Matzoh of Hope

by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine

For me, one of the greatest moments of the Pesach Seder is “Yachatz,” when we break the middle matzoh. At that moment my memories turn fondly to the seder in my parent’s home where my father, an accountant by trade, always tries to break the matzoh into two perfect “halves”. Despite his efforts, as I remember it, one portion always turned out slightly larger. Thus, we were able to fulfill the custom of putting the larger portion away for later, to be eaten for Afikoman.

It always seemed to me that putting away for later was a smart thing. It was something that a wise, poor man would surely do. And so, I thought, to put away the larger portion for later was something to be praised. But as the years go by, I get the feeling that the author of the Hagaddah might disagree.

After we break the matzoh, we declare, “This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in Egypt,” a declaration which is followed by some very difficult statements. First we say, “Anyone who wants can come and eat.” Then we say, “Anyone who wants to join our Korbon Pesach may do so.” These two statements are hard to understand because they are said in the privacy of our homes. To whom are we talking? Who are we offering to invite?

One further observation is that at the end of the declaration we say, “This year we are here, next year we will be in the Land of Israel.” Apparently the text was designed for people in exile. The Korban Pesach isn’t brought in exile. How could we invite people to join in the Korban, if this year we are in exile and there is no Korban?

I believe that breaking the middle matzoh is indeed the way of slaves and poor people. But I am not so sure that saving the larger portion for later is a behavior deserving of praise.

You see, while it is true that an impoverished person should not live with extravagance, it is also not good for him to live without hope. When a person breaks the matzoh and knows that he must save part of the meager ration for tomorrow, there is symbolism to be found in his choice of which portion he saves and which one he eats. The person with constrained thinking expects tomorrow to be even worse so he saves the larger portion, while the person with optimism is willing to eat the larger portion and put his hopes in a better tomorrow.

Lest I be accused of advocating an indulgent or irresponsible attitude in difficult times, allow me to share with you some strategies that have enabled people to survive some of the most difficult times of recent history.

I knew a man who told me how he managed to survive severe displacement during World War One and then survive the Holocaust. “The details,” he told me, “are not so important.” What is important, he said, was that his father advised him to always wear a clean shirt. When his aging father gave him that advice he was incredulous. “I don’t know where my next meal will come from and I should worry about my shirt?!”

But his father insisted, and explained, “A person with a clean shirt is a person of hope.” And so this man described to me how despite the difficult times, he “always felt it was important to look my best. I lived with anticipation that maybe today I would encounter an opportunity for salvation.”

Similarly I have read of people who lived through the Great Depression. Some of the greatest success stories that emerged from that difficult time were people who were willing to spend their last coins on acts of optimism. In one case it was a man who spent his last nickel on a shoe shine, and went on to do well on an interview. In another case it was a man who spent his fifty cents on a flower for his lapel.

The Pesach seder provides an accurate depiction of a person downtrodden and hurting. We take the matzoh and we break it, saving the larger portion for later saying, “This is the bread of affliction,” this is the way constrained and hurt people behave. But it is not a good thing. Instead we would like to think that even if we have to save a part of the meager ration, at least we should be willing to save the smaller portion, and be able to enjoy the larger portion today, as we yearn for a better tomorrow.

A person who fears that tomorrow will be worse will have trouble giving of themselves regardless of how blessed they are. Such a person will also find it difficult to invite guests.

When we make the declaration to invite, I would suggest that we are not talking about the current seder. For this seder it is already too late. But we are making a very powerful declaration nonetheless. It is a declaration of resolve to transition ourselves into optimistic thinking. Despite our challenges there are others that we can truly help. We resolve to think of ourselves as people who will soon experience salvation. “Right now I am here, but tomorrow will be better.”

By the time the seder is over we are willing to eat the larger portion of the matzoh. After hearing of the great salvation that G-d brought years ago it occurs to us that instead of telling G-d how great our problems are, we should tell our problems how great G-d is.

And so with a clean shirt, a shoeshine, and a flower in our lapel, we put our best foot forward. By next year we are confident that we will transition into being big, despite the challenges we may confront. We will be willing to eat the larger portion of matzoh, and leave the smaller portion for later, and be willing to share whatever we do have with those who are more needy. Soon we will live with the confidence of hope, knowing that tomorrow will be better than today.

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