Prohibition of Using Chametz ("leaven") in Mizbachim
(יא) כׇּל־הַמִּנְחָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר תַּקְרִ֙יבוּ֙ לַיהֹוָ֔ה לֹ֥א תֵעָשֶׂ֖ה חָמֵ֑ץ כִּ֤י כׇל־שְׂאֹר֙ וְכׇל־דְּבַ֔שׁ לֹֽא־תַקְטִ֧ירוּ מִמֶּ֛נּוּ אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַֽיהֹוָֽה׃
(11) No meal offering that you offer to יהוה shall be made with leaven, for no leaven or honey may be turned into smoke as an offering by fire to יהוה.
(ט) וְהַנּוֹתֶ֣רֶת מִמֶּ֔נָּה יֹאכְל֖וּ אַהֲרֹ֣ן וּבָנָ֑יו מַצּ֤וֹת תֵּֽאָכֵל֙ בְּמָק֣וֹם קָדֹ֔שׁ בַּחֲצַ֥ר אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֖ד יֹאכְלֽוּהָ׃ (י) לֹ֤א תֵאָפֶה֙ חָמֵ֔ץ חֶלְקָ֛ם נָתַ֥תִּי אֹתָ֖הּ מֵאִשָּׁ֑י קֹ֤דֶשׁ קׇֽדָשִׁים֙ הִ֔וא כַּחַטָּ֖את וְכָאָשָֽׁם׃
(9) What is left of it shall be eaten by Aaron and his sons; it shall be eaten as unleavened cakes, in the sacred precinct; they shall eat it in the enclosure of the Tent of Meeting. (10) It shall not be baked with leaven; I have given it as their portion from My offerings by fire; it is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
Questions:
1. Is Matzah holier than regular bread? Why?
2. Why do you think that both leaven and honey are forbidden? What do they have in common?
1. Is Matzah holier than regular bread? Why?
2. Why do you think that both leaven and honey are forbidden? What do they have in common?
Hametz as the Evil Inclination- יצר הרע
אִיכָּא דְאָמְרִי, הָא רַב הַמְנוּנָא מְצַלֵּי לַהּ. וְרַבִּי אָלֶכְּסַנְדְרִי בָּתַר דִּמְצַלֵּי אָמַר הָכִי: ״רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים, גָּלוּי וְיָדוּעַ לְפָנֶיךָ שֶׁרְצוֹנֵנוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנֶךָ, וּמִי מְעַכֵּב? — שְׂאוֹר שֶׁבָּעִיסָּה וְשִׁעְבּוּד מַלְכֻיוֹת. יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁתַּצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם, וְנָשׁוּב לַעֲשׂוֹת חוּקֵּי רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם״.
Some say that this was the prayer that Rav Hamnuna would recite, and that after Rabbi Alexandri prayed, he would say the following: Master of the Universe, it is revealed and known before You
that our will is to perform Your will, and what prevents us?
On the one hand, the yeast in the dough, the evil inclination that is within every person; and the subjugation to the kingdoms on the other.
May it be Your will that You will deliver us from their hands, of both the evil inclination and the foreign kingdoms, so that we may return to perform the edicts of Your will with a perfect heart.
Questions:
1. Why do we need to be rescued from chametz?
2. What does chametz have to do with subjugation by foreign powers? How do these things keep Jews from following Hashem's will?
1. Why do we need to be rescued from chametz?
2. What does chametz have to do with subjugation by foreign powers? How do these things keep Jews from following Hashem's will?
Rav Alex Israel- Gush Etzion
In the Torah, two terms are used to designate leaven: "se'or" and "chametz." What is the difference between them? Se'or is a leavening agent. It is a piece of old dough which has been allowed to reach a high level of fermentation. This is sometimes known as sourdough (or yeast). This substance is quite inedible, but when a piece of sourdough (se'or) is kneaded together with a mixture of flour and water, it accelerates the rising process and creates "chametz."
