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Rav CF ben DanF omeir ...

Mah Nishtanah says that on all other nights of the year, we don't dip even once. My son says, "That's not quite true. On Shabbat (and some people do it at each meal), people dip the bread in salt. On Rosh Hashanna, people dip bread and an apple in honey. So, why does (the current version vs. Mishnah version) say that we don't dip at all?"

DanF
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  • I see you just edited your q,bevause the mishna has diff girsos – sam Mar 26 '18 at 14:46
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    i think it means that there is no chiyuv to dip. As far as the "chiyuv" to dip bread in salt - see gemara berachot - this chiyuv is only if the bread does not have a good taste already, meaning the chiyuv has nothing to do with the act of dipping rather the outcome...NOTE There is still a chiyuv according to kabbalah to dip bread in salt regardless of the taste – Ibber Chochem Mar 26 '18 at 14:50
  • @IbberChochem There are different versions about whether dipping the bread is a chiyuv or not. In terms of the Ma Nishtana question, I don't believe that even in the Mishnah's version, there was any chiyuv to dip vegetables (or whatever) into something either. Essentially, the question is comparing two minhagim. – DanF Mar 26 '18 at 14:57
  • @Ibber Pesachim 116a poses our reading as a response to a proposed text "for on all nights we are not obligated to dip even once, but tonight we are obligated to dip twice." The problem is that we're not obligated to dip twice on the Seder night; Karpas is only so the kids will ask, and so it can be skipped if something else is used to get them to ask, according to the basic obligation. As DanF correctly stated, it seems to be just minhag whether bread must be dipped in salt or not, and it's also minhag to dip apples in honey. – DonielF Mar 31 '19 at 21:15

1 Answers1

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The Ritva say this means we don’t normally dip before the meal i.e. by karpas which is way before the actual meal, Shulchan Orech. source

Dr. Shmuel
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