{"id":5668,"date":"2011-03-04T12:02:50","date_gmt":"2011-03-04T10:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=5668"},"modified":"2021-03-22T11:52:57","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T09:52:57","slug":"04-12-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/04-12-02\/","title":{"rendered":"02. Shemura<\/strong> Matza"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a mitzva to safeguard the matzot <\/strong>from becoming \u1e25ametz<\/strong>, as the Torah states, \u201cAnd you shall observe (u-shemartem<\/strong>) the matzot<\/strong>\u201d (Shemot 12:17). This refers specifically to the matzot<\/strong> eaten on the Seder night in fulfillment of the mitzva,<\/strong> for the very next verse states, \u201cin the evening you shall eat matzot.<\/strong>\u201d The other matzot<\/strong> one eats on Pesa\u1e25 are like any other food: they may be eaten as long as there is no concern that they contain \u1e25ametz<\/strong>. However, we have been commanded to safeguard especially carefully the matza used for the mitzva on Seder night. This matza is called \u201cshemura<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Le-khat\u1e25ilah<\/strong>, the safeguarding of the matzot <\/strong>begins with the harvesting of the grain to be used for the matzot<\/strong>. Common practice is to harvest the wheat while it is still a bit moist, for if it were to dry out completely and then get drenched by rain, it would become \u1e25ametz<\/strong>. Likewise, the wheat kernels must be stored where there is no concern that they will come into contact with water.<\/p>\n

One may also fulfill the mitzva of eating shemura <\/strong>matza with matzot<\/strong> that were guarded from the time the wheat was milled into flour. As long as the wheat kernels showed no signs of becoming \u1e25ametz <\/strong>and nothing has happened that would undermine the presumption that they are not \u1e25ametz<\/strong>, one need not be concerned that they had become wet and became \u1e25ametz<\/strong>. However, this is not the best kind of shemura <\/strong>matza, since it was guarded only from the time of milling.<\/p>\n

Under extenuating circumstances, when no flour that has been guarded from the time of milling is available, one may use regular, store-bought flour and fulfill the mitzva by guarding the dough from the time of kneading (SA 453:4). Even where it is customary to rinse grains of wheat lightly before milling them, it is still permissible in extenuating circumstances to buy regular flour in the market, since a brief rinse is presumed not to be enough to cause the grains to become \u1e25ametz<\/strong>. However, where it is customary to briefly soak the grains in water, one may not buy flour for matza in the market, since it is presumed to be \u1e25ametz<\/strong> (MB 451:24). Therefore, in practice, one should not buy flour that is not certified kosher for Pesa\u1e25 since the wheat is often soaked in water and may have become \u1e25ametz<\/strong>.[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In practice, today\u2019s custom is to be scrupulous about shemura <\/strong>matza; matzot <\/strong>that have been guarded from the time of harvest are used to fulfill the mitzva of eating matza on the Seder night. The enhanced practice has taken root so thoroughly that people have come to call matza that has been guarded only from the time of milling \u201cnon-shemura <\/strong>matza,\u201d even though it is considered shemura <\/strong>halakhically, and one may use it to fulfill the mitzva of eating matza.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n[2]<\/a>. According to Rif, <\/strong>Rambam, and other Rishonim, the wheat needs to be guarded from the time it is harvested; according to Rosh, from the time of milling, since the mitzva only begins when the wheat touches water, and wheat was usually milled by watermills. The implication of Rosh\u2019s opinion is that as long as one mills the wheat without using water, the mitzva of guarding the wheat begins at the time of kneading (MA 453:7). However, several Rishonim wrote that the wheat must be guarded from the time of milling and did not mention the rationale of the watermill; among them are Rashi, Shibolei Ha-leket<\/strong>, and Smak<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Geonic responsa, cited by many Rishonim, state that if no wheat was guarded from the time of milling, be-di\u2019avad<\/strong> one may purchase flour from the market. If the matza was guarded from the time of milling, one recites the berakha <\/strong>of \u201cal akhilat matza<\/strong>\u201d over it (BHL 453:4), because Ran and many other Rishonim explain that according to Rif and those who agree with him, guarding the matza from the time of harvest is merely the best way to fulfill the mitzva (\u201cmitzva min ha-muv\u1e25ar<\/strong>\u201d). According to Kaf<\/strong> Ha-\u1e25ayim<\/strong> 482:1, under extenuating circumstances, one may even recite the berakha <\/strong>over matza that was only supervised from the time of kneading. It seems that most poskim<\/strong> concur that be-di\u2019avad<\/strong>, guarding from the time of kneading suffices.<\/p>\n

Tur <\/strong>and Beit Yosef<\/strong> state that according to Rif, <\/strong>Rabbeinu Yeru\u1e25am,<\/strong> Ran, and Magid Mishneh<\/strong>, the need to guard the matza pertains only to the matza used to fulfill the mitzva on the first night of Pesa\u1e25. All other matza eaten on Pesa\u1e25 need not be guarded (MB 453:21). (Although some maintain that one must be stringent and use shemura <\/strong>matza for the entire holiday, either because there is greater concern about matza, which is made of flour and water, or because they maintain that there is a mitzva to eat shemura <\/strong>matza all Pesa\u1e25; see below, section 5.) According to Ba\u1e25<\/strong> and those who agree with him, the mitzva to guard the matza is rabbinic, and the rabbis merely supported their enactment using a verse from the Torah. However, according to most poskim<\/strong>, this mitzva is from the Torah. So states BHL 460:1 s.v. \u201cein\u201d, citing Rashba, Pri \u1e24adash<\/strong>, and other Rishonim and A\u1e25aronim.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is a mitzva to safeguard the matzot from becoming \u1e25ametz, as the Torah states, \u201cAnd you shall observe (u-shemartem) the matzot\u201d (Shemot 12:17). This refers specifically to the matzot eaten on the Seder night in fulfillment of the mitzva, for the very next verse states, \u201cin the evening you shall eat matzot.\u201d The other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-12-the-laws-of-matza"],"yoast_head":"\n02. 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