The Pesach story begins in a broken world, amidst slavery and oppression. The sound of the breaking of the matza sends us into that fractured existence, only to become whole again when we find the broken half, the afikoman, at the end of the Seder. This brokenness is not just a physical or political situation.

In Hassidic thought, Mitzrayim symbolizes the inner straits that trap our souls. Yet even we can find unique value, as the Hassidic saying teaches us: "There is nothing more whole - than a broken heart."

Or as Leonard Cohen wrote:

"There's a crack in everything/

That's where the light comes in."


haggadah Section: Yachatz