Why Passover Is Called Chag HaMatzot: Humility, Faith, and the Deeper Meaning of the Exodus

In the Torah, Passover is always written as “Chag HaMatzot” (the Festival of Matzot), while people commonly refer to it as “Chag HaPesach.” The reason is that the name “Chag HaMatzot” highlights the fact that the dough of Israel did not have time to rise when they left Egypt. In their devotion to fulfill God’s command, they did not delay even briefly to let the dough ferment. Instead, they carried it on their shoulders while it was still matzah and left immediately.

The Torah therefore calls the holiday “Chag HaMatzot,” because God praises and takes pride in Israel for their self sacrifice and obedience. In contrast, the Jewish people call it “Chag HaPesach,” emphasizing the great miracle that God performed when He passed over the houses of Israel during the plague of the firstborn. Thus, each side praises the other: God praises Israel, and Israel praises God for the miracles He performed for them. This idea is attributed to the holy Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev.

Nullifying Pride During Passover

In many areas of Torah law, prohibited mixtures can become nullified in certain proportions, such as one in sixty, one hundred, or two hundred. However, Passover is different: chametz on Passover is not nullified even in a thousand parts.

Why is this so?

On Passover, Israel became God’s treasured nation and accepted a firm and unwavering faith in the Creator, declaring that there is none like Him: “There is none like our God, none like our Master, none like our King, none like our Savior.” Yet there is one thing that creates a barrier between a person and God: pride. The sages teach that God says, “He and I cannot dwell together” when arrogance is present. Leaven symbolizes pride, because it swells and rises, representing the attitude of “I and none besides me.” This ego separates a person from God, as hinted in the verse “I stood between God and you,” meaning that human self centeredness forms the separation.

For this reason, chametz on Passover is never nullified. To merit the Divine Presence during the festival, a person must completely remove pride and stand before God with true humility, as it says, “The reward of humility is the fear of God.” The Arizal is quoted as saying that one who is especially careful with even the smallest amount of chametz on Passover is promised protection from sin throughout the year. When a person removes the inner “leaven” of pride from the heart, he merits a spiritual closeness that accompanies him all year.

Telling the Story of the Exodus

The Zohar teaches that anyone who tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt with joy will rejoice with the Divine Presence in the World to Come. At that moment, God gathers His heavenly retinue and says, “Go and listen to the praise My children are recounting as they rejoice in My redemption.”

The Torah commands: “So that you may tell in the ears of your child and your grandchild what I did in Egypt.” The commentators explain that the phrase “in the ears of your child” teaches that the story should be told according to each child’s level of understanding.

God struck Egypt with ten plagues, using many aspects of creation to carry out His will, including water, fire, wind, animals, and more. Why was it necessary to deliver so many different plagues? Could He not have subdued Egypt with a single blow? The answer is that people are affected by different experiences in different ways. To firmly establish faith in the hearts of Israel, it was necessary to demonstrate that the Creator has complete mastery over nature, as it says, “His kingship rules over all.”

The word “nature” shares the numerical value of the Divine Name Elokim, teaching that nature itself is in God’s hands like clay in the hands of a potter. By using various forms of creation in the plagues, God left no room for the mistaken belief that other forces operate independently in the world. With each plague, more and more Israelites strengthened their faith and prepared themselves to become God’s chosen nation.

A Lighthearted Insight from the Haggadah

We conclude with a humorous thought from the Passover Haggadah. At the beginning of the Seder we proclaim “Ha Lachma Anya” - this is the bread of affliction. In a playful sense, it is as if we are informing our guests that tonight’s meal consists mainly of thin matzah, not rich loaves and delicacies.

Commentators ask: what is the connection between the opening declaration “Ha Lachma Anya,” the child’s question “Mah Nishtanah,” and the statement “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt”? They explain that the child sees his father suddenly acting generously, inviting everyone to come and eat: “All who are hungry, come and eat; all who are in need, come and celebrate.” The child wonders why his father, who usually does not host guests, behaves differently tonight and asks, “What makes this night different from all other nights?”

The father jokingly answers: “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.” Just as Pharaoh would make decrees and not fulfill them, so too I may speak generously without actually planning to host everyone.

May it be God’s will that the sacred days approaching us shine upon us with faith, strength, and joy for the entire year, and that we merit to witness the complete redemption in happiness.