MATZAH

Mitzvah Minute

Matzah	Adar II 22, 5771 · March 28, 2011
The Edible Mitzvah

Matzah is more than a food, it's the way we relive the Exodus. It's also the only mitzvah we have today that we actually eat and digest. According to kabbalah, matzah you eat on the first night of Passover strengthens the faith of the soul, and matzah eaten on the second night heals it. So make sure you.

Get the Real Thing

Because not all matzah is created equal. There's.

Year-round matzah

Looks like matzah, tastes like matzah and has the same ingredients as matzah-but it wasn't made for Passover, and so no one made sure that it didn't rise. Not kosher for Passover under any conditions.

"Rich" matzah

The ultimate matzah is made by hand in a bakery where everyone yells out, "For the sake of the mitzvah of matzah!"

Matzah made with fruit juice, eggs or some other extra ingredients. May have been made for Passover, but aside for people of Sephardic ancestry, it shouldn't be used except by those who for health reasons simply cannot stomach plain matzah.

Shmurah matzah

Matzah made from flour that was guarded from any moisture from the time of harvest (or at least milling) until it arrives in your mouth, all for the sake of the mitzvah. Almost the ultimate matzah, except for one detail.

Hand-made Shmurah matzah

For the Seder, you want matzah that was made specifically for the mitzvah of eating matzah at the Seder-and we haven't yet invented machines that can have that in mind. The ultimate matzah is made by hand in a bakery where everyone yells out, "For the sake of the mitzvah of matzah!" before kneading, rolling or baking the dough. Your local Chabad Center might have some. Or click here to buy online.

Get the Details

• The only time you have to eat matzah is on the two seder nights.
• For those folks with wheat allergies, gluten intolerance or celiac disease, read this article.
• Matzah is forbidden food on the day before Passover. Many have the custom to refrain for an entire month before Passover.