Eating matzah before Pesach
[1] (halacha 227)
Question: From when is it forbidden to eat matzah before Pesach?
Answer: It is written in the Yerushalmi, Maseches Pesachim1: 'Rabbi Levi said: One who eats matzah on erev Pesach is like one who is intimate with his betrothed in his father-in-law's house, and one who is intimate with his betrothed in his father-in-law's house is liable to lashes'2.
And the Shibolei HaLeket wrote3: 'And regarding the comparison of one who eats matzah on erev Pesach to one who is intimate with his betrothed in his father-in-law's house, I have heard a reason for it: just as one who is intimate with his betrothed in his father-in-law's house before she has entered the chuppah has advanced his intimacy before the sheva brochos that are recited, [doing so] before she becomes fit to be secluded with him — as we say that a bride before [the] bracha is forbidden to her husband like a niddah — so too one who eats matzah on erev Pesach advances his eating of it before reciting the sheva brochos that he is required to recite before he eats of it. And these are they: over the first cup he recites three brochos: wine, Kiddush; for eating the vegetables he recites borei pri ha'adamah after Kiddush, which is four; over the second cup, which he recites after the Haggadah, that is five; and it requires HaMotzi and al achilas matzah, which is seven brochos. And the washing of hands is not counted, for it is impossible that he did not wash his hands for the meal; and its reasoning is like a wafer in honey.'
And so wrote the Rema4: 'The matzah of the mitzvah with which one fulfills [the obligation] at night is forbidden to be eaten the entire fourteenth day.'
And the Magen Avraham wrote5: 'And it implies that on the thirteenth day it is permitted to eat matzah.' And the Chok Yaakov wrote6 that it appears from the language of the Magen Avraham that the prohibition already begins from the night of the thirteenth, but the main [view] in halacha is that this begins from dawn (alos hashachar) of the fourteenth day.
And so is the ruling of the Alter Rebbe7, and these are his words: 'And matzah he may not eat the entire day from dawn onward, for the Sages said: Anyone who eats matzah on erev Pesach is as though he is intimate with his betrothed in his father-in-law's house before he brings her into the chuppah to recite over her the sheva brochos; and he is given lashes of rebellion (makas mardus).'
Therefore, by the strict letter of the law it is forbidden on erev Pesach, from dawn, to eat matzah with which one fulfills the obligation of eating matzah.
However, the Knesses HaGedolah wrote8: 'And some have the custom not to eat matzah from Rosh Chodesh, and so is the custom of many of [the people of] Constantinople, may God protect it.'
And as to the reason for the matter, the Likutei Maharich wrote9: 'It is along the lines of what we say at the end of the third chapter of Niddah: For what reason did the Torah say [that] a niddah [is impure] for seven [days]? In order that she be beloved to her husband — see there.'
We find an additional minhag, to be careful not to eat [matzah] already from the beginning of the thirty days preceding the holiday10, as the Rebbe wrote11: 'And in these days when there already begins the matter of "the food of healing" (meichla de'asvasa), therefore one should be careful regarding the eating of matzah for thirty days before Pesach.'
And in Shu"t Igros Moshe12 he explained the reason for these two minhogim (from thirty days, or from Rosh Chodesh), and these are his words: 'But according to the second reason, that the prohibition regarding a betrothed [woman] is specifically because she is already acquired to him — they forbade [it] before the obligation of the mitzvah of marital relations came upon him — this is exactly the same matter as the prohibition of matzah on erev Pesach, and is truly comparable to a betrothed [woman]: that with matzah too they forbade beginning to eat it as an optional [act] before the obligation of the mitzvah of eating matzah came upon him. And if so, it is possible to forbid [it] even before midday (chatzos), for although the laws of Pesach do not yet apply in actuality, nevertheless, since it is already the time of preparation for Pesach, it is fitting to forbid [it]. And in essence it would, according to this, be fitting to forbid [it] even from thirty days before Pesach, from the time when one begins to expound the laws of Pesach, for then he must be careful regarding the needs of Pesach, as is found in Pesachim on daf 6 — see there in Rashi; but they did not wish to forbid [it] so [extensively] .. And according to what I have explained, there is room for what many have the custom [to do], namely, not to eat matzah from Rosh Chodesh Nissan .. for since, according to the second reason, on account of which they forbade [it] the entire day, it would in essence have been fitting to forbid [it] even from thirty days [before], according to the Rabbanan, and from two weeks, according to Rashbag [for they disagree in the Mishnah as to from when one inquires and expounds the laws of the holiday: according to the Tanna Kamma, from thirty days before the holiday, and according to Rashbag, one begins only from Rosh Chodesh Nissan, as was cited in the previous halacha - number 226] — but the Sages did not wish to burden the public so [much]; therefore, it is fitting that individuals be stringent upon themselves even from thirty [days] according to the Rabbanan and from two weeks according to Rashbag, and since it is not from the [strict] law, they were stringent only [for] two weeks like Rashbag; and there are also individuals who are stringent even in this, to observe the prohibition of matzah the entire thirty days before [Pesach].'
Therefore, in practice, according to our minhag, we are careful regarding the eating of matzah already thirty days before Pesach.
In the following halacha we will discuss which types of matzah we are careful [about].
