Matzot for Seder Kitniyot Passover Food Stringencies Koshering the Kitchen Koshering Kitchenware Selling Ĥametz The Other Stages: Nullifying the Ĥametz and Destroying It The First Stage: Searching for Ĥametz Getting Rid of Ĥametz What Distinguishes Matza from Ĥametz Defining Ĥametz Ĥametz and Matza – Arrogance and Humility
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Matzot for the Rest of Passover

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Matzot for the Rest of Passover

There is no obligation to eat matza during the rest of the holiday. However, someone who eats matza (at least the volume of an olive) at any Passover meal is fulfilling an optional mitzva, as we read, “Seven days you shall eat matzot” (Exodus 12:15). Most people eat ordinary (non-shmura) matza once the Seder is over, meaning matza supervised from kneading rather than from harvesting. Some enhance the mitzva by continuing to eat shmura matza throughout the holiday.

When preparing matza for Passover, both the flour and the water must be cold. To make sure of this, the water used to knead the dough is left overnight to cool down. Nothing is added to the dough, not even salt or pepper, out of concern that doing so might warm the dough and cause it to ferment. Matza is not decorated with pictures, as the delay caused by the decorating might cause it to become ĥametz. We do not make matza thick, due to the concern the fire will not be hot enough to cook the dough all the way through, and the inside will become ĥametz. Ashkenazim make very thin, hard matza, as this makes fermentation extremely unlikely.

The Day Before Passover The Day Before Passover