With Purim here, it’s high time to start thinking about Pesach!  It’s never too early to start preparing, so for some inspiration, we present:

FOUR QUESTIONS TO THE MACAROONER RAV (as transcribed by Susan Tawil)

QUESTION 1: What is the origin of shmurah matzah as we know it, and why is it so expensive?
A: This is an excellent question.  Obviously, the matzah that the yidden took out of Egypt bore no resemblance to today’s current matzah.  The Torah tells us that the B’nai Yisroel left Mitzrayim “b’chipazon” (in a rush), so of course they had no time to raydel their matzos (make those cute little rows of holes).  Also, since they were slaves, they clearly could not afford to buy real shmurah matzah with a good hechsher.
There is a minority opinion that the current style of matzah originated with a female innkeeper who lived in the former Soviet Union, based on the pasuk: “Ha Lachma Anya,”  “This is the bread of Anya.”
Although not generally known, the design in use today was, in fact, patented by Reb Caspi Shmurah.  He arrived in New Amsterdam (currently New York) in 1654 with the first Jewish immigrants to America.  The ridiculous per pound price of Shmurah Matzah (originally known as “Shmurah’s Matzah”), is due to the hefty royalty placed on the use of his design, which has supported his heirs and their families for generations.

QUESTION 2: I noticed they now sell Pesadik pizza.  Is it ma’ras ayin to eat this?
A: This is a modern day symptom of yeridas hadoros.  It used to be that potatoes and hard-boiled eggs were dayeinu.  Now, it seems that virtually everything is being made Kosher L’Pesach.  There are actually food products being advertised as tasting “so good, you won’t believe they’re Pesadik” (Whether this claim is a sha’alah of g’neivas da’as is another question.).
P’sak, however, is that these products may be consumed as long as they are eaten in a kitchen where tin foil, contact paper and other accoutrements of the Chag are in evidence, and there would thus be no sha’alah of ma’ras ayin.
Those who do not broch should avoid these products, and those who do not know what “broch” means should be avoided until the last day of Pesach.

QUESTION 3: Is card playing allowed on Pesach?
A: Aside from the question of bitul zman, we have a remez in the Haggadah: “A Rummy Oved Avi,” that Gin and other card games are, in fact, permitted on Pesach (Note: this is not a heter to DRINK Gin, which is chumatzdik!).  However, one should avoid playing cards on Yom Tov since it is forbidden to calculate or write scores, and it is best to avoid writing scores even with a shinui on Chol Hamoed.  Therefore, it is preferable to either not keep score, or to stick to traditional Pesach games such as Crazy Eights (which remind us of the eight days of Pesach in Galus) or Go Fish (Gefilte, obviously!).
Since there is a possibility that the playing cards may be coated with starch, they should, of course, not be eaten.

QUESTION 4: What is spelt?
A: No one really knows, except maybe some of those organic types who work in health food stores, but it is surely an example of Chasdei HaShem that this mystery grain is prohibited on Pesach, as demonstrated by the following well known story:
One Pesach, when there was yet another gezayrah ra’ah against the Jews, Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev called to his shammash:  Go out and get me some cigarettes from the Yidden.”
His shammash brought back loads of them, even though they were prohibited by both the Surgeon General and the Czar.
Then the Berditchever Rav asked:
“Go out to the Yidden and bring me back some spelt.”
To his chagrin, the shammash came back empty handed.
“Master of the Universe!” cried Reb Levi Yitzhak.
Look at Your heilige Yidden!  Your yeshivah bocherim smoke like shgotzim, yet even among the most irreligious of Your People, no one has any spelt on Pesach!
Of course, the gezayrah was rescinded.  Unfortunately, yeshivah bocherim continue to smoke like shgotzim to this day.  Why they do so is a shailah even the Macarooner Rav cannot answer.

(Susan Tawil – YWN)