PASSOVER

continued on page 36

that every aspect of the baking from the 
mixing, the kneading, the rolling of the 
dough, the placement in the oven, has to 
all be done with intent for performing the 
mitzvah. Every phase of the baking process 
has the workers actually articulating aloud, 
‘l’shaim matzos mitzvah’ — literally, “for the 
purpose of making the matzahs that will be 
used for the mitzvah.
“It’s hard to imagine that the entire pro-
cess of intent at every phase is transmitted 
by the pressing of a button that starts the 
assembly line for machine-made matzah,” 
Rabbi Bergstein added. “It is thus better 
to have the hand-baked matzah because 
of the intent by the people involved in the 
baking saying that they do this Lishmoh — 
for the sake of the mitzvah.”

Bread of Healing

What does Rabbi Bergstein say about 
shmurah matzah offering yearlong pro-
tection?

“Matzah is called the ‘bread of faith’ 
and ‘bread of healing,” Rabbi Bergstein 
said. “According to the Zohar, shmurah 
matzah helps us with our faith. It acts 
like a channel, a receiver of messages 
coming straight from God. Matzah is 
supposed to be a remembrance of our 
redemption, a vehicle for us to relive 
what went on at that time … And one of 
the things that we experienced back then 
was that we were, as it says, ‘cured of all 
ills.’ So too, matzah has the characteristic of 
being able to heal us.”
Best of all, Rabbi Bergstein actually 
knows a story to back this up. He knew the 
players personally. Since it’s been so many 
years, however, he said any discrepancies 
or missing details are because of his faulty 
memory. 
“Years ago,” Rabbi Bergstein began. 
“Back in the late ’60s/early ’70s, my shad-
chan Rabbi Mendel Baumgarten was close 
to the Pozepov family who had just arrived 
in America from the former Soviet Union. 

At any given time, he has up to six or 
seven pieces of matzah from previous years 
on his door header. If one falls down during 
the year, he properly and respectfully dis-
cards it. 

AN OLD CUSTOM
Gregg was able to procure a source from 
a Jewish book (Sefer Kaf HaChaim) which 
said: “The minhag (custom) of saving a 
piece of afikomen is not only in chutz la’aretz 
(outside Israel) but anywhere, and it’s not in 
case you don’t have for next year. The rea-
son is that it’s a shmirah (protection). 
 Many hang it on top of a doorway until 
the next erev Pesach when they burn it with 
the chometz. This minhag is brought down 
in basically every minhag sefer (Minhag 
Yisroel Torah, Nitei Gavriel and other Pesach 
seforim.)”

DOES IT REALLY WORK? 
“I’ve never experienced major open mir-
acles, but I do believe the matzah fosters 
an awareness,” Gregg said. “It’s similar to a 
mezuzah … Its very presence subconscious-
ly reminds us that Hashem is watching over 
us and helps us find God in our lives. 
 “That awareness can help us see every-
day miracles, turn thoughts like, ‘what a 
bad day’ into ‘hey, I’m vertical, I’ve got 
good balance, I can smell and taste, etc.’ It 

can help us recognize the gifts Hashem 
has given us that we usually take for 
granted.”
While Gregg puts matzah over the 
main entrance into his kitchen, he’s heard 
that many who keep this custom use the 
front door to the house. Some people 
tape up their matzah. He’s even heard of 
people who carry the matzah around in 
their pockets as a segulah for wealth! 
Russ Siegel, a software developer, and 
his wife, Kari, an occupational therapist 
and Feldenkrais practitioner, also have 
the custom of placing a piece of shmu-
rah matzah over their kitchen doorway 
in their Southfield home. Russ has been 
doing it for 22 years now; when he first 
heard of it, it seemed to be a growing 
local custom. 
The Siegels put up one piece of afi-
komen after each seder and, at the same 
time, take down the previous year’s 
matzah. 
The family also sometimes get ques-
tioned by visitors about the shmurah 
matzah, seemingly random on top of the 
door header, and Kari simply explains, 
“We guard the matzah, and the matzah 
guards us.” 
The matzah is also a symbol, a reminder 
of the freedom of the past and the promise 
of good times ahead. 

“We aren’t aware of any clear miracles 
or protection that we’d really attribute to 
the matzah, but we like having it up there. 
We’re aware of it and notice it every day,” 
said Kari. 
Their children, Daniel, 10, and Tova, 8, 
enjoy the custom too, although of course 
they have never known life without it. 

APRIL 7 • 2022 | 35

Russ and Kari 
Siegel and their 
children Daniel 
and Tova in front 
of their kitchen 
doorway

Rabbi Bergstein holds a 
colorful box of Ukrainian 
matzah in one hand and 
gluten-free oat matzah 
from America in the other 
… next to some of the hun-
dreds of pounds of matzah 
that he gives away or sells 
before Pesach.

