Why Matzah Is Sweet

The time has come again to clean out the house, call all relatives, and make a seder. When the time comes to eat that flat, flavorless cracker many children ask, “Why Matzah?” The standard answer is that it is to remember when Am Yisrael had to leave Egypt in a hurry and the bread did not have time to rise. However, for adults, the symbolism of Matzah and, most importantly, of Chomitz, what we don’t eat, has deeper meanings. Both the eating of Matzah and the avoidance of Chomitz is the essential element of the holiday and it is why the spiritual taste of Matzah is special.
The nature of Chomitz is to “puff up” and this symbolizes arrogance, whereas, the flat Matzah represents humility. Humility is the beginning of breaking bondage and is essential for all spiritual growth. This is because only a person who can recognize his or her shortcomings can submit to a higher wisdom, and by submitting to a higher wisdom, one becomes free of their own self-limitations. On Pesach our goal is to rid ourselves of even the slightest “Chomitz” so we are better able to connect to God.
The people of Israel and God have had a strong relationship, but it is important that we separate ourselves from our pride in this close relationship and put ourselves back into the mentality of one that needs to cling to God and wonders if God is truly listening.
The story of the Matzah is a historical adventure. The flat cracker is often referred to as Lechem Avon, the bread of affliction. This is the bread we Jews ate as slaves and as we tell in the story of the Exodus, our ancestors, in their haste, did not have time for their dough to rise. This flat bread was named Matzah. It contained the dual meaning of the bread of affliction, remaining in bondage in Egypt and later the bread of freedom.
When the youngest child asks in the Hagadah, “Why is this night different from other nights?” the meal becomes an experience that links us to our ancestors and the struggle we went through in our leaving of Egypt. The Matzah serves as a modern-day physical presentation with community interaction revealing the struggle we Jews went through and may also come across again in our pursuit of our faith and link to our tradition. The Lechem Ohneh, the bread that provokes discussion is also to remind us of the struggle of mankind thus that bread of affliction represents a hope for charity as we approach our meal of bounty.
In the Sephardic community (Spanish Jews), it customary to pass the Matzah around, placing it on the back of our neighbor, to reenact the story of the Exodus in the hopes of revealing our struggle to retain our identity just as the Spanish Jews in the past fled their home country of Spain in order to remain Jewish. Every Passover we become the wondering Jews that were told in the Bible and we relive it though our meal.
And finally the most important teaching associated with the Matzah is the connection to those who are hungry both physically and spiritually we are supposed to open our homes and our heart to them. The Lechem Ahknee, the poor person’s bread, thereby reinforces an essential value in Judaism that freedom should not be celebrated when others are hungry and lonely and we have this duty to welcome others into our home with an open heart.
The Matzah represents a powerful souvenir of the Pesach experience. The Matzah is broken, discussed, made into a sandwich, held up to remember those who are still in bondage, hidden, ransomed, eaten as the dessert etc. According to Jewish law we are required to eat an olive’s weight of Matzah. It becomes the souvenir that we eat during the remaining days of Passover. In our contemporary era it takes the place of the Korban Pesach, the Pascal offering which is no longer offered. Matzah, that flat cracker is our sweetest bread for these eight days.
This is the essential element of our holiday and why on Passover the spiritual task of eating Matzah is sweet. Our souls rise during the week of eating Matzah as we lower our egos and embrace the beauty that is God’s covenant with Israel and our bond with each other. Let us all partake during this holiday of the Matzah and grow in our faith and commitment to Judaism and welcome all who are hungry and crave connection welcome them into our home and our hearts
Rabbi Jeffrey Lipschultz is the Rabbi of Beth Judah Temple in Wildwood NJ. He can be reached at dvjewish@rof.net
.