Karpas: Difference between revisions

# It is preferable to have celery as Karpas. However, there are differing minhagim and some of them include potato, radish, or parsley. Nonetheless, one should be careful to check for bugs, and if one is unable to check, one can fulfill the obligation with any vegetable on which the bracha is HaAdama.<ref> The Gemara Pesachim 114a doesn't identify what vegetable should be taken as the vegetable dipped before the meal. Sefer haManhig (Siman 60) writes the Minhag is to do it with Karpas because of the drasha on the letters of Samach Parech. Arizal (quoted by Od Yosed Chai Tzav 6, Kaf HaChaim 473:14, Chazon Ovadyah ([[Pesach]] vol 2 pg 34)) writes that the minhag of using Karpas is established and shouldn't be changed. Rashi ([[Sukkah]] 39b) says that Karpas could be translated as cress (similar to parsley) but he heard (from his rabbis) that Karpas is translated as Apie. Sh"t Chatom Sofer 132 in the name of his teacher Rabbi Natan Adler says that the Apie vegetable is celery. Machasit haShekel (473:4) in name of medical books, and Sh"t Bet Shearim 213 concur that Karpas is celery. Halichot Shlomo writes that Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach when he was younger ate celery and in his later years had cucumber as Karpas. </ref>