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Monday, March 28, 2011

PESACH: Egg Matza or Matza Ashira?



Today is the 22nd day of Adar II, 5771

Egg Matzah are Matzot that are usually made with oil and or eggs and or honey, using fruit juice instead of water. The Rabbis in the Talmud stated that liquid food extracts do not cause flour to leaven, the way that water does. Not all egg Matza is made with actual eggs. When certified Kosher for Pesach, egg Matza can be consumed during the eight days of Pesach and even during Pesach eve (when is customary to refrain from eating Matza), but is not suitable for fulfilling the Mitzvah of 'eating Matza' in the Pesach Seder itself. In America they elaborate Matza Ashira/Egg Matza in the shape of Matzot, which might create a small confusion: some people might think that those Matzot can be used for the Seder, when technically speaking they are not consider Matzot, but non-chametz cookies....

Among some Ashkenazi Jews, there is a custom not to eat egg Matza during Passover, except for the elderly, infirm, or children, who cannot digest plain Matzah.

Among Sephardic Jews, this type of food --when the dough does no contain any amount of water -- is called Matza Ashira, and unlike egg Matza, products under the category of Matza Ashira do not necessarily have the shape of regular Matza. Rather, as you might verify in your local Kosher grocery , Matza Ashira products come in the form of cookies, cakes, desserts, etc. which actually look very similar to chametz products. But as we said, since no water was used in their elaboration, if it bears the corresponding Kosher le-Pesach certification, is OK for Sephardim to use on Pesach.


Super interesting: How hand-made Matza-Shmura is made? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgmTwVmD74w&feature=related




Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

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