Rabbi Alexandri sees "se'or" as a metaphor for the powerful drives and inflammatory passions that lurk within us all. Our mind has the ability to distort the reality of our vision, inflate our desires and draw us in directions that we would never take if we were to follow only our cold rational side. The impulse to evil ferments and corrupts. It makes flour and water appear as soft warm enticing bread. Chametz is the evil inclination! It is the "yeast in the dough" which allows us to lose full control, which makes us irrational and leads us to impropriety.
In the Torah, two terms are used to designate leaven: "se'or" and "chametz." What is the difference between them? Se'or is a leavening agent. It is a piece of old dough which has been allowed to reach a high level of fermentation. This is sometimes known as sourdough (or yeast). This substance is quite inedible, but when a piece of sourdough (se'or) is kneaded together with a mixture of flour and water, it accelerates the rising process and creates "chametz."
Rabbi Alexandri sees "se'or" as a metaphor for the powerful drives and inflammatory passions that lurk within us all. Our mind has the ability to distort the reality of our vision, inflate our desires and draw us in directions that we would never take if we were to follow only our cold rational side. The impulse to evil ferments and corrupts. It makes flour and water appear as soft warm enticing bread. Chametz is the evil inclination! It is the "yeast in the dough" which allows us to lose full control, which makes us irrational and leads us to impropriety.
Questions:
1. Why is it that a little bit of "se'or", or evil impulses, can contaminate an otherwise pure person? Are we entirely impure if we just a little bit of evil inside of us?
2. Is the evil inclination irrational? If we were purely rational, would we really not sin?
1. Why is it that a little bit of "se'or", or evil impulses, can contaminate an otherwise pure person? Are we entirely impure if we just a little bit of evil inside of us?
2. Is the evil inclination irrational? If we were purely rational, would we really not sin?
Yoel Bin Nun- Hametz and Matzah on the Festivals of Pesah, Shavuot, and in the Bread Offerings
It is not unintentional that hametz, the yeast that is in the dough, is identified throughout rabbinic literature with the evil inclination. One who possesses in his body, house and pocket all the good of the land, even if he is in possession of the Land of Israel and its Torah, may fall into the false feeling of power and independence and come to forget the Lord: “...for He is the one who gives you the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). This is precisely the drive of the evil inclination that entices a person, especially in the Land of Israel, to leave the correct path (Deuteronomy 8, and see the Song of Ha’azinu, Deuteronomy 32). It is therefore critical for a successful farmer in the Land of Israel to remember his days of affliction and oppression in Egypt and God’s subsequent miraculous deeds on his behalf in the wilderness. “Remember the long way that the Lord your God has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, that He might test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had ever known, in order to teach you that man does not live by bread alone, but that man may live by anything that the Lord decrees” (Deuteronomy 8:2-3). This is also the meaning of the pronouncement made when bringing the first fruit (Deuteronomy 26) that comes to remind the person of his days of affliction and of the wandering of the Children of Israel from the time of the Forefathers, specifically during the celebration of plenitude and the success of the harvest and the bringing of the first fruit.
It is not unintentional that hametz, the yeast that is in the dough, is identified throughout rabbinic literature with the evil inclination. One who possesses in his body, house and pocket all the good of the land, even if he is in possession of the Land of Israel and its Torah, may fall into the false feeling of power and independence and come to forget the Lord: “...for He is the one who gives you the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). This is precisely the drive of the evil inclination that entices a person, especially in the Land of Israel, to leave the correct path (Deuteronomy 8, and see the Song of Ha’azinu, Deuteronomy 32). It is therefore critical for a successful farmer in the Land of Israel to remember his days of affliction and oppression in Egypt and God’s subsequent miraculous deeds on his behalf in the wilderness. “Remember the long way that the Lord your God has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, that He might test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had ever known, in order to teach you that man does not live by bread alone, but that man may live by anything that the Lord decrees” (Deuteronomy 8:2-3). This is also the meaning of the pronouncement made when bringing the first fruit (Deuteronomy 26) that comes to remind the person of his days of affliction and of the wandering of the Children of Israel from the time of the Forefathers, specifically during the celebration of plenitude and the success of the harvest and the bringing of the first fruit.
