Yachatz יַחַץ : Breaking of the middle matzah

Break the middle matzah into two pieces. Wrap and set aside the larger piece as the Afikomen, the matzah to be eaten after the meal. The smaller half is returned to its place with the other two matzah. At the heart of the Seder is the commandment that, in every generation, each person should feel as if they themselves have gone forth from the narrow place of oppression.

Raise the matzah and say or sing 'Ha Lachma Anya' in Ladino (The Bread of Affliction):

הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין.

Ha lakhma anya, di akhalu avhatana, b’ara d’mitzrayim. Kol dikhfin yei-tei v’yeikhol, kol ditzrikh yeitei v’yipsach. Hashata hakha, l’shanah haba’ah b’arah d’yisrael. Hashata avdei, l’shanah haba’ah b’nei khorin.

This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Mitzrayim. Let all who are hungry, come and eat. All who are isolated, come and celebrate Passover with us. As long as some are oppressed, none are truly free. Next year, may we all be truly free. As we break the middle matzah, we recall the Yiddish saying,“there is nothing more whole than a broken heart.” To face the magnitude of injustice and suffering – that we experience, that we bear witness to – is to be heart broken. “Next year, may we all be truly free”is a commitment. We know that realizing this is impossible. We also know, wholeheartedly, that the alternative is unacceptable: justice cannot wait.
Source: Legacies of Resistance: An Anti-Zionist Haggadah for a Liberation Seder


haggadah Section: Yachatz