The Lasting Flavor of a Mitzvah
During one Pesach in Eretz Yisrael, I was struck by the sight of irreligious Jews who are stringent regarding the mitzvah to eat matzah. I decided to inquire after their paradoxical behavior.
“Do you believe that your forebears were enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt and Hashem released them? It is in the merit of that redemption that you are alive today. In memory of the Exodus from Egypt, we eat matzah.”
They took a few minutes to digest my words. Then one of them stood up, representing his peers: “Honored Rav, I will be perfectly frank with you. We do not ascribe much credence to historical tales. The only reason we eat matzah on Pesach is because we see so many Jews throughout the world doing this. We understand that it is in commemoration of something, so we decided to join the bandwagon. There must be a good reason for so many people doing this, but we are clueless on that point.”
His words drove home the fact that there is a certain mysterious something which draws people to consume matzah for this one week a year. It is a custom which will endure. Even unobservant Jews observe this mitzvah, never allowing it to be forgotten.
Hashem promised Avraham that his children would continue keeping Torah and mitzvot. These mitzvot are what prevent them from assimilating among the gentiles.
