Bread of Poverty

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From the Maharal:

Q: Why is the Matza pointedly described by the Torah and quoted at the very start of the Seder as “Lechem oni, the bread of poverty”?

A: Various commentaries have suggested a number of reasons for the name “Lechem oni”. One explanation is that Matza does not rise like regular bread and therefore symbolizes poverty, much as a pauper feels lowly when contrasted with a rich person who feels pride or fulfillment (having ‘risen’ in society). A further answer is that since Matza is slow to digest, it made excellent slave-food for the Egyptians to feed their Jewish slaves.

However, we are forced to dismiss these explanations. They cannot carry the true meaning to the Mazta’s description, “Lechem oni”, for after all, we are gathered tonight to celebrate our freedom which is our greatest wealth. There is certainly no room for the bread of poverty! Quite the contrary, the reason given by the Torah for our obligation to consume Mazta, as well as for the description of “Lechem oni” is: “You shall not consume any leaven; seven days you shall eat Mazta, Lechem Oni; - for you left Egypt in haste” (Devarim 16:3). Matza, in other words, is a physical reflection of our Freedom.

There must be a deeper explanation! Just as a pauper has nothing but himself, no money, property, etc., likewise this bread has no added ingredients, such as yeast, honey, oil, or other liquids etc. added – just ‘itself’, flour and water. True, the Matza is not ‘rich’ in flavors, yet since it is itself, not joined and dependant on external things, it is essentially free! All one tastes in Matza is the essential Matza itself, for it is ‘free from added flavors’.

We can eat regular bread and challah made with eggs, poppy seeds, etc. Yet when it comes to the festival of freedom, when we accept the spiritual force of redemption, we specifically eat the ‘bread of poverty’, - true freedom. For it was on this night that we were redeemed through a Divine intervention that stemmed from a lofty level of pure (and therefore uncomplicated, ‘simple’) level of divinity.