In everyday life, we often encounter halachic questions and contemporary uncertainties. Rabbi Shai Tchan, Rosh Kollel of Shaarei Ezra and head of the Beit Hora’ah Arzei HaLevanon, provides accessible halachic guidance and addresses questions raised both within and beyond the study hall. Today’s topic: the permissibility of eating soft matzot on Passover.
Question:
Every year at the Seder table, our family debates the same issue: Is it permissible to eat soft matzot on Passover? Some family members claim that since there are halachic authorities who view it as chametz, it’s best to be stringent. Could the Rabbi please clarify this matter for us ahead of the Seder night?
Answer:
Shalom and blessings. Let us begin by noting that there is substantial evidence from the Talmud and halachic literature indicating that until relatively recently, the matzot eaten by the Jewish people were soft and thick. While this may seem surprising given the extremely thin matzot we are accustomed to today, the Talmud (Pesachim 37a) and halacha (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 460:5) permit matzot up to the thickness of a tefach—approximately 8 cm according to Rabbi Chaim Naeh.
Moreover, the matzot consumed in ancient times closely resembled what we know today as pita bread. The Talmud even discusses a scenario where a person finds a loaf of bread on Passover and is uncertain whether it is chametz or matzah—implying a visual similarity. Today, such a confusion would be impossible due to the stark difference in appearance between modern matzah and pita, which further proves that the matzot of the Talmudic era were soft and thick.
The Mishnah Berurah (Orach Chaim 475:3) explicitly notes that one need not crush the matzah for measurement purposes, even if it is soft and sponge-like. This reflects the accepted practice of making soft matzot. The Minhagei Chatam Sofer also describes how he would bake the middle matzah for the Seder as thick and soft, ensuring it was large enough to suffice for all attendees—echoing the words of the Chak Yaakov (ibid., 26).
But here the child might ask: If so, what changed? Why is this night different from all other nights, in which our ancestors ate soft and thick matzot, while tonight we consume dry, thin ones?
The answer lies in the divergent customs of Jewish communities. Some have faithfully preserved their ancestral traditions—such as the Yemenite community and segments of other Eastern communities. In contrast, Ashkenazi Jews of European descent have adopted stringencies for various reasons.
Some explain that with the advent of mass production for the wider Jewish public, there was concern that soft matzot might spoil or harden, so it was deemed preferable to produce thin, dry matzot that retain freshness for longer (Minchat Asher, Haggadah of Pesach, §15). Others claim that in our times we lack the expertise required to properly bake soft matzot and therefore it is advisable to avoid them (Minchat Asher quoting Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach).
Practical ruling: Each individual should follow their ancestral custom and consult with their rabbinic authorities to determine the proper and appropriate practice for them.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel