4. YACHATZ:

Break the middle piece of matzah. The smaller piece is returned to its place while the larger one is wrapped and put aside to serve later as the afikomen.

If a friend of mine needed to borrow one of our cars for a couple of days, I'm sure my wife and I would try to be accommodating. On the other hand, if they needed it for a month or two, we would have to apologize and explain that we really can't manage with just one car.

Recently something happened which forced us to rethink this position. One of our cars broke down. And it took a month to get the right parts! So how did we deal with this suburban catastrophe" Did we rent, did we borrow, did we steal? No. We simply managed. With an adjustment here, some juggling over there, and an added bit of patience all around, we were able to adjust our schedules, give one another rides, make alternative arrangements, and barely miss a beat in our busy schedules. We also had the pleasure of some extra time together.

Funny isn't it? There are so many things which we simply "can't live without," until, of course we have to. But mind you, our new bread maker is a different story all together. We really can't live without that!

So you want to be a giver, only you think you have nothing to give. Not in the material sense and not even in the emotional or spiritual sense. Well, think again. Quite often our inability to give and to share is the product of a skewed picture of reality. Many of our limitations are only perceived limitations. Fictitious barriers which many before us have overcome and others just like us will continue to surmount.

This is yachatz. The middle matzah is broken in two, the larger piece is hidden away, and the smaller piece returns to its place where it continues to fulfill its function despite the loss. No, this is not a suggestion that you go out and intentionally smash your second (or third) car, trade in your microwave for a Bunsen burner, or cut your sleeping hours in half, but it is a suggestion to pause.

If your brother or sister needed some of your time, money, or a piece of your heart, would you not find a way to give it to them? Humankind is a family and Jews are all brothers and sisters. Just as there are plenty of needs, there are also plenty of resources. If only we realized how much we had to give, and how much we truly want to give.

Imagine this: One day you get a phone call. Your relatives from Russia have just arrived with their three children. No money, no possessions, they don't speak the language, the local federation has exhausted its funds, and they are counting on you. What would you do?

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