Chag Hamatzos
The yom tov of Pesach, we have to know, actually refers only to erev Pesach – the afternoon of the fourteenth day of Nissan when they slaughtered the korban Pesach – and also the night of the fifteenth when the korban was eaten. It’s a yom tov of about twelve hours or so, and then it comes to an end. You can’t eat from the korban the next morning anymore; nothing is even allowed to remain. You’re finished now with Chag Hapesach – the lessons of the korban Pesach, whatever we achieved at night when we ate the meat of the korban, or nowadays when we have the zecher laPesach, that’s finished, and now it’s a new yom tov called Chag Hamatzos.
Now, that’s a very important point to consider because Chag Hamatzos means that it’s a special time set aside to learn the lessons of the matzah. It’s not merely the way we imagine, that we have the Seder night and then the rest of the festival is a tafel to that. No, it’s a new yom tov now, the Festival of Matzos. The days of tes-vuv Nissan until the last day of yom tov are set aside to learn the lessons of the matzah.
The Minimum Kavanah
Now, I’m not saying that the lessons are everything. Matzah is a mitzvas asei min haTorah and therefore it’s enough if while you eat the matzah, you have in mind that it's a mitzvah. That's very important and it’s good enough for people who are not able to think too much. At least that! When you sit down to eat matzah at the Seder don't just think of it as a change of diet; think about the mitzvah of matzah.
And not only the first night; some say that it’s a mitzvah all Pesach. The night of Pesach is a מִ צְ וַ ת וֹרָ ה עֲ שֵׂ ה מִ ן הַת to eat a kezayis of matzah, this everybody agrees, but there is a shittah that says the rest of yom tov it's a mitzvah too – only it's not a mitzvah that you're mechuyav to do. You can eat potatoes if you wish instead of matzah. The night of Pesach you must eat a kezayis matzah but the rest of Pesach you can eat potatoes if you prefer. But if you eat matzah, you are doing a mitzvah. That's an opinion in the poskim and so at least that you should think about – that you’re doing the mitzvas Hashem.
Now, that’s enough for the one who doesn’t want to think much; he’s happy with the minimum and we can’t force him to do more. But for those who want to live up to their greatness, they don’t want to get away with the minimum, so as much intelligence and meditation they accompany the matzah with, they have to know that there are great lessons in the mitzvah of matzah and the more time they put into these lessons, the more successfully and honestly they are living their lives.
Mitzvos That Testify
Now, what it means ‘lessons’ – lessons of a mitzvah – requires a short introduction. If you recall the Seder night, you’ll remember that the chochom, when he asks his father about the laws and practices of the Torah, he says, מָ ה הָ עֵ ד ֹ ת – What are these testimonies, ִ ים וְ הַ חֻ ק – and the statutes, וְ הַ מּ ִ שׁ ְ פּ ָ טִ י ם – and the judgments, that Hashem commanded us? And so right away we see from the words of the wise son that there are three different categories of mitzvos – eidos, chukim and mishpatim – each one with its own name and its own important purpose in the life of a Torah Jew.
What is meant by eidos? It’s often translated as ‘laws’ but actually it means ‘testimonies’ and it refers to that category of Torah laws which have the special function of testifying to certain historical events and their corresponding principles. They’re ‘testimonial commandments’ because that’s their function, to serve as testimonies.
Those things that are commanded to us for the purpose of memorializing certain great events or certain great principles are called eidos. And you’re expected to use that mitzvah-testimony, to create for yourself a Torah mind.
Shabbos Testifies
I’ll give a few examples just so that we should better understand. Shabbos is one of the mitzvos eiduyos. Now, very many Jews are meticulous when it comes to keeping Shabbos but they overlook the intention, the purpose of Shabbos. The purpose of keeping Shabbos is to testify to certain Torah truths and to give you a Shabbos Mind.
