Chametz Vs. Matzah

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In parshas Bo it tells us the mitzvah of eating Matzah, "Seven days shall you eat Matzah." 

At the Seder there are three important things, Pesach (Pascal lamb) Matzah and Maror (bitter herbs). We offer lip service for the Pesach, because we can't do it. Matzah remains a biblical mitzvah to this day. And Maror is a rabbinical mitzvah now a days. 

There are two differences between chametz and Matzah. 

The first difference is in the way it acts. Chametz rises, it blows up, this is symbolic of a  big ego and Matzah remains flat, symbolic of the self nullification of the ego. And on Pesach the only Matzah we can use for the mitzvah of Matzah is egoless poor man's bread, which is made from only flour and water. 

The second difference is in the way it is spelled, they both have three letters, two of which are the same ( they both have a mem and a tzadik), but chametz has a ches at the beginning and Matzah has a hei at the end. 

ח ה

  Hei                   Ches 

The letters ches and hei are very similar, they both have a line on top, two legs coming down on the sides and they are open on the bottom, but the ches is totally sealed from three sides and the hei is open on the top of the left leg. 

The opening on the bottom means that it is easy to go down, to fall into doing what is wrong in the eyes of Hashem. 

And this is where the two differences come together. The person with the big ego, chametz, is stuck in the ches, the only way he can go is down. The person who is humble, Matzah, is not stuck, because the hei has an opening on the top, he has a way to go out and up, he has an opportunity to do teshuva. 

Even though the opening on top of the hei is small, our sages say that Hashem says, "Make me an opening like the eye of a needle and I will open up for you like the entrance of the Ulam," which was a huge doorway in the Temple. 

When a person is humble, he will realize that he did something wrong, and he will do teshuva, on the other hand, when someone has a big ego, he is always right and he could never find any fault in himself, just the opposite he convinces himself that everything he does is good if not great, and because of that he is stuck and he won't do teshuva. 

Even more. He finds arguments for his bad behavior and feels justified in doing them. 

For example the Mitzvah of tzedaka, which is a general Mitzvah and is inclusive of all mitzvos. 

He doesn't give tzedaka, because if Hashem wants them to have, why doesn't He give them? In his arrogance he thinks that he is better than the poor person. In his pompousness he asks, "If Hashem wants them to be poor, who am I to get in His way by giving them tzedaka?" 

On the other hand, a humble person makes a true calculation that he is no better than the other person, and he knows that Hashem wants him to give the other, so he gives. 

And even if he thinks that Hashem wants to punish the other for whatever reason, he knows that every Jewish person is a prince or princess of Hashem, and when a king punishes his children, he is happy when you show kindness to them. So he gives tzedaka. 

The same is with all other Mitzvahs. 

Not only all this, but if he can't find a way to make himself right, he makes excuses for himself. All of the reasons we are taught in Tanya, to find merit in other people and to excuse away their bad behavior, he finds in himself. And if all else fails, his self love covers over all his flaws. And so he never says I'm sorry and he doesn't do teshuva. He is stuck in the ches, and he has no way out other than down. That is chametz. 

The humble person doesn't make any of these excuses, he realizes that he is wrong, says I'm sorry and does teshuva. He is not stuck, he is in the hei, which has an opening to go up. That is Matzah. 

May we all take the attitude of Matzah, say I'm sorry and mend our relationships. See our wrong ways, do teshuva and become closer to Hashem. If we do this, we will be closer to our families, our people and Hashem. This will surely bring Moshiach closer and this dark and bitter exile to an end, and oh how we need it to end. May it happen soon.