יחץ literary means to divide, but on Pesach it represents the breaking of the Matza, the middle one to be specific, into two parts. The smallest is to be kept between the other two matzot and the larger part goes rolled into a napkin representing the Afikomen. We may say that it has a great importance since the Afikomen is known to entertain the children and to keep the next generation awake and active at the seder. But we can also find a deeper meaning to Yachatz and the Afikomen. It is said that the stealing of the biggest part of the broken matza represents the stolen blessing Yaakov received from his father Yitzhak. Yachatz also may be compared to how the poor conserve a part of the food for their next meal, breaking the matza and keeping a piece for later. The breaking of the matza represents a very important step in our beautiful tradition reminding us of our past and what our ancestors went through a long time ago.


haggadah Section: Yachatz
Source: Original