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What to Do With Leftover Matzah?

By Menachem Posner

Question:

Passover is over, and I have tons of leftover matzah. What should I do with it? Am I still allowed to eat it?

Answer:

The first thing to take into consideration is that you should make sure to save some for Pesach Sheni (the "Second Passover") which takes place on the the14^th of Iyar—exactly one month after the eve of Passover. While none of the ordinary Passover restrictions and customs are celebrated on this day, many have the tradition to eat some matzah to commemorate the day. (Visit our Pesach Sheni section to see what this day is all about.)

Other than that, we are allowed to eat matzah the whole year long. If you are like me, you can enjoy crunching on your delicious matzah for many months to come. Just make sure not to eat it in the period immediately before next Passover (the exact amount of time varies according to custom), so that you will be able to eat your matzah with relish at the seder.

And if you still have too much matzah left over, you can even put it away in a clean dry place and eat it next year—yes, it really can keep that long!

Bon Appetite!

Rabbi Menachem Posner

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Reader Comments
Latest Comments:

Posted: May 26, 2009

leftover matzah

The matzah meal idea is good, as is using it whenever you are running low on complete loaves of challah at seudat shlisheet (the third meal of Shabbat). My family really likes matzah (one kid prefers it to actual bread!).

Another good idea: emergency rations! Matzah works great in earthquake packs or stashed in the trunk of the car in case you are stuck somewhere without easily accessible kosher food.

The buggy matzah problem someone mentioned has a lot to do how the matzah is stored. Matzah without sealed plastic (like most handmade shmurah) allows easy access to insects, but sealed boxes last and stay fresh. Ironically, stale matzah actually loses crispness! If you had matzah in an unsealed pack, just stick it in one of those jumbo ziplocs.