(לט) וַיֹּאפוּ אֶת הַבָּצֵק אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִיאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם עֻגֹת מַצּוֹת כִּי לֹא חָמֵץ כִּי גֹרְשׁוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם וְלֹא יָכְלוּ לְהִתְמַהְמֵהַּ וְגַם צֵדָה לֹא עָשׂוּ לָהֶם.
(39) And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
(טו) שִׁבְעַ֤ת יָמִים֙ מַצּ֣וֹת תֹּאכֵ֔לוּ אַ֚ךְ בַּיּ֣וֹם הָרִאשׁ֔וֹן תַּשְׁבִּ֥יתוּ שְּׂאֹ֖ר מִבָּתֵּיכֶ֑ם כִּ֣י ׀ כָּל־אֹכֵ֣ל חָמֵ֗ץ וְנִכְרְתָ֞ה הַנֶּ֤פֶשׁ הַהִוא֙ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מִיּ֥וֹם הָרִאשֹׁ֖ן עַד־י֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִעִֽי׃ (טז) וּבַיּ֤וֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ מִקְרָא־קֹ֔דֶשׁ וּבַיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִקְרָא־קֹ֖דֶשׁ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם כָּל־מְלָאכָה֙ לֹא־יֵעָשֶׂ֣ה בָהֶ֔ם אַ֚ךְ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֵאָכֵ֣ל לְכָל־נֶ֔פֶשׁ ה֥וּא לְבַדּ֖וֹ יֵעָשֶׂ֥ה לָכֶֽם׃ (יז) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם֮ אֶת־הַמַּצּוֹת֒ כִּ֗י בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֶת־צִבְאוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֞ם אֶת־הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֛ה לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶ֖ם חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָֽם׃ (יח) בָּרִאשֹׁ֡ן בְּאַרְבָּעָה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֤וֹם לַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ בָּעֶ֔רֶב תֹּאכְל֖וּ מַצֹּ֑ת עַ֠ד י֣וֹם הָאֶחָ֧ד וְעֶשְׂרִ֛ים לַחֹ֖דֶשׁ בָּעָֽרֶב׃ (יט) שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֔ים שְׂאֹ֕ר לֹ֥א יִמָּצֵ֖א בְּבָתֵּיכֶ֑ם כִּ֣י ׀ כָּל־אֹכֵ֣ל מַחְמֶ֗צֶת וְנִכְרְתָ֞ה הַנֶּ֤פֶשׁ הַהִוא֙ מֵעֲדַ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בַּגֵּ֖ר וּבְאֶזְרַ֥ח הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (כ) כָּל־מַחְמֶ֖צֶת לֹ֣א תֹאכֵ֑לוּ בְּכֹל֙ מוֹשְׁבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם תֹּאכְל֖וּ מַצּֽוֹת׃ (פ)
(15) Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the very first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day to the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
(16) You shall celebrate a sacred occasion on the first day, and a sacred occasion on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them; only what every person is to eat, that alone may be prepared for you.
(17) You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day throughout the ages as an institution for all time.
(18) In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
(19) No leaven shall be found in your houses for seven days. For whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a citizen of the country. (20) You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your settlements you shall eat unleavened bread.
(ג) לֹא תֹאכַל עָלָיו חָמֵץ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל עָלָיו מַצּוֹת לֶחֶם עֹנִי כִּי בְחִפָּזוֹן יָצָאתָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְמַעַן תִּזְכֹּר אֶת יוֹם צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ.
(3) Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for in haste didst thou come forth out of the land of Egypt; that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
(ה) אלו דברים שאדם יוצא בהן ידי חובתו בפסח, בחטים, בשעורים, בכסמין ובשיפון ובשבלת שועל.
(5) A person discharges his obligation with the following articles on Passover:—with cakes made of wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and rye. . . .
Ayalon Eliach
Bread is arguably the most basic food that humans eat. The difference between matzah and chametz is that matzah is flour and water mixed together and cooked immediately; whereas chametz is flour mixed with water that ferments and expands. Matzah is this basic food in its unleavened, unchanged state; whereas chametz is the same food once it has begun to go through a process of change.
Food is the most prominent thing that we intake completely into our bodies. It thus represents full acceptance. Refraining from chametz reminds us that full acceptance is not conditioned on being transformed, on being "leavened" into better people. Rather, matzah -- especially during Passover and in the Tabernacle/Mishkan -- serves as a physical reminder that we are worthy of full acceptance and love even in our "unleavened" state.
(א) אור לארבעה עשר בודקין את החמץ לאור הנר. כל מקום שאין מכניסין בו חמץ, אין צריך בדיקה. ולמה אמרו שתי שורות במרתף, מקום שמכניסין בו חמץ. בית שמאי אומרים: שתי שורות על פני כל המרתף. ובית הלל אומרים: שתי שורות החיצונות שהן העליונות.
(1) On the evening of the fourteenth [of Nissan] we check for chamets [leavened grain products] by candlelight. Any place into which we do not bring chamets does not require checking. And why did [the Sages] say [that we must check up to] two rows in the wine cellar? [It is] a place which we bring leavened bread into. Beit Shammai says, "Two rows upon the entire wine-cellar." But Beit Hillel says, "The two outer rows, which are the uppermost."
(ב) אין חוששין שמא גררה חלדה מבית לבית וממקום למקום, דאם כן, מחצר לחצר ומעיר לעיר - אין לדבר סוף.
(2) We do not need to be concerned [that] perhaps a weasel dragged [chamets] from [one] house to [another] house, or from [one] place to [another] place. Since if [we were to be concerned, we would also need to be concerned that chamets was dragged] from [one] courtyard to [another] courtyard, and from [one] city to [another] city — there [would be] no end to the matter.
