CCAR RESPONSA
New American Reform Responsa
71. Matzah and Baked Goods
QUESTION: At various meals held during Pesah, items akin to bread have been placed on the table along with matzah. The caterer is kosher so it is clear that this is not bread, but these goods have been baked from ground matzah as the taste also quickly reveals. Is it appropriate to use these items during Pesah or does this violate the spirit of the holiday? (Frances Stein, Baltimore MD)ANSWER: Matzah meal has been used for baking items during Pesah for some time and in this way certain kinds of cakes and cookies have been prepared. There is also an older use described by Simon Ben Zemah of Duran who advised Marranos, often especially watched during the Pesah season, to bake matzot, reduce them to meal, and bake bread from that meal. In this way they could observe Pesah without endangering their lives. Undoubtedly something akin to this has occurred elsewhere as well. Our circumstance is, of course, entirely different as we are free to use matzah and to celebrate the festival appropriately. We should not use an item akin to bread or rolls baked from matzah meal. Although technically it is not forbidden, we would discourage it because of marit ayin. The presence of this kind of “bread” raises the suspicion that the festival is not being observed properly and it is not in the spirit of Pesah to use items which appear like bread.March 1986
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