Three Pieces of Motzah

The Book of Exodus tells the Hebrew people: “For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast.” (Ex 12:17) Because of this command the Jewish people have extensive rules which require cleaning the house (removing all leavening products) before the Passover.  To remove the Leavening is a huge act of obedience.

The Exodus Story tells us how when the Jews left Egypt they were forced to leave in such haste they did not have time to allow the bread to rise.  God told them, “Eat it with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste” (Ex. 12:11)

Motzah, which the Jews eat for seven days, is a type of bread made without leavening. It is one of the requirements of Passover week to help the Jewish people remember.  To eat Motzah (and to go without Leavened products such as bread, cake, pie, and many other foods) is an act of planning and obedience.

Paul wrote related to this in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8: “Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.”

In other words, Paul wrote that leavening stood for wickedness.  He told the church in Corinth (and our churches today) to do away with wickedness.  Every bit of evil!

Many today have a problem with that.  They want to blend with the world.  But God says be ye Holy for I am Holy. (Ex 22:31; Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:26; 1 Cor 1:2; Eph 5:3; 1 Thess 3:13; 4:7; 2 Thess 1:5-10; 2 Tim 2:21; Titus 1:8; Heb 12:14; 1 Pe 1:15-16; 2 Pe 3:11)  

But we don’t want to be odd!  We want to eat our sandwiches on bread.  We want to eat dessert.  We want crackers in our soup.  In our churches we fear if we are too different, people will not come.  We want to be flashy like Hollywood or Disney in order to attract people.

When we blend with the world we become like white bread (called Chometz), which is all puffed up with air ... unless you are like the "Upper Crust" (the tough upper crust that many children just cut off the bread and throw away because they do not like it).

Is there something to this Holiness?  We are to live and walk with God (Gen. 5:24; 6:9) so we can live lives pleasing to Him.

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. His righteousness (not our own puffed up kind) will draw the world to Himself.  With God all things are possible.” (Deut 6:5-9)

The three pieces of Motzah are a reminder of God's mighty acts, and God's desire that we Honor Him.  The first piece of Motzah symbolizes the Manna God provided to sustain Israel while in the wilderness (we are sort of there right now, our real home is heaven); the second is for Good Friday, the day we get two servings of Manna, because we get to rest on the Sabbath.  The third is for Pesach, remembering there is more to life than the drudgery of this world, and for those who know the Lord, there is a Promised Land!