Illustration credit: Rivka Tsinman
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
(יז) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם֮ אֶת־הַמַּצּוֹת֒ כִּ֗י בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֶת־צִבְאוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֞ם אֶת־הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֛ה לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶ֖ם חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָֽם׃
You shall protect the matzot, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Mitzrayim (Egypt). You shall keep this day in future generations for all time.
The first word in this pasuk comes from the שֹׁרֶשׁ (shoresh, root) ש.מ.ר., which seems to mean “protect” here. But why would matzah need protection?!
This midrash offers two possible explanations. The first one is:
"וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הַמַּצּוֹת" - שָׁמְרֵהוּ שֶׁלֹּא תְּבִיאֵהוּ לִידֵי פְּסוּל…
“You shall protect the matzot” means guard them so they don’t become invalid…
According to this explanation, the pasuk is telling us to give our matzah special protection in order to make sure it doesn't turn into חָמֵץ (hametz, dough or bread that has risen). The Shulhan Arukh writes that this extra protection is needed specifically for the matzah we eat at the Seder (see Mishnah Berurah, 453:22). This kind of matzah is called מַצָּה שְׁמוּרָה (matzah shemurah, matzah that has been protected). It is carefully watched to make sure no water comes in contact with the wheat from the moment it is first cut from the ground until it’s time to make the dough for the matzah.
- It’s not often that the Torah tells us to give a specific mitzvah extra special protection. What does it teach us about matzah that the Torah singles it out like this?
The midrash records another way to read this pasuk:
ר' יֹאשִׁיָּה אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּקְרָא כֵּן, אֶלָּא וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הֲמִצְוֹת. כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁאֵין מַחֲמִיצִין אֶת הַמַּצָּה כָּךְ אֵין מַחֲמִיצִין אֶת הַמִּצְוָה, אֶלָּא אִם בָּאָה מִצְוָה לְיָדְךָ עֲשֵׂה אוֹתָהּ מִיָּד.
R. Yoshiyah says: Do not read it that way but rather, “You shall protect the mitzvot." Just as matzot are not permitted to become hametz, so a mitzvah should not be permitted to become hametz. If the opportunity to do a mitzvah presents itself to you, do it immediately.
Another meaning of the word ש.מ.ר. is “keep.” The Torah tells us a lot of times to “keep” the mitzvot (see Vayikra 22:31 or Devarim 30:16). And notice how similar the words מַצּוֹת (matzot, plural for matzah) and מִצְווֹת (mitzvot, commandments) are! So R. Yoshiyah suggests another reason the Torah might be going out of its way to tell us to protect the matzot is because they represent something much bigger we’re supposed to protect - all the mitzvot!
When flour and water are finally mixed together to make matzah, it has to be mixed, kneeded, rolled, and baked very quickly in order not to become hametz - in less than 18 minutes! R. Yoshiyah says the same quickness should be used for all mitzvot: Any time we have a chance to perform a mitzvah we must do it right away. If we wait too long, we might miss the opportunity. (The modern Hebrew word for missing an opportunity, לְהַחֲמִיץ [le-ha-hamitz], comes directly from this idea!)
- When you’re really excited about doing something, do you push it off, or do you do it right away? What can this teach us about how we should feel about mitzvot?
- When we do mitzvot right away, how is that a way of “protecting” (rather than just “keeping”) them?
- Have you ever missed an opportunity to do something because you waited too long? How did you feel when the chance passed you by?
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