[Avodah] : Re: Gebrochts

[Chana Luntz]

RRW writes:

> AISI, since we are machmir to have thin crispy matza, we can afford to
> be meikil about the cheshash of unbaked sections. Otoh would we change
> and be meiklil and restore thick matzos we would need to restore the
> cheshash of not being baked thoroughly. A humra-kula see-saw if you will.
> 
> AISI with our matzos there is no need to be chosheish for gebroktz
> BUT
> The cheshash could exist if matzos were kosher but thicker.

Interesting factoid from somebody we had dinner with on seventh night.  We
were talking about the soft matzos that we had on second night (we were out
first night at an Ashkenazi family, so no soft matzos, but we bought Rabbi
David's (Rav of one of the Sephardi kehillos here) matzos for our seder at
home second night - I think Rabbi David is the only one making these in
England).  Anyhow, on Rabbi David's instructions they came out of his
freezer straight into ours, and we only took them out of the freezer in time
for the seder - in order to keep them soft.  And we could see why, because
by the next day they were already very hard and pretty much inedible (if you
call what they were the night of the seder edible - but at least they were
soft and bendy).

Anyhow, my husband was busy wondering out loud on seventh night how they
managed in the days before freezers - and one of the old timers at the meal
said that she remembered in India they used to hang up the matzos, and then
when it was time to eat them they used to soak them in water to make them
edible!  

That makes me wonder whether in fact it was not only not the minhag but
impossible to be non gebrochts in the days before crispy matzos and still
fulfil the mitzvah - or at least whether one would have to bake one's matzos
within hours of the seder in order to eat them without gebrochts.



> Gutn Mo-ed
> RRW

Shabbat Shalom

Chana