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| Two sacrifices are represented on the Seder Plate - Pesach (bone) and Chagigah (egg) |
On the Seder night, the poor-man's bread, known as the Afikomen is broken, one piece is eaten the larger piece is put aside. Then a long held custom, for some play's out during the course of the meal when the children carefully await the right moment to 'steal' and hide the remaining Afikomen. The kids know the Seder meal cannot be completed because the Afikomen is the last item that must be eaten before recitations and the blessing over the fourth cup of wine, which marks the conclusion of the meal. When it comes time to eat the remaining Afikomen the inevitable negotiation begins and continues until the kids concur that a suitable exchange has been reached and the Afikomen returned.
The strange custom reflects on ancient events that preceded the unleavened bread taken out of Egypt.
Abraham was the first to experience the prophecy of a future exile from the land he had inherited, this occurred 430 years prior to the Egyptian exile of his progeny. One sunny 14th of Nissan day 3 angels arrived to tell Abraham and Sarah of the future birth of their son Isaac. Elderly Sarah was busy making unleavened bread and Abraham ran off to slaughter cattle for the feast with his heavenly guests. They announced a year later Isaac would be born and that occurred on 15 Nissan.
Isaac was blind and at 122 years, five years before his mothers age at her death he called to his oldest son Esau to trap some game (two deer) and prepare it so Isaac could bless him with the rites of the first born over the feast. Isaac's wife Rebecca seized the moment for their younger son Jacob insisting he disguise as his brother Esau and deliver his father a meal of goat and lamb, that Rebecca would prepare to obtain the blessing in place of his older brother. Perhaps Rebecca anticipated an enraged Esau would force Jacob's flight to safety in exile, to the land of their estranged family where Jacob would ultimately be married, build his own family and 20 years later return to the land his father never left.
When Esau discovered his blessings had been 'stolen' he pleaded; "Bless me too father!" Isaac answered; “Your brother came with cunning-wisdom - בְּמִרְמָ֑ה (b'mir'mah) and took away your blessing". The deception by Rebecca and Jacob is thus recalled in the custom for kids to express cunning-wisdom over the Afikomen. But, what's the underlying logic of the custom? The numerical value of b'mir'mah, 287 is the same as Afikomen connecting the custom over stolen, poor-man's, unleavened bread with the deception of Esau and the entrapment of Isaac. This is confirmed because Rebecca told Isaac to send Jacob away from the Hittites, amongst whom they lived to find a wife at their estranged family where, in exile Jacob would be out of sight of his enraged brother.
The word 'Seder' [S-D-R] is associated with [S]od (secret), [D]rosh (inquiry) and [R]emes (hints) which allude to the deeper, often hidden associations in Jewish customs that parallel its written Torah. Here we see a further association with Pesach. On his birthday, Isaac ordered two animals, but why would Isaac need two animals, the man was blind and nearing the end of his days surely he couldn't eat that much? When the tabernacle or temples once stood the custom on Pesach was to bring two animal sacrifices known as Korban Pesach and Korban Chagigah (the extra sacrifice). The latter because the Torah expressly requires the bones of the Pesach sacrifice not be broken. The roasted animal had to eaten with delicate care to keep the carcass in tact. A feast with Esau - the hunter, a man with violent tendencies seems to have required another animal sacrifice to ensure the Pesach sacrifice would be cherished.
Finally, at the Pesach Seder four cups of wine are consumed, each representing a stage of the exile said to have lasted 86 years with the last being the harshest. 86 years x 5 stages = 430 years of exile, the period about which Abraham prophesied. The fifth cup of wine poured at each Seder table is poured and returned to the bottle for the soul of the prophet Eliyahu who, is said will appear to announce the final redemption when all Jews will be united in Jerusalem. The Seder concludes, even for Jews living in Jerusalem with the saying - "Next Year in Jerusalem"!
