Uncle Ziemel's Afikomen

Haggadah Section: Yachatz

There are three pieces of matzah stacked on the table. We now break the middle matzah into two pieces. The host should wrap up the larger of the pieces and, at some point between now and the end of dinner, hide it. This piece is called the afikomen, literally “dessert” in Greek. After dinner, the guests will have to hunt for the afikomen in order to wrap up the meal… and win a prize.

We eat matzah in memory of the quick flight of our ancestors from Egypt. As slaves, they had faced many false starts before finally being let go. So when the word of their freedom came, they took whatever dough they had and ran with it before it had the chance to rise, leaving it looking something like matzah.

Uncover and hold up the three pieces of matzah and say:

This is the bread of poverty which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry, come and eat; all who are needy, come and celebrate Passover with us. This year we are here; next year we will be in Israel. This year we are slaves; next year we will be free.

This year, our matzah comes from Vermatzah and is "eco Kosher" - baked with a broader sense of “good practice” in everyday life that draws on the deep well-springs of Jewish wisdom and tradition about the relationships between human beings and the earth

Our great uncle Ziemel Resnick shared a tent with David Ben Gurion in World War I. Years later, his seders in Asbury Park were the stuff of family legend, mildly terrifying to a six year old, where you would share the table with a 2nd cousin and a NJ state politician, not sure who was who. Once found, Uncle Ziemel fit the Afikomen back into the middle matzah, to show that it was in fact the missing piece, and he would say “Nothing that is broken off is lost as long as the children remember to search for it.” He knew the sacrifices that would be made to overcome the willful negligence of the British and the aggression of the Arab states to create an independent Israel. Uncle Ziemel’s searches included guns, ammunition, explosives, and parts for tanks and airplanes, funneled to the Haganah by way of secret meetings atop an Asbury Park ferris wheel. He remembered all of his fights for freedom, each and every Seder.

Pesach leads us to look at things in before and after states - chametz and Kosher L'Pesach.  Slavery and freedom.  Winter and Spring. Before and after the meal.  The middle matzah and the afikomen.  For some of these, once the change occurs, there's no going back to the before state.  But what is kosher can be made trayfe; freedom can erode into different kinds of slavery.  Part of our figurative search must be to identify and then address the comfort and complacency that let us slide backwards.

Source:  
Stuff of family legend, Vermatzah.com, Josh Fleet's "Geulah Papyrus"

Inspired to create
your own Haggadah?

Make your own Haggadah and share with other Seder lovers around the world

Have an idea
for a clip?

People like you bring their creativity to Haggadot.com when they share their ideas in a clip

Support Us
with your donation

Help us build moments of meaning and connection through
home-based Jewish rituals.

OUR TOP CONTRIBUTORS

contributor image
Esther Kustanowitz
4 Haggadahs44 Clips
contributor image
JQ International
1 Haggadah40 Clips
contributor image
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
5 Haggadahs109 Clips
contributor image
18Doors
1 Haggadah13 Clips
contributor image
JewishBoston
1 Haggadah78 Clips
contributor image
Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
1 Haggadah36 Clips
contributor image
American Jewish World Service
1 Haggadah44 Clips
contributor image
JewBelong
3 Haggadahs57 Clips
contributor image
Repair the World
12 Clips
contributor image
HIAS
5 Haggadahs48 Clips
contributor image
Be'chol Lashon
2 Haggadahs27 Clips
contributor image
PJ Library
1 Haggadah17 Clips
contributor image
Jewish World Watch
3 Haggadahs42 Clips
contributor image
Secular Synagogue
10 Clips
contributor image
SVIVAH
1 Haggadah9 Clips
contributor image
The Blue Dove Foundation
20 Clips
contributor image
ReformJudaism.org
24 Clips
contributor image
Jewish Emergent Network
1 Haggadah22 Clips

Passover Guide

Hosting your first Passover Seder? Not sure what food to serve? Curious to
know more about the holiday? Explore our Passover 101 Guide for answers
to all of your questions.

Haggadot

Haggadot.com by Recustom, is a free resource for all backgrounds and experiences. Consider making a donation to help support the continuation of this free platform.

Copyright © 2024 Custom and Craft Jewish Rituals Inc, dba Recustom, dba Haggadot.com.
All Rights Reserved. 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. EIN: 82-4765805.