[Avodah] Why Karpas should be less than a K'zayyis

[Chaim G Steinmetz]

R' Rich asked me to comment, in light of our lengthy off list
discussions. He himself pointed out some of the difficulty in his
approach. Let me expand a bit (though I will try to keep it short):
I believe one has to first look at the halochos of washing - in Siman 158
and rambam hil. brochos, and based on that, draw conclusions concerning
"urchatz - karpas".
1) Rambam's Shita 
The theory was, that the reason why the Rambam (in hil. Chometz u'Matzo)
needs a kzayis for karpas is in order to trigger the chiyuv netilla. 
IMO, the simple reading of the Rambam in the first 2 halochos of hil.
Brochos imply that there is no shiur to the chiyuv netillah with a
brocho. Concerning bread, he gives the condition of "bread that one makes
hamotzi on" - and there is no shiur to hamotzi. Concerning "tibolo
bemashke" - he attaches no conditions ("kol dovor"). In halacho 2 he
writes that anytime you have to wash - you have to wash with a brocho
(there is no such thing in straight halocho as washing without a brocho.
Either you are obligated or not).
This understanding - which I think is the simple read of the Rambam, is
also the understanding of the Beis Meir and others. According to this -
there is no shiur to the obligation of washing, and by extension - no
shiur to the brocho.
Now, the Gro has a different understanding in the Rambam, and is
mechadesh - that the chiyuv of washing on bread is not dependent on the
brocho of hamotzi, but on the chiyuv Birchas Hamozon. [The Chasam Sofer
in his tshuvos (OH Siman 86,127) brings such a svoro, but not in the
Rambam]. According to this, on less than a kzayis there is no chiyuv to
wash at all.This is brought lehalocho in the MB 158:10.
This is all concerning bread. What about tibul bemashke? Let us see:
If bread acccording to the Rambam has no shiur (like the simple reading
in his words in hil. brochos) - then tibul bemashke has no shiur either,
for why assume they are different? Even if bread has a shiur of kzayis
(like the Gro) - it DOES not mean that tibul bemashke has also. The
simple reading of the Gro in Siman 473 - is that one washes with a brocho
on less than a kzayis of tibul bemashke (see at length Shu"t Binyan
Shlomo Siman who proves this in the Gro (from here and from Siman 158) -
unlike the Shaar Hatziyon 473:70 who sort of "twists" the simple meaning
of the Gro)! Even the MB - though he is lenient concerning bread less
than a kzayis based on the Gro, nonetheless, when he discusses tibul
bemashke says to be meikil based on his OWN svoro (because of a
combination of shitos), but does not quote the Gro - see MB 158:20.
Therefore - the only way one can explain the Rambam needing a kzayis of
karpas in order to be able to make a brocho on the washing - is if there
is a din of kzayis by washing on tibul bemashke, something I believe
(based on the above) is far from a given.
There IS such a pshat in why one would NEED a kzayis karpas (to ba able
to make the brocho) - in Rasbatz brought in Biur Halacha end of Siman
473. It is not clear to me whether he learns the Rambam in hil Brochos
that way, or it is his own pshat to explain such a shita, but lav daka IN
the Rambam. Bchol ofen, according to many shitos mentioned above, the
Rambam holds netillah less than a kzayis, in which case the pshat (in
Rambam) does not begin.
In any case - the question will always remain: Even if true - why the
hakpodo to davka wash? Let one eat as much karpas as they want, if they
need to wash (because they ate a shiur) they wash, if not - not. Why a
DIN - to davka eat a kzayis IN ORDER to wash (with a brocho)?
More - a discussion of the other shitos in Rishonim, and most importantly
- the point of this whole discussion, which is the shito of the mechaber
- later BEH.
CGS
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