Questions:
1. Why does forgetting Hashem's existence equate to the evil inclination?
2. Is matzah supposed to remind us to fear Hashem for the trials He has put us through or to be thankful to Hashem for taking us out of Egypt?
3. Do we need the element of fear in order to remember God's existence? Is it bad to live an independent existence?
1. Why does forgetting Hashem's existence equate to the evil inclination?
2. Is matzah supposed to remind us to fear Hashem for the trials He has put us through or to be thankful to Hashem for taking us out of Egypt?
3. Do we need the element of fear in order to remember God's existence? Is it bad to live an independent existence?
[DVAR] The Symbolism of Chametz and Matzah
https://www.reddit.com/r/Judaism/comments/gs5lv/dvar_the_symbolism_of_chametz_and_matzah/
Another aspect to this is the symbolism of chametz and matzah in rabbinic literature. Chametz is equated symbolically to the "evil inclination", the drive within all man to be animalistic and self-centered. Chametz is "puffy", symbolizing pride and feelings of self-importance, when really it is just full of hot air. Being a mainstay of physical sustenance, it also symbolizes materialism. Conversely, matzah is equated to the "good inclination", the drive in man to strive towards being good and take his rightful place above animals, intellectually and spiritually. Matzah is unassuming, unrisen and uninfluenced by outside sources that "sours" it and will eventually make it stale. Instead, it takes the flour, and it takes the water, the physical and spiritual, and makes a compromise without compromising itself. The path to become like matzah is difficult and steep, so much so that even a small slip-up can undo years of work on oneself.
This can be seen in the words themselves. In Hebrew, chometz is spelled "ח-מ-צ", while matzah is spelled "מ-צ-ה". They have remarkably similar spelling, both containing a "m" consonant and a "tz" consonant. Yet, matzah has a "heh" (the letter all the way to the left), while chametz has a "chet" (the letter all the way to the right). The only difference is a small tiny line turning the "heh", a tunnel and conduit, to a "chet", a closed off letter where no above influence can get through.
Since Passover is about the spiritual birth of a nation, it is especially appropriate for the Torah to make sure that the "infant" nation stay away from spirtual harm, represented by chometz. Just like a parent must be especially vigilant to make sure a baby stays away from all sicknesses and harmful objects, so too is the Torah commanding us to be especially vigilant for our infantile spiritual fragility.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Judaism/comments/gs5lv/dvar_the_symbolism_of_chametz_and_matzah/
Another aspect to this is the symbolism of chametz and matzah in rabbinic literature. Chametz is equated symbolically to the "evil inclination", the drive within all man to be animalistic and self-centered. Chametz is "puffy", symbolizing pride and feelings of self-importance, when really it is just full of hot air. Being a mainstay of physical sustenance, it also symbolizes materialism. Conversely, matzah is equated to the "good inclination", the drive in man to strive towards being good and take his rightful place above animals, intellectually and spiritually. Matzah is unassuming, unrisen and uninfluenced by outside sources that "sours" it and will eventually make it stale. Instead, it takes the flour, and it takes the water, the physical and spiritual, and makes a compromise without compromising itself. The path to become like matzah is difficult and steep, so much so that even a small slip-up can undo years of work on oneself.
This can be seen in the words themselves. In Hebrew, chometz is spelled "ח-מ-צ", while matzah is spelled "מ-צ-ה". They have remarkably similar spelling, both containing a "m" consonant and a "tz" consonant. Yet, matzah has a "heh" (the letter all the way to the left), while chametz has a "chet" (the letter all the way to the right). The only difference is a small tiny line turning the "heh", a tunnel and conduit, to a "chet", a closed off letter where no above influence can get through.
