Passover, like many of our holidays, combines the celebration of an event from our Jewish memory with a recognition of the cycles of nature. As we remember the liberation from Egypt, we also recognize the stirrings of spring and rebirth happening in the world around us. The symbols on our table bring together elements of both kinds of celebration.

We now take a vegetable, representing our joy at the dawning of spring after our long, cold winter. We now dip it into saltwater, a symbol of the tears our ancestors shed as slaves. Before we eat it, we recite a short blessing:

Baruch Atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, borei p’ri ha-adama. בּ ְ ָרוּך אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלְֶך הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה. Blessed are You, Eternal our God, sovereign of the universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.


haggadah Section: Karpas