Elijah represents the Messianic days when there will be no war and people will not have to fear each other.

The custom of opening the door for Elijah began in the Middle Ages, with the proliferation of the "Blood Libel." Frequently, if a Christian baby would die unexpectedly, the body would be "planted" in the courtyard of a Jewish home, and then the police would be summoned to "investigate the murder." Passover time was especially volatile, since Jews were accused of using the blood of Christian babies to bake Matzahs.

Unfortunately, this blood libel has resurfaced recently in the Arab media, with government-sponsored newspapers in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others promoting stories of Jews today using the blood of Muslim children to bake Matzahs.