Yachatz

Haggadah Section: Yachatz

"Break the middle matzah on the matzah plate. This is called the Yachatz --literally-- the breaking. We break the matzah and hide one part (the Afikomen). We recognize that liberation is made by imperfect people, broken, fragmented — so don’t be waiting until you are totally pure, holy, spiritually centered, and psychologically healthy to get involved in tikkun (the healing and repair of the world). It will be imperfect people, wounded healers, who do the healing as we simultaneously work on ourselves." -Rabbi Michael Lerner

We simply break the matzo, leaving the smaller section on the Seder plate. We wrap the larger piece and put it away for afikomen. Why do we do this?

Passover is a commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. The biblical narrative relates that the Israelites left Egypt in such haste they could not wait for their bread dough to rise; the bread, when baked, was matzo. The other reason for eating matzo is symbolic: On the one hand, matzo symbolizes redemption and freedom, but it is also, "poor man's bread". Thus it serves as a reminder to be humble, and to not forget what life was like in servitude. Also, leaven symbolizes corruption and pride as leaven "puffs up". Eating the "bread of affliction" is a lesson in humility and an act that enhances the appreciation of freedom.

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