Context matters. When the Torah prohibits something, at all times and in all places, it is fair to say that it has a negative view of it. Conversely, when the Torah bans something only at certain times or in specific places, it stands to reason that it is not bad per se, but only in the given context. One such example is chametz, leavened bread, which is totally forbidden at a specific time (Pesach), yet completely allowed at all other times. Chametz also has other restrictions that are context-specific: As this week’s parashah teaches us, no korbanot (sacrifices) were allowed to contain chametz[1]. There were various offerings made from flour and water throughout the calendar year, yet (almost) all were not allowed to be leavened. Instead, they were brought as different forms of matzah.

Why is this? What is it about Pesach and korbanot that elicits this halakhic response? The mystery deepens when we analyze the exceptions: There are two korbanot that contain chametz. One features in this week’s parashah: the “קרבן תודה – the sacrifice of thanksgiving”, which is accompanied by forty rolls of bread, of which ten are chametz[2]. This sacrifice of gratitude was brought by those who had survived a sea voyage, traveling through the desert, imprisonment or serious illness[3]. The other exception was the “קרבן שתי הלחם – the sacrifice of the two breads” offered on the festival of Shavuot. Shavuot, named accordingly, is the only festival in the Torah that is not given a specific date, but is calculated by counting seven weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew) from the second day of Pesach. We would not know when Shavuot was without first knowing the date of Pesach. The Torah even positions Shavuot as a sort of epilogue to Pesach. This makes its exception even more........

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