Leaven and Matzah

Learn something new about Passover's forbidden food.

With just two simple ingredients of flour and water, what could go wrong? Turns out, quite a lot.

Because faith is transcendent, it takes effort to integrate it within ourselves.

Many Jews from the Former Soviet Union can attest that their parents and grandparents went to great lengths to procure matzah for Passover.

The Rebbe saw only the good in everyone and encouraged us to see it too.

Sometimes those challenging moments, when we feel that we have been flattened and held against the ropes, are the very moments that make us stronger, better and crunchier.

There are other components to the human diet, and technically we can subsist on other foods. But there is something about bread which marks it as the quintessential food, and as the metaphor for all that nourishes our existence.

Jews are strictly forbidden to eat any leavened foods on Passover. Bread is replaced by Matzah – flat baked wafers made only of flour and water. Jews all over the world, take scrupulous care to avoid eating even the smallest particle of Chametz.

If we are in Egypt, we now look to G-d for His assistance to release us. For one who is bound cannot release himself. (If he could it would make a marvelously entertaining act.)

You're trapped in your life. Whichever way you turn, you encounter walls -- unshakable habits, antagonistic colleagues, elusive desires. There is a way out, but you're too big to squeeze through

The baking of the matzah is the beginning of the mitzvah. Mixing the dough, rolling and shaping the matzah and putting the dough into the oven to bake—are all activities that must be performed by adult Jews.

First you had faith. Then you grew up. Then you discovered truths you always knew you knew but which your knowledge obscured. That's why we have pre-midnight matzah and post midnight matzah

The relationship, from its very inception, has been plagued by a quarrel between the spouses. As is common with many couples, they find themselves continuously and constantly arguing the same argument.

It contains no oil or honey, nuts or fruit, not even a coating of egg and poppy seeds . . . How did this “bread of poverty” wangle center stage in the festival celebrating our acquisition of the greatest of wealths—our freedom?

So, they happened to eat matzah because they were in a rush. So what? I thought that Passover is about freedom, not food!

Matzah hurriedly chewed on an empty stomach is virtually tasteless; but at the meal's end, especially after a glass or two of wine, it is a feast for the senses...

Why the big fuss? Torah prohibits many items at various times, but-- thankfully!--we are not obligated to embark on an all-out assault against every banned item.

If chametz is so intolerable, why do we eat it all year round? And what is the significance of the unexpected appearance of “wet matzah” on the eighth day of Passover?

What if I'm so bent on being honest that I consistently find fault in my own actions? What if I find myself claiming too much "credit" for collective miscalculations and blunders? In a strange way, being hard on yourself can make you feel good...

Ordinary food is not extracted from heaven. Unlike the manna, the hand of G‑d is concealed in our bread. But there's an exception to this rule: Matzah.

Matzah represents faith, because to have faith takes recognition that one can’t control everything. It’s okay to let go. So, G-d told the Jews to find a matzah mentality, in order to leave their personal Egypt. It wasn’t easy...

How well do you know this food, which has been with us since the dawn of our peoplehood? Here are some of our favorite matzah myths.

Long before matzah became a symbol of our freedom, it was a symbol of hospitality, compassion, and sharing.