Why is "unleavened bread" so strict?

[Kris10leigh]

My husband and I have not yet celebrated a Passover together. Tonight he grabbed a late night sandwich and I made mentioned that he won't be eating bread next week. He said he'd be taking his on a tortilla shell. I explained that wasn't the way it worked but couldn't answer him when he said "Why not? It's flat."

How did we get to where we are with unleavened bread being so strict? What about the history of this event do I not know?

I often think back to ancient times, and in ancient times people didn't have matzah making factories. I understand that people could not wait in Egypt for their bread to rise, but what is wrong with a tortilla shell or anything else that has not risen? Why is it so strict.

I'm ok with laws and rules and stict procedures, so long as I know the WHY of it. ;)

[christianmomof3]

I am not totally sure about Passover, but biblically speaking, leven is something that is added to make something more palatable and is considered to be negative. It is like allowing the world into the church. It makes things easier to swallow, but is adding an element that is not of the Lord.
As far as Passover is concerned, I believe that knowing there was not time for the bread to rise, yeast or leaven was not even added to it. It is easy to make unleavened bread - just mix flour and water into a dough, let it sit about 10 min, knead it again and roll it out as thin as possible and bake it. At a low temp it may be soft and at higher temperatures - above 250, it will be like a cracker or potato chip depending on how thin you roll it.

[johnd]

I'd youtube Tevye singing the song but lately I hadda remove 90% of them for some offense or other that some one somewhere in the vastness of all that is could possibly feel...

Suffice it to say it is tradition and you would not believe the detail and depth the commentaries are as to how dry the dough must be...

Unless I am missing a commandment... because I agree with the OP it was because they left Egypt in haste.

[Lulav]

My husband and I have not yet celebrated a Passover together. Tonight he grabbed a late night sandwich and I made mentioned that he won't be eating bread next week. He said he'd be taking his on a tortilla shell. I explained that wasn't the way it worked but couldn't answer him when he said "Why not? It's flat."

How did we get to where we are with unleavened bread being so strict? What about the history of this event do I not know?

I often think back to ancient times, and in ancient times people didn't have matzah making factories. I understand that people could not wait in Egypt for their bread to rise, but what is wrong with a tortilla shell or anything else that has not risen? Why is it so strict.

I'm ok with laws and rules and stict procedures, so long as I know the WHY of it. ;)It's all about technology really, You are right, they didn't have all this back then, but now that we know.......... see what I mean? Now that we know that if flour touches water after so many minutes the yeast in the air start the activation process and becomes chometz. Now that we know that do we discard it?

But yes, flat bread without se'or would be proper unleavened bread.

Tortillas are made of corn? and Ashkenazi Jews don't eat corn, if made of wheat, same as anything else.

Just buy a box of matzah and have fun coming up with things to make with it. One of my favorites is to use up some leftover Seder chicken or turkey, cut it up into small pieces and saute with some oil or butter, add some green onions chopped, towards the end when it browns nicely. Now remove that to a bowl and in the same pan melt some butter and put in a board of matzah, add the chicken to it ( and this isn't orthodox) some shredded cheese and another board, using med high, flip after 3 minutes, carefully and cook on other side until lightly browned and cheese melted.

If you want a Orthodox one, leave out the chicken and use cheese and green onions, it's like a quesadita. and very good!

I used to make these all the time, but can't enjoy them anymore.....:(

you can make matzah pizza quickly with them too, just use a board for the crust. Seal with some margarine first then add sauce and cheese and other toppings you like.

You can make roll ups with lettuce leaves of egg salad or tuna salad too.

This is a chance to be creative! ;)

[visionary]

It is all in the Heavenly Father's idea of training us up in the Way that we should go. There are so many spiritual application in obedience to His Word that we have just begun to explore them. Ther eis the direct application, of the bread itself and the depth of understanding on what it takes to make it and the ingredients. Then there is the symbolism from the historical perspective, from the future prespective, and the rehearsel from our prespective at this moment in time in our relation to the Lord. Can you get a drift of all the many applications? The Lord knows why.. We are to ask Him.

[Lulav]

Maybe if you explain to your husband that the matzo is like the manna, without sin but every other bread, even if flat, does contain sin, it will be more understood? The flour tortillas are deceptive, just like things in our lives , we think they are ok, but they are really not, they look clean on the outside but are filthy on the inside.

If he resists, then don't fight it, he has to do this willingly or else it loses meaning.

[Wags]

Matzah pizza to the rescue - a sheet of matzah with a little grated cheese spreed on it, (tomato sauce is optional - I think it makes things too soggy.) then 10-15 seconds or so in the microwave followed by a quick sprinkle of oregano. Quick and yummy! My kids ask for it EVERY day at lunch during Pesach and after - until we run out of Matzah.

By the way - flat doesn't necessarily equal unleavened. Many, if not all, flour tortillas have yeast as one of the ingredients.

Adonai doesn't always tell us why, we have to act out of faith that He has our best interests at heart.

[HadassahSukkot]

Matzah pizza to the rescue - a sheet of matzah with a little grated cheese spreed on it, (tomato sauce is optional - I think it makes things too soggy.) then 10-15 seconds or so in the microwave followed by a quick sprinkle of oregano. Quick and yummy! My kids ask for it EVERY day at lunch during Pesach and after - until we run out of Matzah.

By the way - flat doesn't necessarily equal unleavened. Many, if not all, flour tortillas have yeast as one of the ingredients.

