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The very first passage we recite, even sing, at the beginning of the Maggid section of the Haggadah that we read at the Passover Seder is: “Ha Lachma Anya – This is the Bread of Affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt …” But quickly after we say “Matzah – why do we eat this unleavened bread? Because the dough of our fathers did not have time to become leavened before the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He, revealed himself to them and redeemed them…” So which one is it? Is it the matzah bread of affliction or is it symbolizing redemption? This is for you to figure out at the Seder table!

To fulfill one’s obligation, one must eat a  kezayis  (a measure formally described as the size of an olive, and traditionally determined as one ounce; 25.6 grams). This amount of matzah must be eaten  bichedei achilas p’ras  (within the time it usually takes to eat a portion of food of a defined quantity). The precise definition of this time period is a matter of debate among the Rabbis. The accepted figure with regard to the mitzvah at hand is four minutes. The matzah should be eaten while reclining on the left side. As mentioned below, we actually eat two  kezeisim.

Usually, the matzos of the Seder plate are not large enough to provide everyone with portions of the desired size. Therefore, other matzah is taken in addition.

Before reciting the blessing  hamotzi ,  one should lift all the matzos (the two complete matzos and the broken half between them). After reciting  hamotzi,  the third (bottom) matzah is put down, and the blessing  al achilas matzah  is recited while holding only the upper matzah and the half of the middle matzah.

When reciting the blessing  al achilas matzah,  one should have in mind that it refers not only to the matzah about to be eaten, but also to the matzah eaten for the  korech  and for the  afikoman  at the end of the meal. Nevertheless, though one should avoid any irrelevant talk before eating the  korech,  it is not the prevailing Lubavitch custom to extend this stringency until the eating of the  afikoman.

One then breaks off a  kezayis  from the upper matzah, and a  kezayis  from the middle matzah. These two pieces should be eaten at the same time. The prevailing Lubavitch custom is not to dip the matzah in salt.

There are in fact two aspects to this mitzvah: a Divine command, and a commemorative act. We eat matzah on the first night to fulfill God’s command, “ In the evening you will eat matzot. ” This matzah is an obligatory service of God, an expression of  Yir'ah  – our reverence for God and acceptance of the binding nature of the Torah’s commandments.

The optional matzah of the rest of Passover, on the other hand, is a symbol of our hastened redemption. It reminds us of a time when ‘the King of kings revealed Himself’ and redeemed us. This is a voluntary mitzvah, an expression of our  Ahavah  – our feelings of love for God and appreciation for His great kindnesses to our ancestors and to us.
haggadah Section: Motzi-Matzah

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