On Erev Shabbos, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky had visitors in his home, visitors who showed him new extremely large hand-baked shmura matzos.
Rav Aharon Yosef Kurnitzer of the Tiv Matzos factory brought the matzos to Rav Kanievsky for his inspection and comment. The matzos are almost a meter (39 inches) in diameter. The matter of their kashrus and the concerns of ‘matzos kefulos’ were discussed.
Rav Chaim listened to Rav Aharon and looked at the matzos as he continued his Shenayim Mikra Ve’echad Targum.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/Photo Credit: BeChadrei Chareidim)
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13 Responses
Perfect example of a couple people bothering the Godol Hador for their own promotion
What’s the reason for these huge matzos?
Looks like a publicity gimmick just to sell their matzos. As if R. Chaim has nothing better to do with his time. How did these clowns get past the screeners?
And. …. Please don’t leave Halachic articles as cliffhangers. Sides, reasons and psak please
An explanation of what such a matza is good for ( sheva brochos? Tish?) is also in order.
What is the purpose of jumbo matzos?
This article brings a shmura matzo incident to mind. At Pesach time, about 12-13 years ago, Rabbi Shimon Raichik, Rabbi Yosef Gabay, Rabbi Rachmiel Steinberg and I went to service a group of Jewish Inmates at a facility which was more than an hour and a half away from the Frum community but still within the L.A. County Jail system. We brought with us enough Pesach supplies for the 40 or so Inmates who we were going to visit. As we entered the facility there were some new Deputies who we had never met and they wanted to inspect the boxes of goodies that we were wheeling into the high security facility. All went smoothly until a Deputy had us open a box of shmura matzo that Rabbi Raichik had brought. This wasn’t just any shmura matzo, this was a case of Kfar Chabad Shmura Matzos, the thickest matzos you’ll ever see. The Deputy inquired about these strange items. As Rabbi Raichik explained to him what they were, the Deputy picked one up, broke it in half, grabbed Rabbi Raichik with one arm, placed the half matzo under his throat and said “I can kill you with this!”. He disallowed the shmura matzo into the facility. Luckily, I had a 5 pound box of Yehuda matzos in the car.
Simple. So from the מוציא מצה on Seder night there is enough for everyone to get a Kezayis.
To all those asking about the purpose of such large matzos. The answer is obvious. It’s much easier to eat only three large ones, to be yotze shiur, than to eat 13 or 14 regular size ones, which would be the shiur according to many shitose.
One, those matzos are no where near 39 inches, does it look like two of them add up to an NBA player?
Two, every half-wit should know that there is no halachic maximum size of challah or matza. As long as it’s made properly, it is acceptable. After all, the לחם הפנים were larger than this matzah (app. 1 meter by half a meter)
I agree with the previous commenters, this was a gimmick to get a free picture with the Rav, and to waste his time doing it. The trouble is, it worked.
The purpose is obvious: so that each person at the table can get a kezayis from the smaller half of the middle matzoh, as the Shulchon Oruch says they should. With our matzos (which are only about 150 years old) this is impossible.
Key phrase:
>> Rav Chaim listened to Rav Aharon and looked at the matzos as he continued his Shenayim Mikra Ve’echad Targum.<<
It seems that it was a one-way discussion. Meaning he continued learning and wasn't paying attention to these folks who could of been at home helping their families out Erev Shabbos.
It also looks like that Gabbai is fed up.
“Rav Chaim listened to Rav Aharon and looked at the matzos as he continued his Shenayim Mikra Ve’echad Targum.”