Did I hear correctly? Sephardic Jews recite Borei Minei Mezonot on matzah year round?! Indeed, the predominant Sephardic practice is to recite a Mezonot upon matzah other than Pesach, following Maran HaChida (Machazik Bracha 158:5) as confirmed by Rav Ovadia Yosef (Teshuvot Yechave Da’at 3:12). This comes at a shock to Ashkenazic Jews, but when we examine the halacha it should not come as a surprise.
The halacha has a category known as pat haba’ah b’kisnin, or snack bread. Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 168:7) includes cake, pie and crackers in the category of pat haba’ah b’kisnin. One recites a Borei Minei Mezonot on snack bread unless he is kovea seudah, makes a meal of that item. Thus, since matzah is a cracker, Sephardim regard matzah as pat habaah b’kisnin, upon which we recite Borei Minei Mezonot.
The question then becomes why Ashkenazic Jews recite Hamotzi on matzah. Hacham’s Ovadia’s contemporary Rav Eliezer Waldenberg (Teshuvot 11:19) offers a full defense of the Ashkenazic practice to recite Hamotzi on matzah (even if eaten as a snack) year round. Among his reasons is that since one becomes accustomed to treating matzah as bread on Pesach, Ashkenazim regard it as bread year-round as well.
The question, of course, then becomes why Sephardic Jews recite Hamotzi on matzah during Pesach even if very large amounts of it are not consumed. Why should Pesach be different than all other times? The answer is that matzah is the “bread” for Pesach, and therefore during this time Hamotzi is recited upon it. Sephardim and Ashkenazim debate as to whether the unique status of matzah during Pesach spills over into the rest of the year.
It is very worthwhile mentioning in this context a beautiful story recounted by Rav Yaakov Sasson, grandson of Hacham Ovadia, on his Halacha Yomit website (May 15, 2017). Rav Sasson mentions that his illustrious grandfather told him that he and Rav Eliezer Waldenberg follow the same approach in their issuance of halachic rulings. In fact, Rav Waldenberg once mentioned that he regards Rav Ovadia Yosef as his “best friend.” When told that Rav Waldenberg said this, Hacham Ovadia replied that he is also my best friend.
Both Rav Waldenberg and Rav Yosef were raised and lived in Yerushalayim, were approximately the same age and sat for many years together on the Beit Din HaGadol, the rabbinic court of appeals of the State of Israel rabbinic courts. Both are revered as giants of the second half of the 20th century. Both were rigorous adherents of Halacha but with somewhat of a lenient tilt. Both possessed unusually broad knowledge that they summoned in their rulings, wrote prolifically and had a very practical bent.
Rav Sasson concludes that when Rav Waldenberg passed away in 2006, Rav Ovadia Yosef made an azkara, a memorial service, at his Beit Knesset, as one does upon (rachmana litzlan) the loss of a family member.
Of course, Rav Waldenberg was Ashkenazic and Rav Yosef was Sephardic, but that which bonded these giants was far greater and larger than the Sephardic-Ashkenazic divide. What a beautiful example of what the Gemara (Sanhedrin 24a) describes as “The talmidei chachamim of Eretz Yisrael who are pleasant with each other in Halacha, [as pleasant] as olive oil.”
By Rabbi Haim Jachter
Rabbi Haim Jachter is the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck. He also serves as a Rebbe at Torah Academy of Bergen County and a Dayan on the Beth Din of Elizabeth.
