"This is the bread of affliction that our forefathers ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry Passover. Now we are here; next year may we be in the Land of Israel. Now we are slaves; next year may we be free."

Question: Why did the Jews eat matzah in Egypt?
Response: Long before Manischewitz ever dreamt of egg, chocolate-covered, or whole-wheat matzah, our Egyptian oppressors forced us to subsist on matzah and little else. Matzah is more difficult to digest than bread, and though one may eat just a small quantity, the feeling of satiation lasts for a longer period of time. The compulsory diet of matzah enabled the Egyptians to reduce to a bare minimum the amount of wheat "wasted" on their slaves. The Egyptians also understood that a weakened body leads to a vulnerable spirit.

"All who are hungry come and eat S"
Once the matzah, symbol of our physical deprivation, is uncovered, we immediately turn our thoughts to the needs of others. The Pharaohs, Hitlers, and Arafats of history have made countless attempts to demoralize us by first crushing our bodies, hoping that our spirits would then be easy prey. Our enemies, however, consistently underestimate the depth and sensitivity of the Jewish spirit.

On the first night of Passover 2002, a Palestinian suicide terrorist walked into a hotel in Israel where scores of families were gathered to celebrate the seder. In an instant, an explosive, fiery, bloody, hail of nails and screws killed twenty-nine people, and injured dozens more. Within days, the Israeli Defense Forces launched a large-scale attack on the terrorist stronghold town of Jenin. Had it so chosen, Israel could have easily killed hundreds of terrorists and destroyed their infrastructure by shelling the city from a safe distance, but it chose otherwise. Rather than risking injury to large numbers of civilians, Israel chose to put its own soldiers at great risk by sending them on the perilous mission of street-to-street and house-to-house searches for the terrorists. In general, this choice was a reflection of the Jewish spirit and its desire not to inflict harm if it is at all avoidable. The following story captures the spirit of a Jewish soldier fighting in Jenin.

Simcha Mellick is originally from Scotland and his wife Penina is from the United States. They both emigrated to Israel, and after Israel survived the Six Day War in 1967, the young idealists were married and helped build the Jewish town of Kiryat Arba near Hebron. Their oldest son, Gedalya, was born in Kiryat Arba. Later, the family moved to Jerusalem.

Gedalya grew up to be a passionate, religious Jew who was also a musician, a lover of the great outdoors, and a poet. At the age of twenty-one he had also become a commander in the Golani Brigade of the Israeli Defense Forces. Gedalya was killed in Jenin and during the shiva period of mourning days.

"In Jenin, Gedalya was carrying a chocolate cake that contained milk-based ingredients. He was saving the cake to share with his fellow officers. Gedalya¹s unit was there during the height of battle and fresh food supplies were not making their way to the soldiers. The men were looking forward to the cake, as their stomachs were still unsettled from having eaten little more than dry matzah. Gedalya cheered his friends by showing them the chocolate cake that he was saving. They had recently eaten some canned meat to lighten the loads they were carrying, and, in accordance with kosher dietary laws, they were waiting the three hours until it was permissible to eat a milk product." "During this time, while searching a house, the soldiers found an Arab woman with several small children. The family became hysterical, they thought they would be shot on the spot. The soldiers spoke Arabic and asked the family to leave the house and walk to a nearby school where food and water were available. The family remained frozen in fear and couldn¹t move. Every wasted moment could have had serious reprecussions. Gedalya and his chocolate cake saved the day. Gedalya took out the cake and handed it to the mother. The woman starred at Gedalya in disbelief, and after a moment took the cake, gave some to each of her children, and then left the building for safety." "The soldiers remained hungry for quite a while because heavy fire from terrorist hideouts made it impossible for supplies to be brought to them. Gedalya was killed in battle a short while later." Gedalya Mellick died on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, 2002.

All who are hungry, come and eat. As we have seen, the seder is about the birth of the Jewish people, and right from the outset, we affirm our commitment to the maintenance of human dignity despite all efforts to denude our hearts of human sentiment, and our souls of their inclination to share.