Karpas represents the ancient Greco-Roman custom of beginning the meal with an hors d'oeuvre to whet the appetite. On the seder night, we are no longer slaves-- we are noblemen, we are kings and queens. 

Many people, after making a drastic change in their lives-- whether spiritually or physically-- feel it necessary to overrestrict themselves. A person who has recently lost tons of weight avoids even looking at a dessert bar, lest they be tempted and lose control. So too with the person on a spiritual journey, who takes on stringency after stringency. Each is afraid that if they allow themselves to "slip," they'll "fall." Yet as long as they maintain this limiting mindset, they are still slaves-- enslaved to their desires, enslaved to fear. 

Karpas teaches us-- go ahead, whet your appetite. Trust yourself. Don't be afraid to experience more. Karpas comes to teach us that we need a buffet of life. It is an expansive state of consciousness, for the person who is truly free is not afraid of over-indulging. 


haggadah Section: Karpas
Source: Paraphrased from Yiscah Smith's "Rav Kook on the Haggadah" Podcast