Since Passover is about the spiritual birth of a nation, it is especially appropriate for the Torah to make sure that the "infant" nation stay away from spirtual harm, represented by chometz. Just like a parent must be especially vigilant to make sure a baby stays away from all sicknesses and harmful objects, so too is the Torah commanding us to be especially vigilant for our infantile spiritual fragility.
Chametz as Idolatry- עבודה זרה
כְּתִיב (שמות ל״ה:ב׳) אֱלהֵי מַסֵּכָה לא תַעֲשֶׂה לָּךְ, וּכְתִיב בַּתְרֵיהּ אֶת חַג הַמַּצוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר. (מאי עביד) מַאי הַאי לְגַבֵּי הַאי. אֶלָּא הָכִי אוּקְמוּהָ, מַאן דְּאָכִיל חָמֵץ בְּפֶסַח (כאילו עביד כוכבים ומזלות למפלח לגרמיה, דהא רזא הכי הוא דחמץ בפסח) כְּמַאן דְּפָלַח לְכּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת אִיהוּ.
It's written ״You shall not make molten gods for yourselves” (Shemot 34:17) and afterwards it is written ״You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread (Ibid 34:18).” What does this [verse] have to do with that one? Rather, this is the explanation: one who eats chametz on Pesach is similar to one who worships idols.
Rav Alex Israel- Gush Etzion
Haggada Shelema by R. Menachem Kasher - Appendix #7 - where he draws a series of halakhic parallels between the laws of idolatry and the laws of chametz:
1. The prohibition of even seeing it.
2. The requirement to burn it, to eradicate its existence.
3. The prohibition not only of eating but of any manner of benefit from it.
4. The prohibition of even the most minuscule particle.
This is true for idolatry and chametz, but is not true for any other prohibitions in Jewish law.
Haggada Shelema by R. Menachem Kasher - Appendix #7 - where he draws a series of halakhic parallels between the laws of idolatry and the laws of chametz:
1. The prohibition of even seeing it.
2. The requirement to burn it, to eradicate its existence.
3. The prohibition not only of eating but of any manner of benefit from it.
4. The prohibition of even the most minuscule particle.
This is true for idolatry and chametz, but is not true for any other prohibitions in Jewish law.
Questions:
1. What do chametz and idolatry have to do with each other? Is this connected to chametz's role as symbolic of the evil inclination?
2. Why is chametz so dangerous that it needs to be completely eradicated?
3. If eating chametz is equivalent to idol worship, why is it that we are allowed to eat it during the rest of the year?
1. What do chametz and idolatry have to do with each other? Is this connected to chametz's role as symbolic of the evil inclination?
2. Why is chametz so dangerous that it needs to be completely eradicated?
3. If eating chametz is equivalent to idol worship, why is it that we are allowed to eat it during the rest of the year?
Chametz as a Symbol of Pride
ולא יאכל חמץ. כדי להשריש הזכירה בלב ע״י איזה פעולה המראה ומזכיר זה הענין צויתי שלא יאכל חמץ. דמצה אין בה יתרון ע״י תחבולות ידי האדם להעלות העיסה יותר מהקמח והמים שנבראים ממנו ית׳. משא״כ חמץ שולט בם תחבולות האדם להעלות העיסה ע״י שאור מש״ה הוא אות שקיום ישראל הוא רק ברוח ה׳. ואפילו בעת שהיינו בא״י ומנהיגים מלוכה ומלחמת תנופה כדרך תחבולות האדם. כל התחבולות לא היו אלא כדי שיהא נראה כמעשה טבע לפי שאין הדור ראוי לנס נגלה אבל העיקר היה תלוי אם ה׳ היה יוצא בצבאותינו בהשגחה פרטית. וכש״כ בעת שישראל מפוזרים בעמים ידוע אשר אך השגחת ה׳ ורוח היהודית שבהם מאחדם ומקיימם בעולם:
"LEAVEN MAY NOT BE EATEN (on Passover) ... matza takes no advantage of the human technological ingenuity and creativity which allows man to raise the dough more than simple flour and water which are created by God. Chametz is the epitome of human involvement in nature. Thus, non-leaven is the symbol of the survival and ongoing existence of the Jewish People as they survive solely through the spirit of God."
