Question of the Week: Who was Isaac Matza?

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It ' S e d er

*It means "everything is OK"
(literally, everything is "in order
in Hebrew. As you prepare for your
Pesach seder, enjoy learning facts
about the holiday with this fun list.

.)))

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
AppleTree Editor

#1) When is matzah not just
matzah? When it bears the lofty
title of shmurah, or
"guarded/observed" matzah.
According to the Torah, oo sh'
martem, "you shall observe," the
holiday of Pesach. A number of
rabbis interpreted this to mean that

Jews should literally watch over the
matzah so that it does not become
leavened.
Of course, not everyone agrees as
to when this should occur. Some
rabbis said that shmurah matzah
must be watched from the very
start — when it is cut from the
wheat — while others say "watch-
ing" means the time when the
wheat is made into flour. Then

You can learn a lo
ng a little. In Fact-A-Day,
.AtopieTree prowi
fascinating tidbits about any
Jewish subject,
nt. Get an early start on Pesach
with this collecti
facts, one for each day of March,
ut the holid
Do you have a
Fact-A-Day? If so, please drop us a
line at AppleTree Facts, 27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI
48034, fax (248) 354-6069, call (248) 354-6060 ext. 308 (voice-
mail only), or e mail philapple@earthlink-net

-

Two Russian children hold pieces of shmurah matzah.

there's the issue of shape: round
(which is hand baked) or square
(baked by machine). Whatever you
pick, rest assured you will pay.
Shmurah matzah is infinitely
more expensive than the regular
stuff, which is one reason most
families use it only for the first two
days, and specifically the seders,
during Pesach. The other issue has
to do with the fact that Jews are
not actually obligated to consume
matzah except on the first days of
Pesach. After that, we are not
allowed to eat chametz, but we are
nonetheless not obliged to eat any
kind of matzah, shmurah or other-
wise.

#2) Hard-boiled eggs served in a
bowl of salt water are a tradition in
Ashkenazi (but not Sephardi) homes
for the seder. Despite its popularity,
however, no one is certain of why
we consume this dish.
Depending on the source, the
eggs are used to suggest the renewal
of life, are simply a holdover from
years ago when meals started with
an egg appetizer, or are there only

to accompany the salted water,
which recalls the sadness one
should feel over the death of the
Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea.

#3) The Shabbat immediately pre-
ceding Pesach is known as Shabbat
HaGadol, the Great Shabbat.

An illuminated page from the
Sarajevo Haggadah.

3/16

2001

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