Now we break the middle matzah, bread of the poor in two. We put the larger piece aside, the afikomen or dessert, leaving the smaller on the plate. (Uncover the remaining three matzah.)

We lift up the dish with the matzah and say:

This is the bread of the oppressed that our forebears ate in the Tight and Narrow Land (Mitzrayim, Egypt, where the Israelites were enslaved). Let all who are hungry eat, and all who are in need come and celebrate the 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.)

Now lift the larger piece and say the following:

Why do we break this bread in two? Because if we hold on to the whole loaf for ourselves, it remains the bread of oppression. If we break it in order to share it, it becomes the bread of freedom. In the world today, there are still some who are so pressed-down that they have not even this bread of oppression to eat. There are so many who are hungry that they cannot all come and eat with us tonight. Therefore we say to them, we set aside this bread as a reminder that we owe you justice and a share of the earth’s fruitfulness, and that we will work to make the sharing real.


haggadah Section: Yachatz
Source: Haggadah for Earth, theshalomcenter.or