Bread and salt hold sacred significance in cultures all over the world. It is the first food to be eaten in all Jewish ritual meals; in many Slavic countries, it is traditional to welcome guests with a ritual of bread and salt; in Germany, they are a gift for luck to newly wed couples and babies; and in many Arab countries it is an expression of alliance.

Today we start our meal with Matzo, without any adornment, as a reminder of the simplicity of survival. We are here today because we have survived everything that has come before, whether it was easy or difficult. Bread is the food of survival. Nearly every culture has their own style and recipe, their own way of combining these simple ingredients to draw a map to their roots. We eat this, one of the most simple and basic forms of bread, and know that it connects us deep into the history of the world. It is nothing but grain and water and salt. Bread holds the power of the bones of the Earth.

You may choose not to recite:

בְָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאָֽרֶץ:

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.

We praise Elohim, who brings bread from the land.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתַָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה:

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.

We praise Elohim, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to eat matzah.

Hail to the crops of the Earth and the history they can teach us!


haggadah Section: Motzi-Matzah