Unfortunately, we don’t have time and space to go into all the issues involved with machine matzos, however, I would like to focus on one of the major concerns which arose, which is if one uses a machine to bake matzos if it is possible for them to be considered “lishmah”, and can one use such matzos for the first kezayis on Seder night? According to the Beis HaLevi the chiyuv lishmah for the first kezayis of matzah on Seder night, applies to all the matzos eaten on Seder night, and the shailah of lishmah would be relevant for all the matzah eaten on the first night of Pesach?
In the various Teshuvah seforim written by the gedolei haposkim we find that they discuss whether tzitzis and tefillin made using a machine can be considered lishmah. There are two types of machines that can be used, there are manual machines and electrically run machines. Below we will discuss both methods and see if there is any difference between the two.
Manual Machine
In the olden times, before the invention of electricity, the first matzah making machines were operated by hand (כח גברא). Two strong people turned a huge wheel that operated a process which helped shape the dough and helped create perforated round matzos. The machines were semi-manual, and were used only for the purpose of shaping the dough to prepare it for baking, however, the adding of flour and water, the kneading of the dough, and the placing of the matzos into the oven, were all done by hand.
Rav Shlomah Kluger (HaEleph Lecha Shlomah, Vol. 1, hashmotah to Shu”t Orach Chaim, siman 35) firmly established, that machine matzos are not considered “lishmah”, as “matzah shmurah” means “made for the sake of the mitzvah”, and a machine has no da’as [knowledge] and is no better than a cheresh, shotah or kotan who are unable to have da’as to do something lishmah, and even if a gadol stands over them to watch it doesn’t help. Although there may be a Jew who is a gadol present turning the wheel, it is not considered his direct ko’ach [strength], rather it is koach koichoi [secondary strength], and such an act is not considered to be his act, and is therefore, not considered lishmah.
On the other hand, Rav Yosef Shaul Nathansohn strongly disagreed with this, and he ruled that matzos made by a machine are certainly considered “lishmah” and can be used lechatchilah on Seder night, as the strong people that turn the wheel in order to shape the dough and prepare the matzos are able to have da’as to make the matzos lishmah, and there is no difference between turning a wheel and turning a rolling pin. He writes: וכי מערוך עץ יש לו דעת, יותר מגלגל מתכת ענק – “does a wooden rolling pin have knowledge, more than a huge metal rolling pin?” He adds very sharply that those who deem such matzos problematic seem to hold that: מופעלת על ידי כישוף – “the machine works via magic”, however, the truth is, it is operated entirely by man, therefore, there is no doubt that it is considered koicho [his strength]! However, all this is not applicable when addressing today’s electric machines, where there is no manpower involved, and everything runs automatically.
Lishmah for Tzitzis – Machlokes Mishnah Berurah and Chazon Ish
The Mishnah Berurah (11, s.k. 5) writes in regard to the making of tzitzis, lishmah, that if one begins making them lishmah, then it helps for the entire duration even if takes a few day, because על דעת הראשונה – one does the continuation with the same intention he had at the beginning, and it is like he is constantly saying that it is being done lishmah. Based on this idea, the Biur Halachah writes that if someone else would carry on the process the original lishmah would no longer help, as we can’t apply the principle that the continuation is being carried out with the initial intent (על דעת הראשונה) from one person to the next. Similarly, the Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 9) writes that ישראל עומד על גביו – “a Jew standing over the non-Jew and watching” only helps at the time the Jew is overwatching the non- Jew, however, any making of the tzitzis that is done at a later point in time is no good.
However, the Chazon Ish (Orach Chaim 6, s.k. 10) argues and maintains that as long as the tzitzis are started off lishmah, we consider any continuation to be stoma lishmah (a principle where we say that unless there is specific intention otherwise, we assume the action to automatically be considered done with the correct intentions), and we don’t require the original person to finish off the job. Once the beginning of the process was carried out lishmah, we automatically say that the contention is also being carried out lishmah.
The Chazon Ish goes so far as to say, that as long as the process was started off lishmah, one couldn’t even get a monkey to continue the process and finish off making the tzitzis.
Seemingly a big nafkah minah [practical difference] that will come out from the above machlokes is whether one can use a machine to make tzitzis; according to the Chazon Ish, as long as a Jew starts off the process lishmah, the continuation will automatically be considered lishmah even if carried out with a machine, however, according to the Mishnah Berurah, it is likely that a machine is not able to continue the original intent (דעת ראשונה) and using a machine for the continuation would result in the tzitzis not being lishmah.
The Minchas Shlomah (Bava Kamma 22a) writes that those who are lenient and allow using a machine to continue the process, maintain, that since the machine was started off lishmah, we say אשו משום חיציו, that the continuation is because of the initial act and everything that happens in the continuation is associated back to the initial act.
Back to Matzos
Whether there is a concern of not being considered lishmah when using a machine for making matzos would seemingly depend on the above. However, it is possible that the din of lishmah for making matzos is different to the lishmah for tzitzis. The Achronim discuss if the din lishmah by matzos is simply to guard them from becoming chometz (for the sake of the mitzvah), and there is no positive act that one needs to do lishmah, or if perhaps a positive action is required.
The Torah says: ושמרתם את המצות – “You shall guard the matzos” and we learn from here: שתהא שימור לשם מצוה – “That they should be guarded for the sake of the mitzvah”, however, we don’t see anywhere that the dough must be kneaded lishmah or that that matzos must be baked lishmah, it merely says to guard them lishmah.
From the Radvaz (siman 1009) and the Ritva in the name of the Re’ah (halachah veloi lema’aseh) cited in the Sha’ar HaTziyun (460, s.k. 4) it is clear like the first option. They all explain that the reason having a Jew who is a gadol standing over a non-Jew works to give the matzos a din lishmah, is because there is no positive din that the matzos need to be made for the sake of the mitzvah, rather, the pasuk simply says ושמרתם את המצות, that the matzos should be guarded from becoming chometz, therefore, having a Jew standing over the non-Jew helps. According to these Rishonim a machine would be considered lishmah, as in the end of the day the matzos are being guarded from becoming chometz.
However, from the Chasam Sofer (Hagoas on Shulchan Aruch 460, and Shu”t Orach Chaim 128) it’s clear like the second option that the din of lishmah by matzos is the same din lishmah that we find by korbanos, gittin and Hilchos Sefer Torah, and that one must do a positive act in the dough itself to stop it from becoming chometz in order for it to be considered lishmah, and simply watching it isn’t enough. According to this, a machine would be no good, as a machine can’t do a positive act lishmah.
