006 - הִלְכוֹת חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה פֵּרֶק ו

The Rambam begins: It is a positive mitzvah from the Torah to eat matzah on the night of the 15th of Nisan. The verse says, as it appears in Shemos 12:18, ba'erev tochelu matzos—in the evening you shall eat matzah. This mitzvah applies bechol makom, in all places, whether you are in Eretz Yisrael or outside of Eretz Yisrael, and bechol zman, in all times, whether during the era of the Beis HaMikdash or after its destruction. The obligation to eat matzah does not depend on the Korban Pesach; it is an independent mitzvah. Even if there is no Beis HaMikdash and no Korban Pesach, the mitzvah of eating matzah remains.

The Rambam further clarifies that the mitzvah can be fulfilled all night. While sometimes the rabbis set a deadline of midnight for certain mitzvos, for matzah, since the punishment for not eating is so severe (kares), they did not make such a restriction, and you can fulfill the mitzvah until dawn.

After the first night, for the rest of Pesach, eating matzah is optional—reshus. If one wants, he can eat matzah; if he prefers, he can eat other foods like rice, millet, roasted grains, or fruit. But on the night of the 15th, it is a strict obligation. Once a person eats a kezayis (the size of an olive) of matzah, he has fulfilled his obligation for the mitzvah.

If a person swallows matzah without chewing it—just puts it in his mouth and swallows—he has fulfilled his obligation, because as soon as it touches the mouth, it is considered eating. However, if he does the same with maror (the bitter herb), just swallowing it without chewing, he has not fulfilled the mitzvah. The reason is that the mitzvah of maror is to taste the bitterness, to remind us of the bitterness of slavery, and swallowing it whole does not accomplish that. There is another version in the Gemara that even if you swallow maror, you might still taste some bitterness, but the Rambam rules that you are not yotzei this way.

If someone swallows matzah and maror together, he fulfills the mitzvah of matzah but not of maror, because the maror is considered secondary to the matzah. Therefore, the matzah is not interrupted by the maror, and the mitzvah of matzah is fulfilled, but not maror. However, if he wraps the matzah and maror together with some kind of stringy grass or leaves and swallows them, he does not fulfill even the mitzvah of matzah, because the grass is not considered food and it interrupts between the matzah and his mouth.

If someone eats matzah without any intention to fulfill the mitzvah—such as if non-Jews or bandits force him to eat it—he still fulfills his obligation. The Rambam rules that mitzvos do not require intention (mitzvos einan tzerichos kavana); as long as the act is done, the mitzvah is fulfilled.

If a person eats a kezayis of matzah while he is in a state of epilepsy (meaning he is not mentally present), and then later recovers, he must eat matzah again after he recovers. This is because when he ate the first time, he was exempt from all mitzvos, so that eating does not count for the mitzvah.

A person only fulfills the mitzvah of eating matzah if it is made from one of the five grains: wheat, barley, spelt, oats, or rye. The Torah says, 'Do not eat chometz,' and in the same context, 'Eat matzah.' Only things that can become chometz can be used for matzah. Therefore, if you make matzah from rice, millet, or legumes, you do not fulfill the mitzvah, because these cannot become chometz.

If someone makes dough from wheat and rice together, and the dough has the taste of grain, he fulfills his obligation with it. The Rambam notes that even if there is not a full kezayis of grain in the amount eaten, as long as the taste is there, it is valid, because the nature of the mixture is that the rice combines with the wheat, and when the wheat becomes chometz, so does the rice. However, this only applies to wheat and rice; if you mix wheat with millet or other grains, you do not fulfill the mitzvah unless there is a kezayis of grain in the amount eaten.

Regarding dough made for dogs (issas haklavim), if at the time it was made, shepherds also ate from it, then it is considered guarded for matzah and you fulfill your obligation. If not, then it is not considered guarded for matzah and does not count.

If matzah is kneaded with fruit juice (mei peiros), you fulfill your obligation on Pesach. The Rambam holds that this is still considered lechem oni (poor man's bread), but the Maggid Mishneh says you need to add a little water, because fruit juice alone does not become chometz. However, you cannot knead matzah with wine, oil, honey, or milk, because that is not lechem oni. If you do, and eat it, you do not fulfill your obligation; this is called matzah ashirah (rich man's bread).

You cannot fulfill the mitzvah with bread made from mursan (bran) or subin (coarse bran), but if you knead the flour together with its own bran or coarse bran and make bread, it is valid. Similarly, bread made from very fine flour is also valid, even though it is not typically poor man's bread. The Rambam says this does not disqualify it.

Whether the matzah is baked in an oven or in an ilfas (a kind of pan or pot), or whether you first stick the dough to the pan and then heat it, or heat the pan first and then stick the dough, or even if you bake it in the ground (by making a hole in the oven and baking inside), all these are valid ways to bake matzah and fulfill the mitzvah. Even if the matzah is not fully baked, as long as there are no strings of dough stretching when you break it, it is valid.

You can also fulfill the mitzvah with matzah that has been soaked, as long as it has not dissolved. However, if you cook matzah, you do not fulfill your obligation, because it no longer has the taste of bread.

