Q. Why do we eat Matzah on Passover? I’ve seen round and square Matzah, what is the difference?
A. Passover celebrates the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt and their freedom from Egyptian slavery over 3000 years ago. When the Jewish people left Egypt they did so in a hurry and had no time to wait for the bread they were baking to rise. The bread they baked was flat – Matzah. The Torah commands us to eat Matzah every year on the first night of Passover, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt.
Matzah is more than a commemorative food. It is called the ‘bread of affliction’ or a ‘poor man’s bread’. It remains flat symbolizing humility. Regular bread that rises and swells symbolizes arrogance. On Passover we remove all leavened bread (and grain products) from our homes, eating only the Matzah. We symbolize the removal of all arrogance and egotism turning instead to humility, appreciating a cause greater than ourselves.
When making Matzah we must be careful that the wheat and flour did not get wet until we make the dough so that even the smallest amount of flour doesn’t rise. It is therefore ideal that the wheat and flour for the Matzah should be watched from the time of harvest until it reaches the Matzah bakery. This is called Shemura Matzah. It is ideal to eat Shemura Matzah on Passover.
When we make something that will be used for a Mitzvah it should be done with human effort not be produced automatically with machines. That is why our Mezuzah’s that we place on our doorposts must be handwritten and not printed. In the same way the Matzah that we eat at our Seder should be made by hand. Matzah that is hand rolled is usually round. In contrast Matzah baked in machines will usually be square. So when you buy your Matzah for Passover look for the ‘round hand-made Shemurah Matzah’.