The Peach 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.

In Hebrew, Egypt is called Mitzrayim,

reminding us of the word tzar, narrow.

Thus, in Hassidic thought, Mitzrayim

symbolizes the inner straits that trap

our souls. Yet even here we can find

a unique value, as the Hasidic saying

teaches us: "There is nothing more

whole - than a broken heart."

Or as Leonard Cohen wrote:

"There's a crack in everything /

That's where the light comes in"

Some families pass out a whole matza

to every Seder participant, inviting

them to take a moment to ponder this

entrance into a broken world, before

they each break the matza themselves.