A person does not fulfill the mitzvah of matzah if he eats matzah that is forbidden to him, such as matzah made from tevel (untithed produce), or from maaser rishon (the first tithe) from which terumah was not separated, or if it was stolen. The general rule is: if you can make birchas hamazon (the after-blessing) on it, you can fulfill your obligation with it; if not, you cannot.

Kohanim can fulfill their obligation with challah or terumah that is separated for them, even though it is not fit for everyone, because it is permitted for them. You can also fulfill the mitzvah with maaser sheini in Yerushalayim, because it is permitted to eat there, and you can always redeem it and eat it elsewhere. But you cannot fulfill the mitzvah with matzah made from bikkurim (first fruits), because it is not permitted to eat everywhere.

The matzah used for the mitzvah must be guarded specifically for matzah, not for use as part of a korban (offering). If it was made to sell in the market, it is valid, because the person making it has in mind that if it does not sell, he will eat it himself for the mitzvah.

Everyone is obligated in matzah, including women, because the Torah equates the mitzvah of eating matzah with the prohibition of eating chometz, and women are obligated in the prohibition of chometz. The same applies to slaves who have been circumcised and converted; they are obligated like women. A minor who can eat bread is educated to eat matzah. If someone is sick or elderly and cannot eat regular matzah, you can soak it for him, as long as it does not dissolve.

One should not eat anything after the matzah at the Seder, so as not to lose the taste of matzah from the mouth. Even if you eat matzah and then other foods, you should make sure to eat a kezayis of matzah at the end, so the last taste is matzah. However, drinking wine after the matzah is permitted, as we do with the cups at the Seder.

The sages prohibited eating matzah on Erev Pesach, so that the taste of matzah will be fresh and desirable at night. If someone eats matzah on Erev Pesach, he receives rabbinic lashes. It is also prohibited to eat a full meal close to Pesach night, so that one will eat the matzah with appetite. The earlier sages would even fast on Erev Pesach to have a strong desire for the mitzvah. On other Erev Shabbos or Yom Tov, one may eat until dark, but not on Erev Pesach.

The kohanim can fulfill their obligation of eating matzah with challah or terumah, even though this matzah is not fit for everyone—since only kohanim can eat it. Similarly, one can fulfill the mitzvah with matzah made from ma'aser sheini when in Yerushalayim. However, you cannot fulfill your obligation with matzah made from bikkurim, even in Yerushalayim. The reason is that bikkurim is not permitted to be eaten in all settlements, whereas ma'aser sheini can always be redeemed and then eaten anywhere. The Torah says, 'In all your settlements you shall eat matzos,' so the matzah with which you fulfill the mitzvah must be fit to be eaten in all settlements. Therefore, ma'aser sheini qualifies, but bikkurim does not.

The loaves of todah and the wafers of a nazir that he made for himself cannot be used to fulfill the mitzvah of matzah. The verse says, 'You shall guard the matzos,' meaning that the matzah must be guarded specifically for the mitzvah of matzah alone. But these are guarded for the sake of the sacrifice. However, if he made them to sell in the marketplace, then one can fulfill the obligation with them, because when someone bakes to sell in the market, his intention is that if they do not sell, he will eat them himself. Therefore, at the time of baking, he is guarding them for the sake of matzah, and they are valid for the mitzvah.

Everyone is obligated in the mitzvah of eating matzah, even women and slaves. The Torah equates the mitzvah of eating matzah with the prohibition against eating chometz, and since women are obligated not to eat chometz, they are also obligated to eat matzah, even though it is a time-bound positive commandment. The same applies to slaves who have been circumcised and have accepted mitzvos—they are obligated just like women.

A minor who is able to eat bread should be educated in mitzvos, and we feed him a kezayis of matzah. If a person is sick or elderly and cannot eat matzah, we soak a wafer of matzah in water and feed it to him, as long as it does not become dissolved. The matzah must remain intact enough that it is still considered matzah when eaten.

The sages decreed that after eating matzah, one should not eat anything else—no dessert, not even roasted grain, nuts, or similar foods—so as not to lose the taste of the matzah from one's mouth. Even if someone ate matzah and then ate other foods or fruits, he must eat another kezayis of matzah at the end and then stop. The last thing in your mouth should be matzah. This is to ensure that the taste of the mitzvah remains with you. (The teacher notes that although we drink wine after the matzah, this is a separate issue and does not affect the mitzvah of matzah.)

The sages prohibited eating matzah on the eve of Pesach, so that there will be a clear distinction and recognition when eating it at night for the mitzvah. If someone eats matzah on Erev Pesach, he receives makas mardus, rabbinic lashes for rebelliousness. Similarly, it is forbidden to eat a meal from a little before mincha time on Erev Pesach, so that one will enter the mitzvah of eating matzah with an appetite. However, it is permitted to eat a small amount of fruit or vegetables, but one should not fill his stomach with them. The earlier sages would even starve themselves on Erev Pesach so that they would eat the matzah with desire and the mitzvos would be beloved to them. But on the eves of other festivals, one may eat until nightfall.