Notes:
1 פ"י ה"א ↩
2 וראה לשון הרמב"ם הלכות חמץ ומצה פ"ו הי"ב ↩
3 סדר פסח סי' רח. וראה בחק יעקב סי' תעא ס"ק ו ↩
4 או"ח סי' תעא ס"ב בהג"ה ↩
5 סק"ו ↩
6 סק"ו ↩
7 שם ס"ד ↩
8 שכנה"ג הגב"י או"ח סי' תעא אות א. הובא בחק יעקב ס"ק ז. באר היטב ס"ק ה. פמ"ג בא"א ס"ק ו. ועוד ↩
9 סדר הנהגת חודש ניסן ג, ב ↩
10 ראה נטעי גבריאל פסח ח"א פ"ב דין י הערה כג ↩
11 אג"ק ח"ח ע' שיט ↩
12 או"ח ח"א סי' קנה ↩
[2] (halacha 228)
Question: Which types of matzah may not be eaten?
Answer: The Alter Rebbe wrote in siman 471, se'if 4: 'The Sages forbade eating on erev Pesach only matzah with which a person can fulfill his obligation at night.'
And in se'if 7: 'A folded or swollen matzah, which is explained in siman 461 to be forbidden for eating on Pesach out of doubt, lest it became chametz — nevertheless it is forbidden to eat it on erev Pesach even before the fifth hour, since there is reason to be concerned that perhaps it did not become chametz, and it is a complete matzah, and it is forbidden to eat matzah on erev Pesach.'
And in se'if 8: 'A matzah that was baked properly and afterward crumbled, even into very fine crumbs — it is forbidden to eat the crumbs on erev Pesach, and a person fulfills his obligation with it on Pesach, for the status of bread still applies to them in every respect, as is explained in siman 168.'
Therefore it appears from the words of the Alter Rebbe that the prohibition applies: a) to all types of matzah with which one can fulfill the obligation, even in a pressing circumstance (sha'as hadechak); b) and also in a case where it was forbidden on account of the doubt out of concern for chametz, it would still be forbidden to eat, from the aspect that perhaps it is in truth not chametz.
However, the words of the Alter Rebbe are about the prohibition of eating on erev Pesach, but seemingly it can be said that our minhag not to eat [matzah] for thirty days before Pesach — its parameters are like the prohibition of eating of erev Pesach1.
And according to the above, machine matzos as well (even those defined as machine matzah — chametz2) should not be eaten, according to our minhag, during the thirty days that precede Pesach.
★ ★ ★
Question: What is the ruling regarding matzah fried with eggs — 'matzah brei' — or cooked or fried foods that contain matzah meal?
Answer: The Alter Rebbe wrote3: 'A matzah that was baked properly and afterward crumbled, whether in water or in other liquids and fruit juices, and was cooked — even though the pieces remain in a manner that one recites over them HaMotzi and Birkas HaMazon — nevertheless it is permitted to eat it on erev Pesach before the tenth hour, for a person cannot fulfill his obligation with it at night, as is explained in siman 461 .. A matzah that was baked properly and afterward crumbled, even into very fine crumbs — it is forbidden to eat the crumbs on erev Pesach .. And if he again kneaded these crumbs with wine and oil and other liquids and fruit juices, and did not cook them and did not fry them — afterward there is room for doubt..'.
Therefore matzah or matzah meal that is cooked or fried is permitted to eat4.
★ ★ ★
Question: Is it permitted to give matzah to a minor?
Answer: The Alter Rebbe wrote5: 'A boy or girl who do not understand what is recounted to them regarding the Exodus from Egypt — it is permitted to feed them matzah on erev Pesach the entire day, and even at night before Kiddush, for the reason explained in siman 343. And although it is forbidden to feed a minor with one's [own] hands things that are forbidden, even if they are forbidden only by the words of the Sofrim, nevertheless, things that are not forbidden on account of themselves but rather [because] it is a time of prohibition — such as matzah on erev Pesach, or eating before Kiddush — it is permitted to feed them with one's [own] hands if they need this, just as it is permitted to feed them with one's [own] hands on Yom Kippur, and one does not afflict them even if they are able to bear the fast.
But a boy or girl who have the understanding to comprehend what is recounted to them regarding the Exodus from Egypt at night, as will be explained in siman 47[2] — it is forbidden to feed them on erev Pesach, for it is stated: "וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה וגו'" ("And you shall tell your son on that day, saying: It is because of this that [God] acted for me etc."); "because of this" means the matzah and maror set before you, and if the child has filled his belly with matzah, how is it applicable to say to him "because of this"?'.
Therefore it is permitted to give a young child matzah to eat even on erev Pesach — unless he already understands what is recounted to him about the Exodus from Egypt, in which case it is forbidden to give him matzah on erev Pesach; and seemingly, according to our minhag, it is also proper not to give him matzah thirty days before Pesach.
Notes:
1 כך שמענו בשם הגרמ"ש אשכנזי ע"ה, הגם שיש לדון בכך ולומר שאולי המנהג שלא לאכול הוא מטעם אחר, מחמת חיבוב מצווה או שיהא ניכר אכילת מצווה ולטעמים אלו יש מקום להחמיר מחמת המנהג גם במצות שאינם כשרים אם טעמם שווה. וראה באריכות בלוח הלכות מנהגים והנהגות לחודש ניסן מועד רבני ליובאוויטש צרפת ↩
2 מכיוון שיתכן שיש מהם שאינם ודאי חמץ וראה בלוח הנ"ל ↩
3 שם ס"ח וס"ט ↩
4 אמנם הפרי מגדים סי' תעא בא"א ס"ק ח הסתפק בזה, ובסידור דרך חיים אסר. אך מתוך דברי אדמו"ר הזקן בס"ט שהשווה בישול וטיגון א"כ דינם אחד. ולכאורה גם טיגון עם מעט שמן וכן כל צורה שבה נבלע טעם המי פירות או כדומה במצה כבר אינו מצה הראויה לצאת י"ח, ראה בשו"ע אדמו"ר הזקן סי' תסא סי"ד ↩
5 סי' תעא ס"י ↩
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