Page 54 - haggadah_2017.pub

Point to the Matza

,םי ִכָל ְמַּה יֵכְל ַמ ֶלמ ֶ םֶה יֵלֲﬠ הָלְגִנּ ֶשׁ דַﬠ ץי ִמֲחַהְל וּני ֵתוֹבֲא ל ֶשׁ םָקֵצ ְבּ קי ִפּ ְס ִה אֹל ֶשׁ םוּשׁ לַﬠ ?המ םוּשׁ לַﬠ ,םיִל ְכוֹא ונאש וז הָצּ ַמ
וּל ְכָי אֹלְו םי ַר ְצ ִמּ ִמ וּשׁ ְרֹג י ִכּ ,ץ ֵ מָח אֹל י ִכּ ,תוֹצּ ַמ תֹגֻﬠ םי ַר ְצ ִמ ִמ וּאי ִצוֹה ר ֶשֲׁא קֵצָבַּה ת ֶא וּפאֹיַּו :ר ַמֱאֶנּ ֶשׁ ,םָל ָאְגוּ ,אוּה וּרָבּ שׁוֹדָקַּה
.םֶהָל ושָׂﬠ אֹל ה ָדֵצ םַגְּו ,ַהּ ֵמ ְה ַמ ְת ִהְל

Matzah - what does it symbolize in the Seder? There was insufficient time for the dough of our ancestors to
rise when the Holy one, Blessed be He was revealed to us and redeemed us, as it is written in the Torah: “And
they baked the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt into Matzah – cakes of unleavened bread – which
had not risen, for having been driven out of Egypt they could not tarry, and they had made no provisions for
themselves.”

Matzah ‐ Akiva Garner (10th Grade)

“And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat
it...and ye shall eat it in haste.” (Shemot Perek 12)

In verse 8 of chapter 12 of Exodus as the Jews are leaving Egypt, we see the first mention of the unleavened
bread, the Matzah. We learn that because the Jews were trying to leave in a hurry, there was not quite enough
time for their bread to rise, and therefore, it stayed flat and became known as Matzah.

One question that has loomed regarding Matzah is what is its’ significance and why has it become such a large
symbol of Passover?

Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Harosh gives an interesting answer. He says that the purpose of the Matzah is to bring us as
Jews to a position of denial and self-surrender of our ego. It is supposed to teach us that everything we possess,
as well as every privilege we have, comes from God’s ways and not through our own power. He states that this
is a lesson we learn from the Rabbis: “A person says, “I have learned wisdom and Torah, what need do I have in
performing commandments?’ God replies ‘Acquiring knowledge of Torah is a simple matter. Acting in a God-
fearing manner is another matter! One who fears me and then performs acts of Torah, wisdom and Torah will be
in his heart as it is written (Tehillim 111:10).

The lesson we learn from this is that through modesty, someone can come to a state and position of fear of God.
All wisdom and knowledge is already present one’s heart, but it can only come through rejection of their own
ego that they become worthy of learning Torah and truly gaining something from it.

Elisheva Koual—1st grade