What are the lessons we can draw from the removal of leavened foods, and the bland crackers we eat for a full week?
Sometimes those challenging moments, when we feel that we have been flattened and held against the ropes, are the very moments that make us stronger, better and crunchier.
There are other components to the human diet, and technically we can subsist on other foods. But there is something about bread which marks it as the quintessential food, and as the metaphor for all that nourishes our existence.
Jews are strictly forbidden to eat any leavened foods on Passover. Bread is replaced by Matzah – flat baked wafers made only of flour and water. Jews all over the world, take scrupulous care to avoid eating even the smallest particle of Chametz.
The relationship, from its very inception, has been plagued by a quarrel between the spouses. As is common with many couples, they find themselves continuously and constantly arguing the same argument.
It contains no oil or honey, nuts or fruit, not even a coating of egg and poppy seeds . . . How did this “bread of poverty” wangle center stage in the festival celebrating our acquisition of the greatest of wealths—our freedom?
So, they happened to eat matzah because they were in a rush. So what? I thought that Passover is about freedom, not food!
Chametz: What Would Your Psychologist Say?
Why the big fuss? Torah prohibits many items at various times, but-- thankfully!--we are not obligated to embark on an all-out assault against every banned item.
If chametz is so intolerable, why do we eat it all year round? And what is the significance of the unexpected appearance of “wet matzah” on the eighth day of Passover?
Aha, I Found the Cheerio!