Matzo | Definition, Bread, & Passover (2024)

FAQs

Matzo | Definition, Bread, & Passover? ›

matzo, unleavened

Matzah is a crisp, flat, unleavened bread, made of flour and water, which must be baked before the dough has had time to rise. It is the only type of “bread” which Jews may eat during Passover, and it must be made specifically for Passover use, under rabbinical supervision.

Gloria adds, “Matzo is symbolic of their hurried exodus and a need to leave many treasured items behind. One staple item was flour.” Today, Jews commemorate their ancestors' flight to freedom by eating this same unleavened cracker-like flatbread.

There are numerous explanations behind the symbolism of matzah: Passover is a commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. The biblical narrative relates that the Israelites left Egypt in such haste they could not wait for their bread dough to rise; the bread, when baked, was matzah.

During Passover, Jews are forbidden to eat leavened foods, and instead eat matzo, an unleavened flatbread similar to the unleavened bread eaten during the flight from Egypt.

The tradition goes back to the 13th century, when custom dictated a prohibition against wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye and spelt, Rabbi Amy Levin said on NPR in 2016.

However, Manischewitz's sweet Concord contains corn syrup, a sweetener derived from corn, which is forbidden during Passover among Ashkenazi Jews. Manischewitz produces special Kosher for Passover bottling of its wines, which are sweetened with cane sugar as opposed to the corn syrup that is used throughout the year.

Matzo reflects common Ashkenazi pronunciation (which dominated in English speaking countries in past centuries) but is not entirely accurate since it drops the “h” from the end. Matzah, on the other hand, retains the “h” and can be read accurately and easily by both Ashkenazim and Sephardim.

The three matzot that are placed on the Seder plate are referred to as Kohen, Levi, and Yisrael as a means of distinguishing them from each other. The top matzah is referred to as Kohen, for the Kohen takes precedence in all matters. The middle matzah Levi is broken into two at the beginning of the Seder.

The seder plate is the focal point of the Passover seder. Set at the head or the middle of the table where everyone can see it, it holds the 6 symbolic, ceremonial foods for the night: matzo, shank bone, egg, bitter herb, charoset, and vegetable. Matzah: Set three layers of matzah on the table and cover them.

Why is matzo included in the Seder meal? ›

Thus, Seder participants recall the slavery that reigned during the first half of the night by eating matzah (the "poor person's bread"), maror (bitter herbs which symbolize the bitterness of slavery), and charoset (a sweet paste, possibly representing the mortar which the Jewish slaves used to cement bricks).

The matza is broken into two pieces; the smaller piece is returned to the table and the larger is wrapped in a cloth or napkin. This larger piece is the afikomen. The afikomen represents the Passover lamb and it is hidden to help keep the attention of children during the long night.

Matzah. The most iconic of all the Passover foods, matzah is an unleavened cracker-like food that represents the bread the Israelites took with them when they were rushing to leave Egypt. So the story goes, when the Israelites had the opportunity to escape, they didn't even have enough time to allow the bread to rise.

Leavened and fermented grain products are prohibited to commemorate our freedom from Egyptian slavery. When the Jews escaped Egypt (led by Moses), they didn't have time to let their breads rise before going into the desert. Because of this, any type of leavened bread or bread product is prohibited during Passover.

Produce which cannot be peeled, such as berries or peppers, are not eaten by these people. There are also a few vegetables — such as garlic, ginger, and radish — which certain communities don't eat for various reasons.

Although the restriction of not eating Matzah 30 days before Pesach applies strictly to kosher for Passover Matzah, the common custom is not to eat Chometz Matzah too. …

The sixth symbolic item on the Seder table is a plate of three whole matzot, which are stacked and separated from each other by cloths or napkins. The middle matzah will be broken and half of it put aside for the afikoman.

Matzo reflects common Ashkenazi pronunciation (which dominated in English speaking countries in past centuries) but is not entirely accurate since it drops the “h” from the end. Matzah, on the other hand, retains the “h” and can be read accurately and easily by both Ashkenazim and Sephardim.