Step #3 of the Passover Seder is karpas, when you take a small piece of potato or celery dipped in salt water and eat it. You specifically eat a small amount, less than an olive’s volume in size. Amidst a night filled with so much food and abundance, the karpas is confined to limitation and restriction.

What message is the simple karpas conveying?

That small piece of karpas – the first food consumed at the Passover Seder –conveys something powerful: small things matter.

The natural tendency is to go after big things, as the saying goes, “Go big or go home.” Karpas reminds you that amidst all of the big happenings, make space for the small doings. Amidst all of the grandeur, include simplicity. Appreciate the small deeds and small victories in life – because it’s those small steps that enable you to reach the big ones.

This point is powerfully illustrated by the fascinating history of Yellowstone National Park. Established on March 1, 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant, the federal government had the foresight to set aside the stunning piece of land which was deemed too valuable with its natural wonders to develop. In the early 1900s, due to the threat of wolves on livestock, ranchers and settlers began killing wolves. They were trapped, shot, and burned all across the country, until eventually the last one was killed by the park service in 1926.

But without wolves, the ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park started to fall out of balance. Elk populations exploded due to a lack of threat from the wolves. This led to overgrazing, which subsequently caused entire species to vanish. Then, in 1995—after almost 75 years—a small pack of 14 wolves was brought from Canada and reintroduced into Yellowstone.

What happened next was astounding.

The wolves started hunting elk, reducing their numbers and forcing them to avoid certain areas. This meant plants could grow once again. Beautiful aspen and willow trees began to flourish. The return of trees and abundance of bushes brought more berries and bugs. Various bird species returned to the national park as well. The increased tree population also attracted the beaver, which was previously extinct in the region. The beavers built dams, attracting otters, muskrats, and various reptiles to the area. The wolves also killed coyotes, allowing mice and rabbit populations to grow, which attracted red foxes, weasels, badgers, and hawks to the park.

With the better balance between predator and prey came the possibility for other species to thrive. Even the rivers changed. Increased vegetation growth made erosion decrease and river banks were stabilized. Channels narrowed, more pools formed, and the rivers stayed more fixed in their course. This small pack of wolves transformed an entire ecosystem. The wolves did not only give Yellowstone's huge ecosystem new balance, they also changed the park's physical geography.

Today, thousands of people visit Yellowstone National Park each year to watch the wolves. In fact, the park is recognized as one of the best places in the world to observe wolves in the wild. According to an economic study released in 2022, wolf-watching generates an annual average of $82 million dollars for local economies around Greater Yellowstone. People come from all over the world to see them, and some have even moved to the area just so they can observe them regularly. There is something about wolves that fascinates people. People watch their every move and gesture through high zoom cameras and binoculars.

Small things do matter.

Karpas is more than just a small piece of vegetable. It’s a reminder to embrace the power of small actions.

The Passover Seder doesn’t simply commemorate the Exodus that took place a few thousand years ago; it’s an opportunity to connect to the spiritual energy today to let go what is holding you back in life and attain personal freedom. The liberation of the Jewish people did not happen instantaneously overnight, in one massive sweep. It required a slow, step-by-step process.

First, the people needed to be informed about the possible redemption. Then over the course of a year the Ten Plagues happened, slowly teaching the Egyptians and the Jews the nature of God. Finally, on the 15th of Nissan, God took the Jewish people out of Egypt, beginning the 50-day journey to Mount Sinai where they would receive the Torah.

The path to freedom is comprised of small steps taken with consistency and dedication, embodied through the humble karpas.

Check out Rabbi Ori Strum’s new book, Karpas: The Big Dipper, just in time for Passover, a book that explores the fascinating realm of Karpas.