(ב) וּמַה הִיא הַשְׁבָּתָה זוֹ הָאֲמוּרָה בַּתּוֹרָה הִיא שֶׁיְּבַטֵּל הֶחָמֵץ בְּלִבּוֹ וְיַחֲשֹׁב אוֹתוֹ כְּעָפָר וְיָשִׂים בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁאֵין בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ חָמֵץ כְּלָל. וְשֶׁכָּל חָמֵץ שֶׁבִּרְשׁוּתוֹ הֲרֵי הוּא כְּעָפָר וּכְדָבָר שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ צֹרֶךְ כְּלָל:
(2) ...And what is this removal that is mentioned in the Torah? It is annulling the hametz in his heart and considering it like dust, and knowing in his heart that it is not in his possession. All the Hametz in his possession is like dust and has no use.
(ג) וּמִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים לְחַפֵּשׂ אַחַר הֶחָמֵץ בַּמַּחֲבוֹאוֹת וּבַחוֹרִים וְלִבְדֹּק וּלְהוֹצִיאוֹ מִכָּל גְּבוּלוֹ. וְכֵן מִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים שֶׁבּוֹדְקִין וּמַשְׁבִּיתִין הֶחָמֵץ בַּלַּיְלָה מִתְּחִלַּת לֵיל אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר לְאוֹר הַנֵּר. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבַּלַּיְלָה כָּל הָעָם מְצוּיִין בַּבָּתִּים וְאוֹר הַנֵּר יָפֶה לִבְדִיקָה. וְאֵין קוֹבְעִין מִדְרָשׁ בְּסוֹף יוֹם שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר. וְכֵן הֶחָכָם לֹא יַתְחִיל לִקְרוֹת בְּעֵת זוֹ שֶׁמָּא יִמָּשֵׁךְ וְיִמָּנַע מִבְּדִיקַת חָמֵץ בִּתְחִלַּת זְמַנָּה:
(3) ...From the Hachamim, one should search for hametz in the hidden areas and cracks, to examine and remove from his boundaries. In addition, it is a Rabbinic injuction to search and destroy hametz on the night of the 14th using a candlelight, since people are usually home and the candle is excellent for searching. One should not establish his learning at the end of the 13th day. The Hacham should not begin to study at this time lest he is drawn, thereby preventing him from searching for hametz at the beginning of this time.
Eating Kitniyot (Legumes) on Pesach (English Summary)
Rabbi David Golinkin - responsafortoday.com/engsums/3_4.htm
Hebrew teshuvah - responsafortoday.com/vol3/4.pdf
Article in Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism - cjvoices.org/article/the-kitniyot-dilemma
[T]here are many good reasons to do away with this "foolish custom": a) It detracts from the joy of the holiday by limiting the number of permitted foods; b) It causes exorbitant price rises, which result in "major financial loss" and, as is well known, "the Torah takes pity on the people of Israel's money"; c) It emphasizes the insignificant (legumes) and ignores the significant (hametz, which is forbidden from the five kinds of grain); d) It causes people to scoff at the commandments in general and at the prohibition of hametz in particular - if this custom has no purpose and is observed, then there is no reason to observe other commandments; e) Finally, it causes unnecessary divisions between Israel's different ethnic groups. On the other hand, there is only one reason to observe this custom: the desire to preserve an old custom. Obviously, this desire does not override all that was mentioned above. Therefore, both Ashkenazim and Sephardim are permitted to eat legumes and rice on Pesah without fear of transgressing any prohibition.
(11) No meal-offering, which you shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made chametz; for you shall make no leaven, nor any honey, smoke as an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
יא) לא תעשה חמץ. לפי שיצר הרע דומה לשאור. ומטעם זה גם כן הזהיר על הדבש שיצר הרע מתוק לאדם כדבש:
Ba'al HaTurim on Leviticus 2:11
Shall not be made chametz. Because the evil inclination is like leaven. For the same reason the Torah warns against honey, for the evil inclination is sweet to a person like honey.
ולא יאכל חמץ. כדי להשריש הזכירה בלב על ידי איזה פעולה המראה ומזכיר זה הענין צויתי שלא יאכל חמץ, דמצה אין בה יתרון על ידי האדם להעלות העיסה יותר מהקמח והמים שנבראים ממנו יתברך...
HaEmek Davar on Exodus 13:3
You shall not eat chametz. I commanded you not to eat chametz in order to root the awareness of this idea in the heart through some action that teaches and reminds us. Matzah does not benefit from the stratagems of human hands, to rise the dough any more than bread and water- which were created by the Blessed One.
ועל כן בהרחיק החמץ, שהוא נעשה בשהיה גדולה, מקרבנו יקח דמיון לקנות מדת הזריזות והקלות והמהירות במעשה השם ברוך הוא, וכמו שאמרו זכרונם לברכה (אבות פ''ה מ''כ) הוי קל כנשר ורץ כצבי וגבור כארי לעשות וכו'
The rejection of leavening which occurs due to a delay in the process of making the dough, emphasizes the centrality of “zerizut,” alacrity and enthusiastic diligence in the service of G-d. As [the Sages] of blessed memory said: Be ...light as an eagle, fleeting as a deer and mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven.
Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, Velveteen Rabbi
Why do we eat matzah? Because during the Exodus, our ancestors had no time to wait for dough to rise. So they improvised flat cakes without yeast, which could be baked and consumed in haste. The matzah reminds us that when the chance for liberation comes, we must seize it even if we do not feel ready—indeed, if we wait until we feel fully ready, we may never act at all.
D'var acher / another interpretation: To Jewish mystics, matzah represents our most inner and hidden self. On Seder night, we renew our most essential self and rededicate it to living life with an awareness of God all around us. During Pesach we do not eat leavened bread because it represents the "puffiness" of arrogance and pride. (Adapted from Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser)