The Symbolism of Matzah: More Than Just Unleavened Bread
One of the main mitzvot (commandments) that Pesach (Passover) revolves around is the mitzvah of eating matzah. It is forbidden to eat any leaven during the entire holiday. We refrain from eating the delicious baked goods we are used to eating the rest of the year, and instead, we eat a very simple kind of bread. A thin, cracker-like sheet, made of flour and water only. But what does matzah represent? What is the deeper symbolism of matzah that makes it such a central part of the Pesach experience and restricts our diet so, for a whole week?
Matzah vs. Leaven: A Contrast of Values
The Abarbanel (Parshat Bo) says that the delicious bread made of leaven which we are accustomed to, represents the temptations of the lusts which the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) uses to lure us away from the true focus in life. By contrast, matzah symbolizes humility and self-discipline. A simple piece of bread without yeast and other ingredients, it serves as a reminder of a simple and focused life, leaving out the Yetzer Hara.
The “Bread of Poverty” and Its Spiritual Message
Indeed, we refer to the matzah in the Haggadah (Maggid) as, “Lachma Anya,” —a “poor” bread. The Chida says (Ruach Chaim, drush 11) that this hints to the fact that to become accomplished in Torah, we need to keep ourselves “poor” and simple, like the matzah, in our lifestyle, and not be busy pursuing luxuries and physical pleasures.
What Does Matzah Represent? A Path to True Happiness
The Alter of Kelm, Rabbi Simchah Zisel Ziv (in Chachmah Umussar, vol. 2, ma’amar 119), takes this concept a step further and shares a most fundamental insight: The less one desires, the happier he is. The more a person desires to attain physical comforts and pleasures, the less he will be happy. A person who is always seeking to fulfill his lusts and cravings for worldly possessions will always be unhappy. No one succeeds in attaining all that he desires. For the most part, people don’t even get a fraction of what they wish to have. This leads a person to constant unhappiness. Such a person is always disappointed about missing that which he craves, and is always feeling anxious about succeeding in fulfilling his desires in the future. These feelings don’t allow him to properly enjoy even the little he succeeded in attaining.
On the other hand, a person who is satisfied with the minimum he needs and is not busy wanting more, will be extremely happy with what he has in life. A person does not miss that which he does not crave, and thus he has much fewer things to worry about attaining in the future. Such a person is free to fully enjoy that which he does have, without other longings to distract him from having pleasure from that which he has. A person who takes control of his desires and makes sure to keep them to a minimum, without longing unnecessarily for all types of luxuries, will have a much happier life. Instead of constantly seeking more, he lives life with satisfaction and has the proper disposition to pursue the important things in life.
Matzah as a Tool for Spiritual Growth
By minimizing one’s lusts, a person creates for himself a contented frame of mind, in which he can be motivated and have the clarity of mind to acquire Torah knowledge and fulfill its mitzvot (commandments). This is the deeper symbolism of matzah—it is not just about avoiding leavened bread, but about embracing a lifestyle of spiritual clarity and purpose. The purpose of our liberation from Egypt was to serve God by leading a life of Torah. In order to do so, we can’t be busy running to fulfill all that we desire. Instead, we must indulge in the happiness of simplicity, which matzah so powerfully represents.
Appreciating the Lesson of Matzah
One year, towards the end of Pesach, I overheard someone complaining to his friend about how he is tired of matzah. He couldn’t wait for Pesach to be over, to go back to eating bread, etcetera. I was appalled upon hearing such a comment. How could someone talk like that about such a special mitzvah?
Unfortunately, this man seemed to have missed the boat. The Torah isn’t restricting us in order to make our lives difficult. The matzah contains a treasure of greatness. As Pesach progresses, each time we refrain from leaven and eat the matzah, we have a chance to indulge further in the pleasure of simplicity. This great mitzvah can have profound influence on us throughout the rest of the year by ingraining in our consciousness its lesson of delighting in simplicity, without the distractions and pressure of pursuing all kinds of worldly pleasures.
A Lifelong Lesson in Simplicity
Sometimes we fail to realize that we don’t have to crave all that piques our interest. To a large extent, we can control what we will desire or not. Just because we get excited about some food, gadget, vacation idea, etc., it doesn’t mean we need to go after it. On the contrary, we will be much happier in life by persuading ourselves to pursue a more simplistic lifestyle. The symbolism of matzah teaches us that true freedom comes not from indulgence, but from self-discipline and contentment. The more we succeed in minimizing our need for comforts, the more content we will be in life, and the more successful we will be in ascending the ladder of spiritual accomplishment.
By Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber torah4every1@gmail.com
