[Avodah] ta'am of eating matza

[Michael Makovi]

> The lechem hapanim was baked in a mold, and could be bent/folded. This is to
> me a clear indication that "matza" as chazal understood it was like the
> soft, Sfardi matzot of today, not the hard Ashkenazi type.
>
> Saul Mashbaum

IF the lechem hapanim was matzah, it would have been Sefaradi,
b'vadai. But aren't we still arguing for the source of this assertion?

In any case, it seems clear AFAIK that matzah would have been
Sefaradi-like. Thin matzah is an Ashkenazi chiddush (I'm not sure
whether it is the Rema's, or if he is simply codifying an existing
minhag, but either way), and moreover, it makes sense that matzah
would have simply been normal pita that was baked without having sat
out to rise. When Avraham baked matzot for the three angels, and Lot
too, I imagine they simply were making unleavened pita.

Mikha'el Makovi