Matzah, Freedom, and Everything In Between –The Surprising Truth About Passover’s Bread

The Jewish festival of Passover (Pesach), which lasts seven days in Israel and runs from sundown on April 12 through the evening of April 19, is typically one of the most popular times for tourists to visit Israel. The country is in holiday mood, with families and tourists alike taking to the beaches, nature reserves and tourist attractions to enjoy the warm, spring weather. The festival celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt – a story that is recounted by families who read the Haggadah on the first night of the festival in a festive Seder ceremony in homes and hotels. During the festival, leavened bread or chametz is forbidden, and matzah is eaten instead of bread.

Credit Pic: Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel

Here follows three short articles about matzah.

A New Perspective on Bread, Matzah, and Everything in Between

Based on:
Dr.Tova Dickstein, The Taste of Ancient Israel, Ofir Bicurim, 2021, pp. 55-57

Almost every Jewish person asked why we eat matzah on Passover would answer, "Because the dough of the Israelites did not have time to rise." But if we read Chapter 12 of the Book of Exodus, we discover that the commandment to eat matzah was given to the Israelites at least two weeks before the Exodus, on the night of the Tenth Plague. In the instructions given by God to Moses, He commands:

"This day shall be for you a memorial, and you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord throughout your generations, as an eternal statute you shall celebrate it. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day, you shall remove leaven from your homes, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel… And you shall watch over the matzot, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt, and you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an eternal statute. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread…" (Exodus 12:14-19).

Why does God instruct His people to eat matzah specifically on the night of the Exodus? And why is the punishment for eating chametz (leavened bread) so severe, to the point of spiritual excision? It seems that matzah holds a profound symbolic meaning that goes beyond the hurried baking process in the desert.

Moses explains the reason: "For with a strong hand the Lord brought you out from here, and no leavened bread shall be eaten." (Exodus 13:3). But what is the connection between God’s "strong hand" and the prohibition against eating chametz?

We can understand this connection if we consider the significance of bread in ancient times. In Egyptian Arabic, bread is called aish, meaning "life." Bread was the primary food of the ancient world. Chametz and matzah are not just different types of baked goods; they represent two opposing cultures that have been in conflict since the dawn of history: the nomadic shepherds versus the settled farmers.

The Egyptians were the first to discover fermentation, a process in which natural yeasts consume the sugars in flour, releasing carbon dioxide and acid, causing the dough to rise. They also discovered se’or (sourdough) – a lump of dough left out for several days, absorbing yeast from the air, fermenting, and becoming sour. When mixed into fresh dough, it caused it to rise quickly. In Egypt, bread was a unit of weight, wages for workers and slaves, and an offering to the gods. The ancient world referred to the Egyptians as "bread-eaters," sometimes with admiration, sometimes with disdain. Bread production and baking required a long process, feasible only for settled people who had an oven – another Egyptian invention – in their courtyard.

Ancient matzah was not the dry square crackers we know from today, but rather any flatbread that did not rise due to fermentation. Nomadic shepherds baked matzot quickly and easily in embers. Wanderers could not carry heavy ovens or wait for dough to rise. Even today, Bedouins in the desert bake similar matzot called koraz or labeh.

Egyptian farmers despised shepherds, calling them Shasu – raiders, outlaws, and thieves. They refused to eat with them: "For the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians." (Genesis 43:32), as described during Joseph’s shared meal with his brothers in Egypt.

Through the Exodus, God commands His people to abandon Egyptian leavened bread and the Egyptian gods, and instead return to the simple nomadic bread of their shepherd ancestors. Shepherds were free from oppression and control, and matzah represents that freedom. Eating chametz during the Festival of Freedom would be an act of defiance, a rejection of the God who fought against the gods of Egypt and led His people out of slavery.

Matzah Production in Israel

Most matzah sold in Israel is produced in large factories such as Matzot Yehuda, Matzot Aviv, and Matzot Rishon, while handmade matzah is primarily baked in small bakeries within religious and ultra-Orthodox communities.

While there are no official statistics, it is estimated that, in 2020, Israel's matzah exports amounted to approximately $29 million, and about $22 million in 2022. The matzah market in Israel is estimated at around NIS 120 million, with three main manufacturers: Matzot Aviv, Matzot Rishon, and Matzot Yehuda.

Israel produces a wide variety of matzah types to suit different traditions, kosher standards, and dietary needs:

1. Regular Matzah – Machine-made, thin, and crisp; widely available with top kosher certification.
2. Shmurah Matzah – Closely supervised from harvest; made by hand or machine; preferred for the Seder.
3. Handmade Matzah – Traditional, thicker, and rougher; rolled and baked by hand.
4. Soft Matzah – Resembling thin pita; handmade and common in Middle Eastern traditions.
5. Special-Flour Matzah – Made from spelt, whole wheat, or other grains for health-conscious consumers.
6. Gluten-Free Matzah – Made from non-wheat flours like potato or rice; suitable for gluten sensitivities.
7. Egg Matzah – Softer and easier to eat; used mainly by children or the elderly, but not for the Seder.

Visit the World’s Largest Shmurah Matzah Bakery

To watch the baking of handmade shmurah matzah is a fascinating experience – the finished product must be completed within an 18 minute window. Most of the shnurah matzah bakeries are small, privately-owned establishments which do not allow visitors. However, it is possible to visit the matzah bakery in Kfar Chabad, near Ben Gurion Airport in the center of Israel, which claims to be the largest shmurah matzah bakery in the world. The shmurah matzot that are baked in Kfar Chabad are distributed within Israel and around the world.

The entire process of matzah production—from the moment the flour comes into contact with water until baking—is carried out exclusively by hand, without any mechanical devices. Due to the strict standards upheld by the bakery, the taste and familiar aroma of its matzot are probably the closest to those that the Israelites baked in haste during their exodus from Egypt.

Even before the flour comes into contact with water, the wheat is carefully guarded to ensure it does not absorb moisture. The most stringent adherents of Jewish law harvest the wheat on hot, dry days to eliminate any risk of dampness, which could lead to fermentation.

From the moment the flour is mixed with water, through kneading, shaping, rolling, cutting, and baking, the entire process must not exceed 18 minutes. The dedicated workers operate with precision and speed, moving seamlessly from station to station in an efficient assembly line of hand labor—from shaping the matzot to hanging them on baking poles and placing them in the open fire oven.

There is no charge or requirement to pre-register to view this unique baking process from the observation deck. Guided tours for groups are available with pre-registration and for a fee

Matzah-baking workshops at Israel’s heritage sites

Ahead of Passover, the Israel Ministry of Heritage and the Council for the Preservation of Heritage Sites offers families and tourists an opportunity to partake in free matzah-baking workshops at heritage sites around the country.

The heritage sites include, among others, the Founders’ Museum in Sderot, the Gush Etzion Heritage Center; Beit She'an Museum; Safed (Tzfat), sites in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem and several other locations around Israel.

According to the Israel Ministry of Tourism