Who decided what would happen to the Jewish Matzoh?

Question

This is what I heard, though I've never been to a Passover meal with a Jewish family.

I heard that the Jews at their Passover meal put three pieces of unleavened Matzoh bread into a box. And then they take the middle piece out, and break it in two pieces, and put the pieces in a bag and hide it. Then, the children are sent to find it. And when they do, that piece of Matzoh bread is broken all to pieces and everyone gets some.

Is this accurate? I can't find all those things in the Pentateuch---but I may not be looking in the right place. Where did this custom start? What is the symbolism?

ARRRGh Koresh, I *AM* asking my Jewish friends, in Yahoo Answers! I figured it came from rabbinical tradition, but my question is WHY? How did it start? What does it symbolize.

I in no way intended to imply that there was something illegitimate about the practice---but the possible symbolism really has me curious.

NamesAreMuchToo...no offense taken.

I'm still fascinated by the symbolism, which nobody, Christian or otherwise, "ridiculously" suggested to me. I merely heard the details of that part of the ceremony, and the Messianic allusions came up and punched me between the eyes!

E. estlinz -- thanks for all that info. I loved reading the Hebrew prayers. But I wish you wouldn't be so snarky to the other people (larry and koresh) who gave a shot at answering--I appreciate EVERYONE's attempts.

And to namesaresoconfining: Thanks for the link which I have just finished reading.

Apparently, there are many, many theories on the significane of the "threeness" of the unleavened bread, whose origins are shrouded in mystery (to me anyway, the kind answers of the responders notwithstanding.) No one interpretation is any more ridiculous than another.

Here's another thing I just read after googling afikoman and Jesus together:

The word is usually traced to the Greek epikomion ("dessert") or epikomion("revelry")9. But Dr. David Daube, professor of civil law at Oxford University, derives it from aphikomenos, "the one who has arrived."10

http://www.jewsforjesus.org/publications/issues/3_2/passover

Answer 1

The supercilious, patronizing nature of your comment has only diminished the very essence of my original answer. Arrogance is definitely one thing that has never gone very far with me. Have a nice day, and don't forget to "make way for ducklings."

Answer 2

With no offense intended, I'm assuming that the following article will be of interest: http://jewsforjudaism.org/web/faq/faq008.html

I might add the following: the 3rd matzo was added in the middle ages because of a rabbinic dispute (it gets technical). originally it was just two.

Also - only part of the middle matzo is put aside; the rest is eaten then. Putting it in a bag is just a matter of convenience, and having the children look for (or "steal") it is just a way to keep them awake for the seder (which can go pretty late). The last piece is the last thing eaten at the seder. These are mostly laws from jewish oral tradition. The symbolism is a lengthy discussion, but as the article I pointed out concisely explains, it is not about jesus, as some christians have ludicrously proposed.

no offense intended and hope that helped.

Answer 3

the peice of matzoh you are referring to is called the afikomen heres a good definition
Definition: At the beginning of the Passover Seder, the middle of the three pieces of matzah is broken. The largest piece, called the afikomen, is hidden. During the seder, the children try to find the afikomen.

Some families have a tradition of rehiding. In other words, anyone who finds the afikomen hides it again, and Seder participants continue to search for the afikomen throughout the whole Seder.

The Seder can only end after the afikomen is eaten. Afikoman means "dessert" in Aramaic. So the person leading the service will ask the children to bring the afikomen so the Seder can be concluded.

At this point, the children will bargain for some reward before agreeing to return the afikomen. Children are most excited about this part of the Seder. In fact, the whole reason for this custom is to keep the children awake and alert throughout the whole Seder service.

Answer 4

the custom of three matzos was only started in the Middle ages in Europe.

before than many people only used 2 or 1 1/2 matzos

Answer 5

You know, there are over two thousand years of Jewish tradition beyond the Pentateuch. I suggest you start by asking your Jewish friends, maybe a local Rabbi.