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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Potatoes for Karpas, Making a "Shehakol"

On the Seder night, we dip "karpas" in salt water. What exactly karpas is is not clear, and there are many customs of what to use. It is definitely a vegetable that requires a brachah "ha'adamaha," but beyond that, there are not many more specifications. (שו"ע הרב או"ח סי' תע"ג סט"ז-י"ז)
Some have the custom of using a potato. This is quite interesting, as many holy sages through the years were accustomed to making a brachah of shehakol on potatoes, based on a wording of the Aruch who defines potatoes as part of the fungus family that grow from the air. Such was the practice of the R. Chaim of Tzanz (the "Divrei Chaim"), R. Naftoli of Ropshitz, R. Moshe Teitelbaum (the "Yismach Moshe"), R. Yitzchak Eizik Safrin of Kamarna, etc. Nevertheless, came the seder night, they would make a brachah of ha'adamah on the potato for karpas.
This can possibly be reconciled based on the following interesting psak: If one makes a ha'adamah on a mushroom (with the appropriate brachah being shehakol), they are post facto yotzei and need not make another brachah (ארץ החיים (צ'רנוויץ) ברכות מ, א על רש"י ד"ה דעיקר אילן). In light of this, we can understand that while regularly making a shehakol on a potato, for the Seder night, these holy men were able to use it for karpas and make the brachah ha'adamah.
שו"ת שרגא המאיר ח"ד סי' קי"א אות ג
ברכת הפסח סי' י"ב, פתחי זוטא אות ג
See here and here, and here

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