A Guide to Matzo

Mallory Hersh '26

Most people find me plain and dry

Packaged in a simple box, living a simple life,

Mistaken for a simple cracker

I may seem as plain as a blank sheet of paper, but I speak the urgency of ancient times

Born out of a mixture of failure, I am a symbol of tenacity

I may have failed in my ability to become bread, but I succeeded in giving hope to my people

I inspire perseverance and strength to everyone I serve

On the day that remembers,

I lay proudly in the center of the table alongside my brothers and sisters.

By myself, I may not be the most delicious, but together we explode with flavor.

People do not know our worth, but I do

Matzo-ball soup, Chocolate Matzo, Matzo Brei

My versatility is beyond infinity

I mix, I blend, I am resilient in the face of adversity, just like my people

Although I can break, I will never bend.

Artist Note:

Growing up Jewish, my history and culture have always been very important to me. Therefore, I wanted to convey the importance of my heritage in my poem by narrating through the eyes of a piece of Matzo. The central purpose of my poem is the parallel I drew between the story of Matzo and the story of the Jewish people. I accomplished this by using various literary devices, the first of which is a simile on line 4: “I may seem as plain as a blank sheet of paper…” I used this simile to compare a plain sheet of paper to how plain and dry Matzo is, but I also wanted to convey a deeper meaning as to why it is so significant. Thus, I followed the simile with the phrase, “but I speak the urgency of ancient times,” to convey a message about why Matzo was important to the Jews. Although they had initially intended to make bread, the Jews had to urgently flee Egypt before the dough had time to rise. This resulted in the sacred cracker-like alternative that we know today as Matzo. The second literary device I used is personification on line 8, “On the day that remembers.” I wanted to signify the importance of this holiday to the Jewish people by bringing this “day” to life. A day can not necessarily “remember” something, but more so honor those who have passed before us and who had to undergo the hardships many Jewish people had faced. The third literary device I used is a metaphor in line 5, “Born out of a mixture of failure.” This metaphor is used to compare what Matzo was supposed to be, to what it had become. Additionally, the Matzo “character” throughout the poem itself is a metaphor for the Jewish people. An important line to note is 11, “People do not know our worth, but I do.” By using the word “our” I am not only referring to the other food in the poem, but to the Jewish people as a community. The phrase, “People do not know our worth” reveals the hatred and discrimination Jewish people continue to face to this day. The Jews knew they were underestimated and overlooked when they were forced to leave Egypt, but instead of letting these stereotypes define them, they proudly left, seeking a new life. The last line to note is 15, “Although I can break, I will never bend.” This is related to the common phrase, “Although I can bend, I will never break.” I decided to alter it to fit not only the characteristics of Matzo, but the morals and beliefs of the Jewish people. Matzo can break because it is very fragile, but when I said “I will never bend,” I was referring to the Jewish people. Although Jews have been historically ostracized and often forced to question their own identities, they will continue to fight against stereotypes and hold strong to the values that define them.