Open the door as a sign of hospitality. Lift up the matzah for all to see.

On Passover, we eat matzah in memory of the quick flight of our ancestors from Egypt, who had no time for their bread to rise before they fled to freedom.

There are three pieces of matzah stacked on the table. We now break the middle matzah into two pieces. You 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. We will not conclude our seder until the missing piece (the Afikomen) is found and reunited.

The reading which follows is in Aramaic, the everyday language of Talmudic-era Jews. We will also read it aloud in English. It is supposed to be understandable by everyone, because it is not a prayer, but an invitation.


haggadah Section: Yachatz