New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) Many people are asking the same question right now: But when exactly are we supposed to eat the matzah on Pesach Sheini??
There are a few different possibilities. Some say to eat it on the night of the 14th of Iyar (last night), because that is the start of Pesach Sheini. Others say to eat it at chatzos (midday) on the 14th, because that is when the Korban Pesach was offered in the Mikdash. And still others say to eat it on the night of the 15th, because that is when the Korban was actually eaten — together with matzah.
Some people do it at all three times. And the Chazon Ish zt”l held that we should not do it at all, because it adds a new mitzvah that the Torah never required (See Orchos Rabbeinu Vol. II p. 97). Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l, however, on this one occasion followed his father’s view and not his uncle’s view and did eat the matzah.
To understand the different opinions, we first need to look at why people eat matzah on Pesach Sheini in the first place.
Why Do We Eat Matzah on Pesach Sheini?
Most early authorities explain that eating matzah on Pesach Sheini is a zecher l’Mikdash — a way to remember the Beis HaMikdash. The idea of doing things to remember the Mikdash comes from the pasuk “u’mimakosayich erpa’eich ne’um Hashem.” Even when we don’t have the Mikdash, we are still supposed to remember it. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai instituted several takanos based on this principle (See Sukkah 41a and Rosh Hashanah 30a).
The Maharsham’s Practice
The Maharsham would eat matzah on the night of the 15th of Iyar. He chose that time because that was when the Korban Pesach Sheini was actually eaten in the time of the Mikdash. He learned this practice from his Rebbe, Rav Dovid Deutsch zt”l, who taught that the remembrance should match the original as closely as possible — eating the matzah at the very same time the Korban itself was eaten.
The View That It Should Be Eaten on the 14th
Most early sources held that the matzah should be eaten on the day of the 14th. Their reasoning was that in the Mikdash, the matzah was eaten together with the Korban, and the main event of the day was bringing the Korban itself. The Rashbam in Pesachim makes a similar point about afikoman — the matzah we eat at the end of the Seder is also a remembrance of the Korban Pesach.
The Kli Chemda’s Concern
The Kli Chemda took a more cautious approach. When he heard that people were eating matzah on the night of Pesach Sheini, he pushed back. He argued that the proper time to eat matzah is when the Korban Pesach itself was offered — meaning the day of the 14th. Eating it at night without the right intention, he warned, could even be a problem of bal tosif (adding to the Torah).
He also pointed to the Yerushalmi, which says that the two Pesachs are not built one on top of the other. In other words, the night of the 15th of Iyar is not automatically an extension of Pesach Sheini, the way the night of the 15th of Nissan is part of Pesach Rishon. So he allowed eating matzah during the day of the 14th but was hesitant about doing it at night.
Three Ways to Understand the Minhag
In essence, there are basically three ways to explain why people eat matzah on Pesach Sheini.
- To Remember the Event of Pesach Sheini
According to this approach, the matzah is meant to remember the event of Pesach Sheini — eating matzah on the same day the event took place. The problem with this view is the timing question itself. The main part of the event was the Korban being brought on the 14th. But the matzah was eaten on the night of the 15th. So which day is the matzah really remembering?
- A General Remembrance of Pesach Sheini
This approach is a bit looser. It says the matzah is just a way to remember Pesach Sheini in general, without tying it to any specific moment in the Mikdash. The difficulty is that calling something a zecher l’Mikdash usually means we are recreating a specific act — and this approach doesn’t really do that.
- Part of the Pesach Sheini Seudah
The third approach may be the most compelling. According to this view, the matzah is not a separate zecher l’Mikdash obligation at all. It is simply part of the festive meal (seudah) that people make on Pesach Sheini. Since a seudah is held during the day, and since matzah is the food most connected to Pesach, eating matzah is just the natural way to mark the day. On this approach, there is no need for the matzah to line up perfectly with a Mikdash act. It is simply the right food for the occasion.
Why the Chazon Ish Disagreed
This brings us back to the Chazon Ish. At first, his position seems puzzling. The Chazon Ish accepted other zecher l’Mikdash practices — for example, giving a machatzis hashekel on Taanis Esther. So why did he reject eating matzah on Pesach Sheini?
Rav Reuven Melech Schwartz, in his Imkei Reuven, explains the answer. He reports that Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l personally told him the Chazon Ish did not eat matzah on Pesach Sheini, was not comfortable with the practice, and considered it adding a mitzvah that the Torah never required.
The reasoning is based on a sharp distinction. When you give a machatzis hashekel on Taanis Esther, you are doing the exact same act that was done in the Mikdash — giving a half-shekel. The only thing missing is the Mikdash itself. But eating matzah on the 14th of Iyar is different. Nothing like that ever happened in the Mikdash on the 14th. The Korban was brought on the afternoon of the 14th, but it was eaten, with matzah, only on the night of the 15th.
So eating matzah on the 14th is not really recreating anything that happened in the Mikdash on that day. It is a brand-new practice. That, according to the Chazon Ish, is exactly the problem — it counts as hosafa, adding something to the Torah.
This also helps explain the timing debate. People who eat matzah on the night of the 15th are at least matching the time when the Korban was actually eaten with matzah in the Mikdash. People who eat on the 14th — whether at chatzos or in the evening — are trying to remember the bringing of the Korban, even though matzah was not part of the bringing.
The Practical Customs Today
In practice, there are several different customs.
Rav Shreya Dublitzky zt”l ate it on the night of the 15th (HaMevaser HaTorani, Parshas Emor 5772 p. 3) — the same time as the Maharsham.
Rav Yisroel Dovid Harfenes shlita, one of the leading Poskim in Williamsburg, recommends eating it both on the 14th after chatzos and on the night of the 15th (See Teshuvos Mekadaish Yisroel Sfiras HaOmer #93). If it is too hard to wash twice, then he says to eat it right before shkiya on the 14th.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe is reported to have said to eat it all three times.
The truth is that most people just eat it whenever they happen to remember.
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