Motzi Take the Matzot in the order that they are lying on the tray - the broken piece between the two whole Matzot; hold them in your hand and recite the following blessing: Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth. Matzah Do not break anything off the Matzot. First put down the third Matza (the bottom one), and recite the following blessing over the broken Matza and the top one. When reciting the following blessing, have in mind that it refers also to the eating of the "Sandwich" of Korech - which will be made with the third Matza - and also the eating of the Afikoman. Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the eating of Matzah. Now break off a kezayit (the volume of one olive) of the two Matzot held, and eat the 2 pieces together in reclining position.

יִקַּח הַמַּצּוֹת בְּסֵדֶר שֶׁהִנִּיחָן, הַפְּרוּסָה בֵּין שְׁתֵּי הַשְּׁלֵמוֹת, וְיֹאחַז שְׁלָשְׁתָּן בְּיָדוֹ וִיבָרֵךְ "הַמּוֹצִיא" בְּכַוָּנָה עַל הָעֶלְיוֹנָה ו"עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה" בְּכַוָּנָה עַל הַפְּרוּסָה. אַחַר כָּךְ יִבְצַע כְּזַיִת מִן הָעֶלְיוֹנָה הַשְּׁלֵמָה וְכַזַּיִת שֵׁנִי מִן הַפְּרוּסָה וְיִטְבְּלֵם בְּמֶלַח, וְיֹאכַל בְּהַסָבָּה שְׁנֵי הַזֵּיתִים בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה.

What

To eat matzah on the first (and second) night of Passover is the primary Biblical commandment of the night. We eat matzah at three points during the Seder: (1) Motzi Matzah following the second cup of wine, (2) Korech (the “Hillel sandwich”) following Marror, and (3) Tzafun (the afikoman) following the meal. At the beginning of the Seder we set three matzot on the table, one for each step. Additional matzah should be added for consumption as needed.

Why

Three reasons are discussed for why we eat matzah:

1. The Haggadah tells us that when God redeemed our enslaved ancestors, they left Egypt in a hurry. The dough they prepared for bread was baked immediately. There was no time for it to leaven and rise, and the result was “ugot matzot ki lo chametz; unleavened matzah wafers” (Exodus 12:39).

In this regard, matzah represents redemption and freedom.

1. Matzah is also referred to in Torah as lechem oni, “poor bread” (from the Hebrew word ani) or “bread of affliction”/ “bread of the afflicted” (from the Hebrew word oni). This is because:

• it possesses the barest of ingredients (only flour and water) and the most minimal baking time (less than 18 minutes from mixing the flour and water to it being fully baked), and
• as the Talmud suggests, it is digested slowly, keeping people satisfied for long periods. This was the way it was eaten by the enslaved Israelites — poor people’s bread. In this regard, matzah represents slavery.

1. Matzah was eaten in family gatherings on the eve of the Exodus together with the Pascal lamb and marror. In this regard, matzah represents a moment of hopeful transition.

How

We raise three matzot (actually, two and a half, since we previously broke and hid a half for the afikoman) and say the usual blessing over bread:

בְָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ:

Baruch ata Adonai eloheinu melekh ha’olam, ha’motzi lechem min ha’aretz.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.

We recite a second blessing acknowledging the commandment to eat matzah on the first (and second) night of Passover:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתַָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה:

Baruch ata Adonai eloheinu melekh ha’olam, asher kideshanu be’mitzvotav ve’tzivanu al achilat matzah.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who has blessed us with Your commandments and commanded us to eat matzah.

Eat from the top and middle matzah, reclining to the left side.

Lechem Oni — Bread of Affliction or Redemption?

The S’fat Emet (Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, the Gerer Rebbe, 1847–1905, Poland) taught the following on the idea of lechem oni:

“Bread of Oni — The commentators dispute whether matzah is a symbol for exile and affliction [oni from the Hebrew e’nuy, meaning affliction] or for the redemption [oni from oneh, meaning answer or to be answered]. Rashi [eleventh-century France] and Ramban [twelfth-century Spain] teach that it symbolizes affliction. The Maharal [sixteenth-century Prague] is not satisfied with their conclusion. The truth appears to be that it is by virtue of both — the descending to exile, as well as the redemption. For it is certainly incumbent upon us to offer praise for the exile as well. If not so, why praise the redemption if we could have become close to God without it [i.e. exile]. . . .

Simply put, one can say that all this [suffering] was for us to become humble and subservient toward God. For without this [suffering], we could never have escaped haughtiness. As we have often seen, God orchestrates the giving of goodness to a person in a way to not have him overtaken by haughtiness.”

The S’fat Emet connects slavery and freedom, affliction and redemption, in a kind of yin-yang relationship exemplified in matzah. He also embraces suffering as an experience needed to develop humility. The self that emerges, the self that can be subservient to God, is not downtrodden, but rather redeemed. How might we understand the balance of these concepts?

“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
—Isaac Newton (the third law of motion)

Consider Newton’s third law of motion in relation to the S’fat Emet’s idea that to ascend (to become Israel, to receive Torah, to arrive) one needs first to descend (to struggle, to suffer, to journey), and that it cannot occur any other way. Consider how this idea may play out in life.

Matzah’s Simplicity

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” —Leonardo da Vinci

Matzah, by virtue of its inherent simplicity, becomes a medium to accompany us in a complex transition whereby we try to integrate polar opposites — the experience of being enslaved (or constrained in our lives) and that of being redeemed (emerging from our constraints). Reflect on the challenges of achieving simplicity, and the benefits that come with attaining it.

In Light of the Video...

1. The soundtrack and half the images in the video denote breaking. How do you think this sensory experience of breaking connects to matzah as a lechem oni, a bread of affliction?
2. The other half of the video’s images are of a man and woman walking towards each other, looking intensely at one another, and then embracing. How might this other aspect of the matzah experience represent lechem oni as a bread of answers, a symbol of redemption?