Peninei Halakha Pesach Chapter 1
" The second type of pride, which the prohibition of ḥametz on Pesaḥ is designed to root out, is a person’s pride vis-à-vis his Creator, his God. Jewish faith is predicated on the acknowledgment that God created the world and determined its destiny, and that the roots of all things depend on Him alone. Although God gave humanity the ability to improve and to develop the world, this is limited to manipulating and developing the derivatives of the core elements of creation; human beings have no power over those core elements, which are divine creations. God created the world, gives life to all people, chose the people of Israel to be His am segula, His treasured nation, and gave Israel the Torah. Human beings have no authority to call these fundamental principles into question. Therefore, when one stands before his Creator, he must envelop himself in humility and make every effort not mix his human thoughts with the fundamental principles of creation. Such confusion, like ḥametz on Pesaḥ, is forbidden. Just as suicidal thoughts are fundamentally flawed because our lives are a gift from God and not ours for the taking, so too, one who mixes human ideas into the principles of faith inevitably emerges with flawed ideas."
" The second type of pride, which the prohibition of ḥametz on Pesaḥ is designed to root out, is a person’s pride vis-à-vis his Creator, his God. Jewish faith is predicated on the acknowledgment that God created the world and determined its destiny, and that the roots of all things depend on Him alone. Although God gave humanity the ability to improve and to develop the world, this is limited to manipulating and developing the derivatives of the core elements of creation; human beings have no power over those core elements, which are divine creations. God created the world, gives life to all people, chose the people of Israel to be His am segula, His treasured nation, and gave Israel the Torah. Human beings have no authority to call these fundamental principles into question. Therefore, when one stands before his Creator, he must envelop himself in humility and make every effort not mix his human thoughts with the fundamental principles of creation. Such confusion, like ḥametz on Pesaḥ, is forbidden. Just as suicidal thoughts are fundamentally flawed because our lives are a gift from God and not ours for the taking, so too, one who mixes human ideas into the principles of faith inevitably emerges with flawed ideas."
By Water, By Fire: Passover Rituals and Meditation for a Physical and Spiritual Spring Cleaning Source Sheet
יא) שם הגה. והמנהג לשורפו. היינו ור"ל כי ע"י שריפת החמץ רומזת אל בחי' הקלי' שיתבערו מן העולם בסוד "ואת רוח הטומאה אעביר מן הארץ" ותתקרב קץ הגאולה ולכן נהגו לשרפו.
The custom is to burn it: Meaning to say, by burning the Chametz, it alludes towards the peels/Kelipot that need to be removed from the world, as is the Kabbalistic meaning of the verse "and the spirit of impurity will be removed from the land" (Zachariah 13:20) and bring the redemption. Which is why we have the custom to burn it.
Rav Alex Israel- Gush Etzion
One final approach comes from a contemporary scholar - Rav Yoel Bin Nun. He notes that there are occasions when we DO bring leaven to the Temple (although it is not offered up on the altar itself). On Shavuot - Pentecost - we bring two loaves of bread to the Temple (Vayikra 23:17). In the thanksgiving offering (a variation of the peace offering - shelamim), three types of loaves are brought to the Temple: unleavened wafers - like our matzot; unleavened loaves - like pita; and leavened loaves - like our bread.
What is the symbolism that leaven and unleaven represent in the Temple? Leaven represents fulfillment, a process which has gone its due course. The ultimate and supreme form of flour and water is a leavened loaf. Unleaven, on the other hand, is "not yet" what it aspires to be; it figuratively represents the beginning of a yet-unfulfilled process. It is presently immature and unripe. It is in the early stages of a journey.
