Dear Rabbi,

I have a question regarding the "afikoman" in the Passover seder. Is there any indication that it may have existed before the Temple was destroyed?

Dear Gale Boyd,

At the end of the Pesach Seder we eat some matzah. This is called the afikoman, which means "dessert."

Before the Temple's destruction, the afikoman was not a piece of matzah; rather, it was the Pascal lamb: On the afternoon before Passover, Jews everywhere came to Jerusalem and brought lambs to the Temple. A tiny part of each lamb was burned on the altar and the rest was eaten at the end of the Seder. (Hence the phrase "Please pass the Pascal!")

Ever since the Romans destroyed our Temple about two millennia ago, we do not offer sacrifices. So we eat matzah in place of the Pascal Lamb as a commemoration.

One of the reasons offered as to why it was replaced with matzah is that matzah represents the food of oppression. In a spiritual sense, until the Jewish People are once more able to offer up sacrifices in the rebuilt Temple we are in a state of oppression. That's the reason why the afikoman is broken in half, to teach us that we have yet to become "whole."

This is also one reason that we end the Seder with the phrase "Next year in Jerusalem." Why? Because our Seder is incomplete so long as it is missing those special mitzvot such as the Pascal lamb that can only be performed in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Dear Rabbi, Thank you ever so much!! This is the first cogent answer I've found in my research. I never expected such a prompt reply, nor such a settling one. I can stop pacing the floor over this now!

Dear Rabbi,

I was reading my son Bible stories and he asked a simple, child-like question: "Why doesn't G-d use his power to punish bad people the way he did in the Bible?" He was referring to the stories of Passover, Noah's Ark, the destruction of Sodom and others. Then it turned to the Nazis and why G-d didn't help the Jews by simply destroying the Nazis. I was flustered for an answer as to why we don't see G-d's great powers the way they did in the bible. Any thoughts?

Dear Larry Kahaner,

A very deep question. Why does G-d seem to allow evil, and bad people to do bad things to good people. It boils down to, "why is there evil?"

I think the answer is that G-d doesn't "like" to do open miracles. The word "world" in Hebrew, "olam," means "hiding." That is, G-d made the world as a place to hide from us, so that we can get reward (in the next world) for finding Him.

To do this, G-d needs to allow evil to flourish, for a short time. If lightning struck every time someone did a sin, no one would deserve credit for being good, because there would be no other choice.

So, what's wrong with that? As I mentioned before, G-d made this world as a place to hide in. That way, someone who truly wants to be good will be good, and someone who doesn't, won't. Then, G-d will reward the good person for being good, not because he was forced into it, but because he chose it.

So, although G-d did great miracles, like splitting the sea, and the ten plagues, He only did them for that specific generation. No other generation ever saw so many wonderous miracles. This was sort of a one-time deal, in order to teach that G-d is really there, is the Creator, and is in total control. From then on, though, G-d wanted people to use their free will to believe in G-d and follow the commandments, and not because they were "forced" into it.

Dear Rabbi,

What is the proper way to roast the egg used on the Seder plate?

Dear Daniel,

I definitely recommend boiling the egg first. Otherwise it can get pretty messy. Once boiled, put it in the (kosher for Passover) oven or on top of the gas burners and let it get a bit charred. Chances are if your oven range is electric it will do the job too. And there you go!