The Pesach story begins in a broken world, amidst slavery and oppression. The sound of the breaking of the matza sends us into that fractured existence, only to become whole again when we find the broken half, the afikoman, at the end of the Seder.

This brokenness is not just a physical or political situation: It reminds us of all those hard, damaged places within ourselves. All those narrow places from which we want to break to free. In Hebrew, Egypt is called  Mitzrayim, reminding us of the word  tzar, narrow. Mitzrayim symbolizes the inner straits that trap our souls. Yet even here we can find a unique lesson, as Mishael Zion & Noam Zion of the Haggadah of Contemporary Voices  share that these ideas of brokenness teach us that: "There is nothing more whole – than a broken heart."

Now everyone please take a whole piece of matza, and as you break it, take a moment to ponder how our world is broken.