17 The Passover Haggadah
made a distinction between the holiness of the Sabbath and the holiness of the festival, and hast hallowed the seventh day above the six working days; thou hast distinguished and sanctified thy people Isracl with thy holiness. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who makest a distinction between the greater holiness and the lesser holiness.)
- Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who
hast granted us life and sustenance and permitted us to reach this season.
Wast THe HANDS EA THE GREENS DIPPED IN SALT WATER
Over the parsley: Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who createst the fruit of the earth.
BREAK THE MIDDLE MATZAH AND KEEP HALF FOR THE AFIKOMAN
sone
benediction concerning the washing of the hand: of the Seder ceremonials.
‘The parsley (OD) is one of various vegetables which may be used for the purpose of the Seder. The Mishnah (Pesahim 19:3) speaks of vegetables dipped in vinegar and caten. This custom isintended to stimulate the child’s curiosity,
‘The breaking of the middle matzah in two and the hiding of the afikoman are likewise intended to awaken the children’s curiosity. Ithas been suggested that the afikoman is wrapped in a napkin asa symbol of the unleavened dough which, wrapped in their garments, the Israclites carried on their shoulders out of Egypt (Exodus 12:31). According to some, the afikoman is symbolically concealed between the cushions, upon which the leader of the Seder service reclines, in keeping with a literal rendering of Exodus 12:17 (‘you shall watch the matzoth”). However, this practice may simply be designed to preserve the afikoman intact til it is distributed as the last thing eaten at the Seder service in remembrance of the paschal lamb which, during Temple times, was caten at the end of the Pesal meal.
‘The custom of encouraging the children to snateh the afikoman and make it disappear for a while is said to be based on a misinterpretation of the tal- mudie statement which reads: wen xbv_mpwna ava oon ba nip poom, “the matzoth are eaten hastily on the nights of Passover so that the children should not fall asleep” (Pesahim 109a),
- it is practised merely
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