Monday 18 April 2011

Harosset vs. Saltwater - Into what do we dip the Karpas?

Originally published 4/18/11, at 4:49 pm.
The Rambam MT Hilchot Hametz uMatzah 8:2 and the Shabbat Hagadol Piyyut of R Yosef Tov Elem [RYTE] both prescribe dipping the Karpas into the Harosset.
However as per contemporary Minhag Ashkenaz, we dip into salt water instead - with some literature offering vinegar as an alternative.
Question: is this something that evolved over time or was it always dependent upon community?
It would seem that since the Rambam was S'pahrdic and RYTE Ashk'nazic, this split appears NOT to have been originally based upon community.
It is also possible that RYTE's rite was never the prevailing minhag in Ashkenaz to begin with, and therefore this is indeed a geographic split and not a temporal one.

Shalom,
RRW

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