Why We Eat Matzah on Passover

Christians eat eggs for Easter because eggs are a symbol of fertility. Catholics, during Eucharist, drink wine and eat bread declaring them to be the blood and body of Christ.

Jews eat matzah during Passover for a very practical reason. During the Exodus from Egypt our ancestors didn’t have time to wait for the bread to leaven. Who knew if Pharaoh would change his mind again? The Hebrew slaves grabbed their bread out of ovens before it could rise. 

Passover is a Jewish holiday that begins on sunset, Friday evening, April 15, 2022 and continues for eight days (seven days for Reform Jews). On the first and second nights of the celebration Seders (Passover meals) are held to commemorate the Exodus of the Jewish people from the land of Egypt. Three thousand years ago the Hebrews escaped their Egyptian bondage and did so in a hurry. Not having time to wait for their bread to rise, they pulled the unleavened bread from their ovens and ran. Jews are commanded in the Torah to eat this matzah during the Seder and forbids the eating of leavened bread over the eight-day holiday. 

Handmade Matzah

Matzah, the bread of affliction, remains flat symbolizing humility, where leavened bread symbolizes arrogance. It is with humility that an individual opens-up to spiritual growth. It is with spiritual growth that men and women can improve themselves as human beings. Consequently, a Jewish home is cleaned of grain products before the holiday begins as Jews turn to humility in an effort to appreciate a cause greater than themselves. 

The first day of Passover falls on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. That’s when we hold the Seder. Back in ancient times, the beginning of the new month was determined by observing the moon, which was officially done in Jerusalem. Word would spread throughout Israel, but Jewish communities in the diaspora observed an extra Yom Tov to make sure their community was in sync with Jerusalem. That is why we have a second Seder.

The seventh day of Passover commemorates the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea. Israel was commanded by G-d not to rejoice when people die; and plenty of Egyptians lost their lives when the sea closed. But they can celebrate the love the Jewish people have for G-d, and sing “The Song of Songs.”

This year I’ll be celebrating the First Seder with my daughters and their families in Encino. For the Second Seder I’ll be joining fellow congregants of Temple Beth Solomon of the Deaf at a Van Nuys hotel. This is a special Seder for me because it is conducted in American Sign Language (ASL) and I can actually understand what is being said. 

Happy Passover 

חג פסח שמח

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