Observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread by Eating Matzah on Each of Its Seven Days

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We are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread by eating matzah on each of its seven days.

Category: Days & Seasons

Type: Positive

Form: Explicit

Source dataset: Old Testament

Uniqueness: Unique

Classical commandment: Yes

New Covenant Literal Application

Applies to Person Categories: Everyone

Literal Application: mandated, optional

More explanation about New Covenant Literal Application

The New Covenant Literal Application Code (NCLA) is an interpretive guide used by the authors to indicate which person categories a mitzvah applies to, and at what level of literal compliance.

It combines person categories such as Jewish, K'rov Yisrael, and Gentile, together with male/female distinctions and an application level such as mandated, recommended, optional, or prohibited.

This code reflects the authors' interpretive opinion and is provided for prayerful consideration. On this page, the technical code is summarized into plain language to help new readers understand it more easily.

Read the full explanation from the source

Bible references

Key NT Scriptures

1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Galatians 5:7-9
John 2:23
John 6:4
John 11:55
Luke 22:7-13
Mark 14:12-16
Matthew 26:17-19

Key OT Scriptures

Deuteronomy 16:2-3
Deuteronomy 16:8
Exodus 12:15-20
Exodus 12:33-34
Exodus 12:42-49
Exodus 13:5-7
Exodus 23:15
Leviticus 23:5-6
Numbers 28:17

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Commentary

Rabbi Michael Rudolph

The Scriptures cited herein are unambiguous that God commanded the Israelites to eat matzah on each of the seven days of the Feast of unleavened bread that begins on the 15 th day of Nisan . The rationale for it appears to be to remember the Israelites' hasty departure from Egypt by eating bread similar to the kind they carried with them - bread that did not have time to rise during their travel. This translates to being a mandate today for Jews and K'rov Yisrael Gentiles, but not for other Gentiles, although they may do so (if they are so moved) in identification with the Jewish people.

Classical commentators

Maimonides and HaChinuch state that we must eat matzah on the evening of the 15 th of Nisan , and Maimonides states that doing so after that is optional. On this latter point, Meir and HaChinuch are silent, and they offer no mitzvah to support eating matzah during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Pesachim 120a in the Talmud appears to be the source of the commentators' apparent belief that there is no commandment to eat matzah after Pesach . Perhaps they understand the Scriptures to be saying that if one chooses to eat bread from the 15 th to the 21 sti of Nisan , then the bread must be unleavened. I do not know their rationale, but I am of opinion that Scripture commands eating matzah on each of the seven days of Unleavened Bread as a daily reminder of God's deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt.

Classical sources

Maimonides

Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, 12th century) organized all 613 Torah commandments into a structured list. These linked items show where this Law of Messiah commandment overlaps with that classical framework.

Source and License

Based on The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective by Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster.

Volume 1 & 2 | Volume 3

License: CC BY-ND 4.0 (Attribution required, NoDerivatives). CC BY-ND 4.0

Disclaimer: the original content is authored by Rabbi Michael Rudolph and Rabbi Daniel Juster; additional notes or implementation details on this website are not part of their original work and do not represent their views.

Record source: The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective - Volume 1 & 2

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