[disclaimer]To the Mods - This is intended as a factual question, but if the religious connotations require moveing to GD, then go right ahead[/disclaimer]
I went to a Passover meal for the first time last night (although I have heard a lot about it, working at a Jewish school for 5 years), and I wanted to ask a question about the meaning behind the afikomen.
For those who don’t know, the afikomen is a piece of matzos (the middle piece of three pieces) which is broken early in the meal, and once of the pieces is wrapped in a piece of white cloth and hidden. Later in the meal, the children all look for the the hidden piece of the afikomen and the one who finds it is rewarded with a prize (usually candy). The afikomen then becomes the last thing eaten at the supper.
The host of the meal simply said that the origins and meaning of this tradition is not known, but I wondered whether any (preferably Jewish) dopers had insights to offer on this. For a Christian, the tradition is laden with messianic predictions to be fulfilled by Jesus - what is the contemporary Jewish thought on the matter?
Gp