An important Seder tradition is to place three pieces of matzah on the table, and then break the middle matzah into two pieces. The larger piece becomes the afikomen, literally “dessert” in Greek, and will be hidden in a secret place. After dinner, the youngest people at the table will have to hunt for the afikomen in order to wrap up the meal and win a prize!

We eat matzah to remember the Israelites' hurried escape from Egypt. As slaves, they had faced many false starts before finally being let go.  When they had the chance, they rushed to pack up, took whatever dough they had, and ran with it before it had the chance to rise.

Let's uncover and hold up the three pieces of matzah and say together: This is the bread of poverty and suffering which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry, come and eat! All who have unmet needs, come and celebrate Passover with us! Once we were slaves, now we move towards becoming more free.

Breaking the middle matzah is a moment to look around the table, to look at the abundance in our lives, and express gratitude. It's also a moment to reflect on the continued presence of suffering and oppression in the world. We acknowledge that thousands of people around the world live in poverty and don’t have enough to eat. We are reminded of the millions of people fleeing oppression and violence in search of a better life.   Today - still, so many people yearn to live with safety, dignity, respect, and freedom.