The Preparation of Matzah

- Lyora MacRae

 

             One of the greatest Mitzvot associated with Passover is the Mitzvah of eating Matzah for the entire holiday. The Mitzvah at the Seder must be swallowed (that’s the actual Mitzvah) within the first nine minutes (Rabbi Shraga Simmons). The “Kezayit”, or the “olive-sized” piece of Matzah, is approximately two thirds of a squared Matzah.

            Matzah is eaten on Passover instead of anything leavened with yeast (Chametz).  The morning of the day before Passover, everyone has to stop eating Chametz, as the Torah prohibits Chametz from the time of the offering of the Pesach sacrifice. (Rabbi Zushe Yosef Blech).

            In the Torah, G-d gives an interesting commandment: (Exodus, 12:17): You shall guard the matzot. What does it mean to guard the matzot? The Rabbinic understanding is that the Matzah must be guarded so that it will not become Chametz. (www.passover.net)  So, from the time the wheat is collected from the fields, to the mill where it will be made into flour, there is special supervision to make sure that it does not come in contact with any water or moisture. This is done to make sure that it is does not rise.

            Even the time when the flour is coming from the mill to the bakery, it is supervised to make sure that it does not come in contact with water, and to also make sure that the tools processing the wheat are not wet. Also, the Matzah is not prepared on the same day that it is processed so that the  heat from processing does not speed fermentation and produce Chametz. The flour is also watched when it is kneaded in the bakery because if there is an open window, it could let in moisture into the room, and spoil the Matzah.

            The Mitzvah of Matzah is of major symbolic and halachic importance on Pesach. That is why there is such concern taken in how it is processed and how much must be eaten.

 

1) Laws of Eating Matzah -http://www.aish.com/holidays/passover/articles/Laws_of_Eating_Matzah.asp

2) Who is Wealthy? -http://www.kashrut.com/Passover/EggMatzah/

3) The Difference Between Shmurah Matzah and Regular Matzah-

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