ויקרא, פרק כ״ג, פסוק ו׳

The spring festivals marking the Exodus from Egypt unfold in two closely linked stages. The fourteenth day of the month is dedicated to the Passover sacrifice, while the fifteenth day initiates a week-long celebration. Unlike other appointed times that draw their names from the agricultural seasons, this specific week takes its name directly from its central commandment: the eating of unleavened bread [העמק דבר]. The actual status of a full festival is assigned strictly to the very first day, the fifteenth of the month. This day serves as a time of national gathering, bringing the people together around God to celebrate their redemption [רד צ הופמן, רש ר הירש, העמק דבר].

The requirement to eat unleavened bread is carefully limited to this specific month. Because both this spring festival and the autumn Festival of Booths serve to remind the people of the Exodus from Egypt, one might mistakenly assume their practices overlap, perhaps requiring unleavened bread during the autumn festival as well. To prevent this confusion, the instruction emphasizes that the obligation applies exclusively to this time of year [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם].

When addressing the instruction to eat unleavened bread for seven days, the primary approach among commentators is that this does not demand a continuous, daily consumption. Rather, it acts as a restriction. While there is an absolute duty to eat unleavened bread on the very first night, eating it for the rest of the week is entirely optional. If a person chooses to eat baked goods during these seven days, they must simply ensure it is unleavened rather than leavened [רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, רש ר הירש]. From a practical legal standpoint, the unleavened bread used to fulfill this initial obligation must be the type that is permitted to be eaten throughout the entire seven-day period. This requirement automatically excludes certain holy breads that have a very short, restricted time frame for consumption, such as thanksgiving offerings or the special wafers of a Nazirite [חזקוני, אדרת אליהו, מלבי״ם].

Consuming unleavened bread over a seven-day period carries deep symbolic weight. A span of seven days represents a complete cycle of time, acting as a spiritual preparation for the nation to embrace its destiny as servants of God. By avoiding leavened products and eating this simple bread of affliction, which recalls the sudden rush of leaving Egypt, the people symbolize the setting aside of their own personal desires in favor of God's will. It reinforces the understanding that their freedom was secured entirely through Him [רד צ הופמן, רש ר הירש]. On an allegorical level, the unleavened bread hints at a state of dispute or strife, representing the constant, internal struggle every person faces when battling their own negative desires [שפתי כהן].