(Hold up the matzah)

This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.

Normally we open the door. This year, we are socially distant.

Normally, we say, "Let all who are hungry come and eat." This year, we pray that hunger is assuaged everywhere, but do not invite the stranger in.

The mitzvah of feeding the stranger is also the mitzvah of caring for others, not just ourselves. This year, we care for others by staying distant from them. Let's have this truth be in our hearts -- that this sometimes uncomfortable isolation is a healing gift we contribute to the world. 

Now we are here virtually; next year may we be with one another, hugging and enjoying the same space.

Now we are slaves; next year may we be free.

(Break a middle matzah and wrap the larger half in a cloth; it is the afikoman.)


haggadah Section: Yachatz
Source: Deborah Lipp