Those were great springbok007, sam4321 and yekke2.
I once wanted to suggest why we have “stealing” of the Afikomon on this holy and awesome night. How does such a “low” act as stealing fit in with Pesach Night’s Seder? A night that is filled with kedusha and so many mitzvos, a night where tradition, emunah, and jewish values are being passed on to the children.
So I wanted to answer with a teaching from the Besh”t. The Baal Shem Tov once remarked a fascinating teaching to his talmidim, that every single thing in this world can be used for good. Every object, every concept, every phenomenon, and every idea can somehow be used for Avodas Hashem in some way or another. So one talmud asked, “Even Apikorsus?”
He answered that yes, even the concept of apikorsus can somehow be used for good. And he demonstated: When someone finds his friend in a difficult situation, whether he lost a job, a relative, or his health etc. And his friend can obviously use a friend at that moment of tzar. Says the Baal Shem Tov, now is NOT the time to speak of Emunah and Bitochon! Speak like an Apikoress! DON’T say, you have to beleive it’s all for the best, we don’t understand but Hashem does things in mysterious ways, have emunah, have bitochon, except it be’ahava…etc, etc. NONE OF THAT STUFF. ” Ashrei Maskil el Dol” says the Besh”t, “Fortunate is the one who acts like a Maskil to the unfortunate one! At such moments you have to talk like the apikoress, “Oy, it’s terrible, it’s must be so hard, I feel so bad for you, Oy, terrible etc, etc.
So I wanted to say that here by the Seder, we have a night filled with Mitzvos D’Oraysas (Matza), D’Rabonons (4 kosos, moror,etc), Minhagim (egg in saltwater etc), Halachos meshunos (washing for karpas), and so much torah, and avodah. We also wanted to implement another area and concept into our seder night, that at first blush might seem foreign, and perhaps forbidden, but we nevertheless want to include as part of our avodas hashem. And that is, that normally stealing is forbidden, but if we can “borrow” this concept, and use this idea and bedafka use it for good. We want to make every aspect of life to be part of avodas Hashem. And even “stealing” the afikomon, is implemented for the good of keeping the kids up till the end of the seder in order to soak up their brains with kedusha and values and emunahs Hashem.