Tzafun - Eating the Afikomen

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	Tzafun -

	Eating the Afikomen


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[Note: By this point in the Seder one of the children has found the "lost Afikoman" and a reward has been given. The leader then unwraps it and breaks it into small portions so that everyone present may partake of it.]

Tzafun means "hidden" and refers to the larger half of the matzah that was broken and hidden away ("buried") during the Yachatz step of the Seder. Yeshua used the symbol of the Afikomen to represent His body that was broken for the sins of the world.

We now ready ourselves to partake of the Bread of Life, lechem ha-chayim (לֶכֶם הַחַיִּים). We first read Matthew 26:26 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-24. After the reading we pause in silence...

The seder leader then says:

"This broken bread represents the Yeshua's body that was
broken for you on the cross. Take it and eat, all of you
who are trusting in the LORD's salvation..."

Then we all recite:

Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam,
ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.

Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
who brings forth bread from the earth.

During Jesus' early Seder with His disciples, He broke the Afikomen and gave each one present a piece. "And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me'" (Matt 26:26).

Jesus had told His disciples "ani hu lechem ha-chayim" - that He was the Bread of Life (John 6:48).

He also had told them:

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51).

We hold the unleavened bread and consider its purity (leaven is a symbol of sin, and Yeshua was sinless). We look at the stripes and pierced holes in it. We remember that Jesus was without sin, striped by the Roman's whip and pierced by nails and the soldier's spear.

The Afikomen memorializes Jesus' sacrifice of atonement for our sins so that we might have peace with God. When we eat of the broken matzah, we remember that He allowed His body to be broken as our sacrifice for sin, and we thank God for that He was willing to be the Lamb of God who came to bear the sins of the world.

We will add the additional blessing, thanking the LORD God of Israel for providing us with the true Bread (lechem emet) from Heaven, His beloved Son:

Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam,
ha-motzi lechem emet min ha-shamayim.

Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
who brings forth the True Bread from Heaven.

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