Adonai doesn't always tell us why, we have to act out of faith that He has our best interests at heart.
yep. So many of these have yeast or baking soda or baking powder with sugar (or something sugar like) to leaven it with.

There are some corn tortillas (if you are Sephardi) that are 'OK' as far as no leavening .. but I don't know if they're processed in a factory with leavened products.... they usually don't have a kosher mark so if it were me I'd not purchase them.

With all our health issues at home, we have to make our matzah.

However, there are recipes out there that let you know what you CAN do with matzah during the 8 days and throughout the year. Someone had purchased a cookbook (and I can't find it now) for my former Shul that is nothing BUT recipes for Pesach involving Matzah. I think it was called something like 101 things to do with Matzah or something along those lines...

When I was eating wheat and oats, I would make Matzah pizza, quesedillas with matzah... sandwiches with matzah... salad with matzah... soup with matzah... matzah ball soup... "cookies" with Matzah (chocolate and PB chips with marshmallows and matzah in the oven or microwave for 5 minutes --- or slather with butter, honey and then put chocolate or PB chips on it and cook in the oven at 350 or so for 10 minutes...)

There's so much that can be done if you can buy it in the box! It's a little more difficult when it is hand made at home ;)

There are soooooooo many Passover recipes and cookbooks out there, I'm sure if you look around on the internet at the moment you'll come up with many. Recipezaar is a great resource as is Chabad, and if you do a google search, you'll also get great results.

This year -- I'm shocked and amazed, but I have found so many gluten free OK for Passover recipes that I am no longer dreading it. (I had such a hard time last year... it was almost miserable!)

The biggest thing I think is that we remember why it is important to clean these things out, and what it does not only for our bodies (did you know that it is good for us to once a year fast from yeast so that candida and other yeast related illnesses do not build up in our system?) but also our souls..

It isn't just that we didn't have time for the bread to rise as we left Egypt... but also the symbology of leaven and sin.. and how it is literally "everywhere" and that one must come out and be that much more seperate for 8 days of communion with G-d. :)

[visionary]

It isn't just that we didn't have time for the bread to rise as we left Egypt... but also the symbology of leaven and sin.. and how it is literally "everywhere" and that one must come out and be that much more seperate for 8 days of communion with G-d. Cleansing is an absolute preparation necessary in order to meet with God. Moses did his three day fast in preparation for Mount Sinai. This cleansing should helps us prepare for Pentecost. May we all have a Pentecost experience this year... just like the discuples had.

[HadassahSukkot]

Kris,

I just hauled out "The Complete American-Jewish Cookbook" (ISBN 006091590), so that I can check and make sure I have all the ingredients to make Charoset, and I found some Matza-related recipes for you:

Matzoh Brie
3 Matzos
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
2 TBS butter or other fat


Soak matzos in water and drain. Mix with beaten eggs, milk and salt. Fry on both sides until brown. Serve as main dish, or as dessert with cooked fruit, or sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, or honey. Serves 2-3.



Matzoh and Scrambled Eggs

4 Matzos
4 Eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
4 TBS Butter

Break matzos in small pieces into a colander. Pour boiling water over them and drain. They should be moist but not soggy. Beat eggs well with salt and pepper and fold in the matos lightly. Heat butter in a frying pan. Add the mixture and fry over moderate heat. Serve hot with or without sugar, or sugar-cinnamon mixture sprinkled on top. Serves 4 to 6.
Variation: Brown 1 medium-size chopped onion in hot fat. Fold in with the eggs.

Spiced Matzos

Beat 3 eggs well. Brush 3 matzos with melted butter, then with beaten egg. Sprinkle liberally with mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Bake in moderate oven (350 Degrees F.) until crisp (5 to 10 minutes). Serves 2 to 3.

French Toasted Matzos

Bean an egg with one tablespoon milk and salt to tast. Break a matzoh in 3 or 4 pieces. Dip each piece into the egg mixture. Fry in hot, buttered pan until brown. Turn and brown other side. Serve hot with sugar and cinnamon, syrup or honey. Serves 1

Sorry, I couldn't let the title of this one stand as it was in Yiddish.. I've been taking German class too long and it was messing with my head. :P
Matzo Eier Kuchen (Matzoh Egg Cake)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup matzoh meal
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated

Pour water on meal, add salt and well-beaten yolks. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Drop by spoonfuls on greased pan. Brown both sides, turning only once. Serve hot with sugar and cinnamon, honey or preserves

Those are from pages 4 and 5 of the cookbook. There are 18 other pages of nothing but passover recipes that will call for either Matzah or Matzah meal, or Matzah-cake meal.

With me being unable to have either of those three as traditionally prepared, I have been quite happy to do without for the last two years. Last year was rather miserable though watching people eat tons of things I couldn't have.. I had to really just stay away from food-related gatherings as I felt really left out and people didn't understand.

Chabad has some awesome passover recipes (http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/32593/jewish/Recipes.htm) as well, as I mentioned before. Never have I seen some of these, and I am so looking to play with them, especially the mock matzoh ball soup! (made with potatoes, no matzah needed!) :)

[HadassahSukkot]

Oh yeah! And before I forget completely, Aish.com has a heap of recipes (http://www.aish.com/passcook/) up too! Gladly some of them are also naturally gluten free! :D

[HadassahSukkot]

Kris, here are some things you might can do with the children:
http://www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/354750/jewish/Passover.htm