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Karpas – a poem

Ahoy! I have been to the supermarket – There is matzah on the end caps, and this time it’s not because it’s Hanukkah or Rosh Hashana!
[additional-authors]
April 7, 2026
Norman Posselt/Getty Images

Did you know, when dipping twice,
it doesn’t have to be celery, or a green

like parsley, but could be any vegetable
except what goes in the maror?

You could use a rutabaga or cabbage, or a potato.
An artichoke, or cauliflower, or fennel will do.

Maybe a radish, but that gets into bitter territory.
So better play it safe.

Did you know, the Hebrew word karpas,
could have been a mistranslation from a similar

word which means cotton?
I’m asking you these questions because

the point may be to ask questions.
You don’t have to stop at the famous four.

You can question until the angel of death
passes over, and then a few millennia more.

We’ve been questioning this whole time
As for cotton, I’m not surprised another

people’s symbol of slavery is loosely
related to ours. I’ll dip anything twice

if it means slavery is a distant memory.
The world has been so salty lately.


Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 29 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Visit him at www.JewishPoetry.net

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