The altar of God is not a place for leaven. Before God, we are all rough around the edges. We all have a way to go in reaching our own personal destiny. We have faults, room for improvement. We cannot express ourselves before God represented by the symbol of leaven, for we are at the beginning of a journey. We are the unleavened, still traveling on the tortuous road that is human and religious betterment.
So when do we bring leaven to the Temple?
Shavuot is the Festival of Weeks. It is also the festival designated as the time to bring first fruits from the new crop in the Land of Israel to the Temple. Shavuot is linked to Pesach by the Omer. We count seven cycles of seven days from Pesach and then we celebrate Shavuot. Pesach is the start of a process; Shavuot is the end. On Pesach, we remove all leaven and eat only unleavened bread. On Shavuot, we bring loaves of leaven. It is a question of a process.
On Pesach we had our freedom. One might revel in the euphoria of freedom and imagine that this is it. We have reached our goal, we have achieved independence. In response, God tells us to eat only matza - unleavened, unfulfilled bread - for seven days. Pesach begins a process. It is a cause for celebration, but it is only the start. The goal comes seven weeks later in a festival which celebrates two things. First, it celebrates our spiritual challenge. It is the festival of the giving of the Torah. The Torah embodies our challenge, our goal and our destiny. Second, it is the festival of the Land of Israel. On Shavuot, we bring the first fruits and stress the idea that the goal is creating "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" - a people in the land of God living the moral law of God.
One final approach comes from a contemporary scholar - Rav Yoel Bin Nun. He notes that there are occasions when we DO bring leaven to the Temple (although it is not offered up on the altar itself). On Shavuot - Pentecost - we bring two loaves of bread to the Temple (Vayikra 23:17). In the thanksgiving offering (a variation of the peace offering - shelamim), three types of loaves are brought to the Temple: unleavened wafers - like our matzot; unleavened loaves - like pita; and leavened loaves - like our bread.
What is the symbolism that leaven and unleaven represent in the Temple? Leaven represents fulfillment, a process which has gone its due course. The ultimate and supreme form of flour and water is a leavened loaf. Unleaven, on the other hand, is "not yet" what it aspires to be; it figuratively represents the beginning of a yet-unfulfilled process. It is presently immature and unripe. It is in the early stages of a journey.
The altar of God is not a place for leaven. Before God, we are all rough around the edges. We all have a way to go in reaching our own personal destiny. We have faults, room for improvement. We cannot express ourselves before God represented by the symbol of leaven, for we are at the beginning of a journey. We are the unleavened, still traveling on the tortuous road that is human and religious betterment.
So when do we bring leaven to the Temple?
Shavuot is the Festival of Weeks. It is also the festival designated as the time to bring first fruits from the new crop in the Land of Israel to the Temple. Shavuot is linked to Pesach by the Omer. We count seven cycles of seven days from Pesach and then we celebrate Shavuot. Pesach is the start of a process; Shavuot is the end. On Pesach, we remove all leaven and eat only unleavened bread. On Shavuot, we bring loaves of leaven. It is a question of a process.
On Pesach we had our freedom. One might revel in the euphoria of freedom and imagine that this is it. We have reached our goal, we have achieved independence. In response, God tells us to eat only matza - unleavened, unfulfilled bread - for seven days. Pesach begins a process. It is a cause for celebration, but it is only the start. The goal comes seven weeks later in a festival which celebrates two things. First, it celebrates our spiritual challenge. It is the festival of the giving of the Torah. The Torah embodies our challenge, our goal and our destiny. Second, it is the festival of the Land of Israel. On Shavuot, we bring the first fruits and stress the idea that the goal is creating "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" - a people in the land of God living the moral law of God.
https://www.etzion.org.il/en/holidays/pesach/symbolism-chametz