The zohar calls matzah "the bread of faith." Often our behavior is inconsistent with our faith. TheTalmud speaks of the "Thief in the Burrow Syndrome": A thief is tunneling under the walls of a home when he hears the sound of footsteps. "Please, God," he prays silently, "save me!" Here is a man who believes in God, and who undoubtedly knows that God commanded "Do not steal." Nevertheless, he is stealing and simultaneously beseeching the Al-mighty for help. Faith, then, may hover in some neutral space above one’s everyday self. The same is true of all "spiritual" elements of the human experience. They may move a person to eloquent pronouncements on Truth and Beauty, set his eyes aloft and his heart on fire. They may move him to a frenzy of action or even to a dramatic overhaul of his life. But nothing in him has changed. Soon his euphoria wanes to reveal just another thief in his burrow.

Matzah helps us overcome this inner dichotomy. Partaking of the "food of faith" makes us conscious of the need to internalize our faith and enables us to incorporate it into our daily lives. This is the communion bread we take today.and part of its function.

The flat matzah is the antithesis of the inflated chometz—the symbol of ego. (In the Zohar, chometz is compared to idolatry—the idol of "self".) Hence matzah’s double potency: the Zohar calls it both the "bread of faith" and the "bread of healing." And the faith precedes the healing so that it is not a faith that comes in the wake of a healing from illness, but rather a faith that generates a healing that prevents illness from occurring to begin with.

I am conscious of my need to internalize my faith, always. And this does help me process this huge thought of God?

Now the hands are washed with recital of the blessing for washing the hands.

Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.

The Lord is concerned with our cleanliness because it how we best enjoy fellowship with Him. We concern enjoy honesty in relationships because the relationships are better. We are always working towards greater transparency and honesty in our human relationships and thus enjoying greater fruit there.

This washing might not be necessary with our relationship with the Lord because we have the ultimate cleansing in Christ the Lamb. But we do profit from examining where we are deceiving our selves with our very selves. Take advantage that we have the Lamb, and no need of daily ablutions and rituals.

Tonight we finish with the Maggid portion of the Seder. I happen to be reading in the Passover portion of Exodus currently, and the content is so rich so much to think about. I finish with this thought… scholars have debated for centuries, God hardening Pharaoh’s heart… why did Pharaoh delay in letting them go, did he have a choice? I personally don’t have much difficulty because i have seen the stubbornness in my own heart. Because I myself have not done the wise thing and instead chosen the stupid thing…

Tonight instead let’s review the ten plagues the Israelites were brought through, after years of cruel bondage…

Blood.
Frogs.
Lice.
Wild Beasts.
Pestilence.
Boils.
Hail.
Locust.
Darkness.
Slaying of the First-born.

a stunning display, the emotions, and now they were to move…. sometimes, in the midst of life we fail to see we are in a whirlwind and that God is in the midst of bringing us through something… believe me, tonight, this lesson is for me before anyone else.

On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all recline!

Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" John 13:25

Earlier we have discussed how reclining is part of the Seder as we are all royalty and this posture is associated with royalty. But it is also a part of affection and devotion. There is a childlikeness to John leaning on the breast of Jesus as He leads the Seder. For those of us who have experience with children, they often lean against us as we tell them stories or relate to them at the end of the day.

And yet here in this Bible verse we have a reference to both affection and betrayal. How often they go walk closely together… exist in the same room together. Take some time, look into the room of your heart tonight…. ferret out the deception from the affection, and purpose to spend time leaning on His breast and listen to His heartbeat.

The story of Passover, and the change from slavery to freedom is told. We will break this into several sections as it is packed with treasures…

Raise the tray with the matzoh and say:

This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Whoever is hungry, let him come and eat; whoever is in need, let him come and conduct the Seder of Passover. This year we are here; next year in the land of Israel. This year we are slaves; next year we will be free people.

The tray with the matzot is moved aside, and the second cup is poured.(Do not drink it yet).

Now the child asks "Mah Nishtana?"

What makes this night different from all [other] nights?

On all nights we need not dip even once, on this night we do so twice!

On all nights we eat chametz or matzah, and on this night only matzah.

On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables, and on this night maror!

On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all recline!

The tray is restored to its place with the matzah partly uncovered. Now we say "We were slaves…”

Blessed is the Omnipresent One, blessed be He! Blessed is He who gave the Torah to His people Israel, blessed be He! The Torah speaks of four children: One is wise, one is wicked, one is simple and one does not know how to ask.

As we carry the gospel into the world we speak to four people, indeed at different points in our lives we carry those those four people in our hearts..

the following recited questions and answers come from the Haggadah:

The wise one, what does he say? "What are the testimonies, the statutes and the laws which the Lord, our God, has commanded you?" You, in turn, shall instruct him in the laws of Passover.

The wicked one, what does he say? "What is this service to you?!" He says `to you,’ but not to him! By thus excluding himself from the community he has denied that which is fundamental. You, therefore, blunt his teeth and say to him: "It is because of this that the Lord did for me when I left Egypt"; `for me’ – but not for him! If he had been there, he would not have been redeemed!"

The simpleton, what does he say? "What is this?" Thus you shall say to him: "With a strong hand the Lord took us out of Egypt, from the house of slaves."

As for the one who does not know how to ask, you must initiate him, as it is said: "You shall tell your child on that day, `It is because of this that the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’"

at different points in our journey out of slavery and into freedom, we represent each of these people, and thusly our response must be appropriate. And when we encounter the one who is not yet wise enough to ask the right questions…. we must be there to assist and guide…. we are community after all…. it is in an individual decision, but we come out together.