Root Word
חָצָה (chatzah) — to divide, to split in two
Action
Take the middle matzah, break it in two, and hide the larger half as the Afikoman, to be found and eaten later in the Seder.
Meaning and Symbolism
This step is rich with Messianic symbolism.
- The matzah, already unleavened (pure), is also pierced and striped — just as the Messiah would be.
- One half is broken, representing the body of Christ, broken for us.
- The Afikoman, hidden away, is a powerful image of Christ’s burial in the tomb, waiting to be revealed again in glory.
This act marks a turning point in the Seder: the bread is broken before the meal to prepare our hearts for the sacred story of deliverance and redemption that will soon unfold.
Scripture Connection
“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death…” — Alma 7:12
Shir HaMa'alot — Psalm 123: A Song of Ascents
Psalm 123 turns the pilgrim’s eyes upward to the One who dwells in the heavens, waiting upon the Lord with the expectation of a servant looking to the hand of a master. At Yachatz, the bread is broken — an act of humility and dependence. Like the psalmist who is “exceedingly filled with contempt” from the proud, the breaking of the matzah reminds us that brokenness and humility precede deliverance.
1 Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us. 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. 4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.
The Covenant Pattern
At the Seder Table: The middle matzah is broken in two. The larger piece — the afikomen — is wrapped and hidden, to be found later. Brokenness precedes the story. The bread must be broken before the telling can begin.
At the Seder Table — The Three Matzot and the Afikoman
At present and for many centuries back, the Paschal Supper has been thus laid out: three large pieces of matzah, or unleavened cakes, are wrapped in the folds of a napkin. The middle matzah is removed, broken, and the larger portion — the afikomen — is wrapped and hidden for the children to find later.
The Four Cups and the Wedding Covenant describes the symbolism of the three matzot from a Christian perspective: they represent the Godhead — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The middle one — the Son — is removed from the Father’s presence, broken, wrapped in linen (His burial cloths), and hidden (placed in the tomb). Later, it is found by the children — a joyful echo of the Resurrection.
Edersheim notes that it is uncertain whether the three-matzah tradition existed in Jesus’ time, yet the symbolism resonates deeply for Christians.
Sources: Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, Ch. 12; The Four Cups and the Wedding Covenant
At the Last Supper: The New Testament describes the breaking of bread later in the Seder, but the symbolism is profound. What had been a ritual act at every Passover table now carried a deeper weight: the One who would be broken and hidden in the tomb was Himself performing the breaking.
At the Last Supper — The Breaking of Bread
The full arc of the Lord’s Supper spans from the Yachatz to the Aphikomen (Step 12), when the hidden bread is brought forth.
The matzah itself — striped from the baking and pierced with holes to prevent any leavening — reminds Christians of the scourging of the whips and the piercing of the nails and spear. While this is clearly not intentional symbolism in Jewish tradition, these markings take on profound meaning when Jesus declares, “This is my body which is given for you” (Luke 22:19), and when Isaiah prophesies:
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5
When Jesus broke bread at the Last Supper and said “This is my body which is broken for you” (1 Corinthians 11:24), He was declaring Himself the afikomen — the hidden one who would be found. But He was also prophesying the gathering of His body, His family, His Bride from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
The broken portion is wrapped and hidden — like the broken body laid in the tomb. Later, at the Aphikomen, it is revealed and shared — mirroring His resurrection and the communion we share in remembrance of Him.
In the Nephite Assembly: Alma uses the language of breaking explicitly: “Were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed” (Alma 5:9). The chains that held them in bondage were broken. But breaking must also happen within: “According to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart” (Alma 5:12). The pattern: bands broken outwardly, heart broken inwardly, mighty change as the result.
In the Nephite Assembly — Alma 5: The Mighty Change
At Yachatz, the matzah is broken — and from that breaking comes transformation. Alma echoes this pattern through several layers:
“And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love.” — Alma 5:9
The bands of death were broken — just as the bread is broken. But Alma presses deeper. The physical breaking points to an inward one — the mighty change of heart:
“And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” — Alma 5:14
The Hebrew word chatzah — to divide, to split in two — reflects not only the dividing of the matzah but the scattering of Israel and the division of families that came from the bitterness of the earlier Karpas. Alma explores these serious consequences: “Were they destroyed?” and “On what conditions were they saved?” He answers: they were saved “according to their faith” — and the breaking produced a mighty change, a metamorphosis of the heart (Alma 5:12-13).
The Savior Himself connects Yachatz to the covenant requirement of brokenness: “Ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:20, echoing Psalm 34:18). The bread must be broken before the telling can begin. The heart must be broken before the change can take root.
On the Covenant Path Today: Elder Bednar teaches that “the ordinance of the sacrament is a holy and repeated invitation to repent sincerely and to be renewed spiritually,” and that as we “participate in this holy ordinance with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then the promise is that we may always have the Spirit of the Lord to be with us” (“Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins," 2016). Every Sabbath, we break bread again. The pattern repeats because the need for brokenness before redemption never changes.
On the Covenant Path — The Broken Bread and the Bride
The Four Cups and the Wedding Covenant teaches that the broken matzah represents not only Christ’s physical body but also the body of Christ as His covenant family — the scattered tribes of Israel, broken and dispersed among the nations. The afikomen, hidden and found, is a prophetic enactment of the gathering.
The Hebrew word matza means “to find.” The Feast of Unleavened Bread is about finding: finding Christ (the children search for the hidden afikomen), finding the lost sheep, finding the scattered tribes. D&C 133 echoes this theme: “And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord” (D&C 133:26).
When Jesus broke bread at the Last Supper and said “This is my body which is broken for you” (1 Corinthians 11:24), He was declaring Himself the afikomen — the hidden one who would be found. But He was also prophesying the gathering of His body, His family, His Bride from every nation.
Reflection Questions
- Why must the bread be broken before the meal begins? What does this teach us about sacrifice and humility?
- How does the hidden Afikoman remind us of Jesus’ death and burial? What does its return symbolize?
- In what ways have I felt broken in my own life? How has Christ met me in those moments?
- Can brokenness be sacred? How does Christ transform what’s broken into something whole?
- What does it mean that Christ “will take upon him death”? How does that truth bring me hope?
- Why do we hide the Afikoman from the children? What does this teach us about seeking and finding Christ?