots grow below the ground and apples don’t follow this same “from below to above the ground” growth. And fish also don’t sprout to where they become visible as they grow).

One idea is that a vegetable which starts as a seed, unseen below the ground and then breaks through above the surface to become a beautiful, edible item is symbolic of breaking the constraints which Passover is all about. It also is emblematic of spiritual renewal going from a “dead”, hard, lost seed to a live, supple, growing plant. (Carrots grow below the ground and apples don’t follow this same “from below to above the ground” growth. And fish also don’t sprout to where they become visible as they grow).

Dip your green vegetable into the salt water.

Baruch atah Adonai eloheinu melech haolum borei pri hadamah. 

Blessed are You, Creator of the universe who creates the fruit of the earth. 

We recognize our interconnectedness with nature and our reliance on nature for our survival.


haggadah Section: Karpas