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y now, Jews all over the
world have consumed large
quantities of matzah and
are beginning to dream
about chametz and a good corned
beef sandwich on rye.
I've been thinking about why
the Torah only forbids chametz for
eight days. If chametz has prop-
erties that negatively affect our
souls, why isn't it forbidden year-
long, like non-kosher food?
For the answer, we have to un-
derstand what chametz and
matzah represent. There are 10
creative steps in the process of
making bread. We need to plow,
sow, harvest, thresh, winnow, se-
lect, grind, sift, knead and bake.
When bread — the creation of
our hands — comes out of the
oven, we feel a sense of pride and
accomplishment. We are creators.
In order for us to be
conscious that both
our talent and ingre-
dients come from the
Almighty, we make
a bracha on bread —

B

HaMotzi Lechem
Meen HaAretz, "Who

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LU

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THE JEWISH NEWS

ator in the model of a matzah. For
eight days we shape our lives and
souls exactly the way the
Almighty commands us. We are
humble matzahs — Jews that
come out of Egypt by the grace of

HaShem.

We will strive to listen to Torah
and act accordingly. We eat our
matzah in the amounts required,
we lean to the left, we drink four
cups of wine, and we follow each –\
instruction of the seder exactly.
We are trying to be matzahs.
We want HaShem to shape our
lives, and we desire to create a lov-
ing relationship with Him.
But the Torah doesn't want us
to be robotic matzahs coming off
a conveyor belt. HaShem wants
us to take the mitzvot and apply
our own initiatives, to use our egos
to make a better world built on the L\
foundation of Torah
and mitzvot. Every
Jew is required to
use his or her Di-
vinely given talents
to build schools,
yeshivot, create in-
novative education-
al institutions, and
create tzedakah pro-
jects that elevate the -\
wealth of the Jewish
community to its
spiritual purpose.
That's why Passover is only
eight days. After a cycle of being
matzahs, next week we can be
chametz — because our egos are
shaped by true Jewish values.
Chametz and matzah share
two of the same Hebrew letters
a 7712771 and a zadik. The only dif-
ference is that matzah has a hay
— a letter from HaShem's name,
while chametz has a chet that rep-
resents ego and self-fulfillment.
Chametz is kosher all year
round when that ego is used to cre-
ate a world of love and goodness
based on the matzah model. Re-
member, every bit of chametz
startedoff as matzah.
Good Shabbat, good Yom Tov,)
and try to be the best matzah you
can be this week. Next week you
can be a good rye bread. 111

We start
the renewal
in the
model
of matzah.

brings bread out of
the earth."
Now that we are
creators, let's look at
two models of cre-
ator-creation relationships. One
is the matzah model, while the
second is the chametz model. The
matzah model is shaped by its
maker and quickly baked. It is ex-
actly how its creator made it.
The chametz model has the
same basic ingredients as matzah.
No leavening is necessary to make
chametz. Just let it sit alone for
18 minutes, it will begin to fer-
ment and rise.
Chametz has a little more
pizazz and ego. It takes on a per-
sonality of its own. It looks a lot
like the original dough, but it has
grown higher and fluffier. It also
tastes a lot better. It looks at its
creator as a beginning and a re-
source.
Every Passover we become the
Jewish people. No matter what
our affiliations, we remain Jews
and part of our people. That inner
identity was created, shaped and
baked through the process of the
Exodus from Egypt.
Each year we start the renew-
al of our relationship with our Cre-

Rabbi Shlomo Porter is director of
the Etz Chaim Centers for
Jewish Studies in Park Heights
and Owings Mills, Md.

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