Shabbos, first of all, testifies that there’s nothing in this world except the will of Hashem. He created the world out of nothing and there’s nothing in the world except the ratzon Hashem. ֶהִי א אָ מַ ר וַי י הו כ – He spoke and it became, ַעֲ מֹד ה וַי א צִו הו – He commanded and it came into existence. The Shabbos also testifies to the great principle of ְנֵי יִשְׂ רָ אֵ ל אוֹת הִ וא בֵין בֵינִי ו ב, the special connection between the Am Yisroel and Hashem, and to the chochmas Hashem and chesed Hashem in the briyah.
Shabbos testifies to many important principles and it’s a tragedy when people work hard to bring in the Shabbos and they’re meticulous, they’re careful to keep the Shabbos, and yet when it’s all over they haven’t thought once about the purpose of Shabbos. Actually a Jew is expected to be a different person after Shabbos than he was on erev Shabbos. He just passed through a full day that was testifying to him, reminding him of various ideas and ideals, and so he’s a changed person now.
A Panorama of Opportunity
But Shabbos is only one example of many mitzvos eiduyos. The Torah is full of these things. Let’s say you sit in the sukkah. Of course it’s a great thing to fulfill a mitzvah even in its most simple sense. And many people are moser nefesh; besides the expense they also get blisters and splinters on their hands building the sukkah. Excellent! It’s a beautiful thing! But did you ever think about what the mitzvah is testifying to? It’s an entire subject, what the sukkah wants you to know, and if you don’t pay attention to the testimony then you’re missing out on the most important function of that mitzvah.
There are many other examples like that. Mezuzah and Tzitzis and Tefillin are mitzvos eduyos. Also Peah and Pidyon Haben; many others too. And each one is an eidus, a testimony to some great ideal. Isn’t it a shame to neglect the opportunity, the purpose, of these commandments? They’re intended to work on our psychology, to make new people out of us, people with Torah Minds.
The Guest of Honor
And so we come now to the guest of honor, the mitzvah of matzah. Isn’t it a pity if people go to bake matzos and they spend a lot of money too – good matzos are expensive – but they forget to listen to what the matzah is trying to tell them?
Avadeh it’s a mitzvah to eat. And it tastes good too. Absolutely you should enjoy it, no question about it! And it should be matzah shemurah! It’s a big mitzvah to be machmir in all the hiddurim of making matzah, all the chumros of matzah. And yet, af al pi ken, nevertheless, it’s possible to do it b’simhon leivov, to do it with an empty mind and miss out on the most important function of the matzah.
And so the Jew who wants to suck out all of the honey that’s possible from Chag Hamatzos has to become a thinker. And as the matzah goes into your intestines, at the same time all of the matzah’s lessons, ideals and attitudes, should go into your head.
And the more you could put into the matzah – as you eat it and you're chewing you're trying to think of whatever you could apply to this symbol of matzos in a sensible way, that's the way to eat. Matzah is telling us an important message – actually messages, plural. Especially when the Torah gives you hints, that's the way to eat matzos. There’s a purpose in a matzah and it’s a mitzvah to ask that question: ם מָה אוֹכְלִים עַל שׁ וָה זוֹ שֶׁ אָנוּ מַצ – What does matzah mean? What is it trying to tell me? And that’s what Chag Hamatzos is for; it’s the yom tov of planting all of these great thoughts in our minds, thoughts that will continue to grow all year round.
Editor’s note:
Throughout Rav Miller’s many Pesach lectures he addressed many different ideas symbolized by the matzah. In reviewing the many tapes we have identified at least twelve different lessons that the Rav gleaned from the mitzvah of eating matzah. In our sefer “Toras Avigdor Moadim vol. 1” we have published a short essay briefly outlining these ideas. In this booklet we have chosen eight of these lessons expounded by the Rav, and we have arranged them as one idea per day for the eight days of Pesach.
While the words in the booklet are taken from the Rav’s lectures the division of the lessons into days was not made by the Rav. It is an arrangement prepared by the Toras Avigdor team following the Rav’s practical advice in other areas of avodas Hashem where he set aside separate days, each day focused on acquiring separate achievements of the mind. We hope that this system of reading each day’s testimony and trying to think about the lesson as you eat the matzah that day will be a practical and effective way of best incorporating these lessons into our minds and having a successful Chag Hamatzos.
