Eating Matzah: Is Matzah Like Challah?
Question
This year; the last day of Pesach/Passover ended on Friday. I was informed by the Gabbai that you can continue to eat Matzah because there is no bread available the next day on Shabbat.
Since we are discussing the mitzvah de’oraita (Torah mitzvah) and not a mitzvah de’rabbanan (Rabbinic mitzvah), I cannot see how you can this mitzvah de’oraita. I would appreciate your view on the subject.
Thanking you in advance and shavua tov.
Bernie Crammer (Baruch Ben Chaim Crammer)
Answers
Pesach lasts for seven days in Israel and for eight days outside of Israel. This year, there was a relatively rare occurrence, that the seventh day of Pesach was on Friday, which meant that in Israel, despite the fact that Pesach was officially over, there was no recourse to eat any chametz until after the end of Shabbat. This means that all the Shabbat meals were being prepared as Pesach meals, and that matzah was eaten instead of challah.
This year, there was no problem with eating matzah in place of challah, as there was no alternative. For Ashkenazim throughout the year, there is also no problem, as matzah is regarded as “bread” – like challah – and one must wash before eating it and bentsch afterwards. However, Sephardim regard matzah as being mezonot (the blessing recited over cakes and cookies and the like) and not bread, which means that – with the exception of Pesach – matzah cannot be used in lieu of bread.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team