When we sit at the Seder on Pesach night we have an obligation to explain why we have a mitzvah to eat Matzah. We read in the Haggadah the following explanation which is based on a verse in this week’s parsha.
מַצָּה זוֹ שֶׁאָנוֹ אוֹכְלִים, עַל שׁוּם מַה? עַל שׁוּם שֶׁלֹּא הִסְפִּיק בְּצֵקָם שֶׁל אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לְהַחֲמִיץ עַד שֶׁנִּגְלָה עֲלֵיהֶם מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וּגְאָלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֹּאפוּ אֶת־הַבָּצֵק אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִיאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם עֻגֹת מַצּוֹּת, כִּי לֹא חָמֵץ, כִּי גֹרְשׁוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם וְלֹא יָכְלוּ לְהִתְמַהְמֵהַּ, וְגַם צֵדָה לֹא עָשׂוּ לָהֶם.
This Matzah that we are eating, for the sake of what [is it]? For the sake [to commemorate] that our ancestors’ dough was not yet able to rise, before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed [Himself] to them and redeemed them, as it is stated (Exodus 12:39); “And they baked the dough which they brought out of Egypt into matzah cakes, since it did not rise; because they were expelled from Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they made for themselves provisions.
When flour and water combine, the process of leavening (which causes bread to rise)is natural and automatic. Even if the Egyptians were rushing them out, how was this process stopped? One could answer that it means that they were forced to bake it earlier than they would have if they had time to allow the dough to rise. The Midrash Mechilta reveals to us a different answer in a comment on the words in this week’s parsha, “because they were expelled from Egypt”‘ cited above. The Midrash states that as they were chased out of Egypt a miracle occurred for them that their dough did not rise! Accordingly they left with unleavened dough. After traveling from Raamses to Sukkot as described in 12:37, they baked the dough into Matzah because it remained unleavened.
What was the message of this miracle? Rabbi Shimon Shwab, of blessed memory, explains that Matzah was the bread of the Jewish slaves as we say in the Hagadah, הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִּי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. “This (Matzah) is the bread of poverty that our forefathers ate in the land of Egypt.’ ‘It takes less time to bake Matzah than bread so the Egyptians only granted them enough time to bake Matzah!
Anticipating their freedom, the Jews looked forward to eating bread, the staple of free people. Hashem wanted that precisely when they became free they should continue eating the staple of servitude so that they realize that their servitude wasn’t ending. It would continue but in a completely different form. It would actually grant them freedom in its truest and most elevated form. Now they would be the servants of the Almighty!
Whereas before it was their Egyptian taskmasters who made them eat Matzah now it was the Almighty who made them eat miracle Matzah.
And with that, He gave them the true taste of freedom!
Shabbat Shalom!
Yitzchak