We now take a green vegetable, representing the joy at the start of spring after our long, freezing winter. We dip it in salt water, a symbol of tears our ancestors shed as slaves. Before you eat it, recite a blessing:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה:

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree ha-adama.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruits of the earth.

Remembering the tears shed by our ancestors reminds us of how we have no tears left to cry now!

As AG sings,

"Right now, I'm in a state of mind
I wanna be in, like, all the time
Ain't got no tears left to cry
So I'm pickin' it up, pickin' it up (oh yeah)
I'm lovin', I'm livin', I'm pickin' it up"


haggadah Section: Karpas