Goy eating matzah with treif

Question

For context, my fiance is a reform convert in the UK. I fully support their conversion but, as I lack any real spirituality, do not feel I could sincerely convert myself (despite knowing that my lack of spirituality would not prevent a reform beit din from accepting my conversion). My fiance doesn't eat pork, but otherwise is fairly lax on kashrut (a position common to many reform Jews here)

We recently celebrated my fiance's first Pesach since converting (during which they observed kashrut more stringently than normal, but, sharing a house with three gentiles, didn't burn all chametz in the house or worry about kitniyot) and had a lot of matzah left over, some KLP (which we used for the seder itself), some not. My fiance actively dislikes eating matzah, whereas I don't mind it. Because of this, and thinking that it's unlikely to last until next year, I've been gradually eating my way through it, breaking it into sections to use like crackers

As a gentile, I am obviously not bound by kashrut (beyond general Noahide prohibitions), but would there be any issue with me combining matzah with treif (i.e. eating salami and cheese on the same fragment)? Does it depend on whether the matzah is KLP and so baked (presumably) with the intent of being used for the mitzvah of matzah in mind?

Answer 1

There are a number of foods which are holy in Jewish law, including:

• Any animal or part thereof dedicated to be a sacrifice, including the Korban Pesach (Paschal lamb)
• Lechem Hapanim ("showbread")
• Mincha offering
• Certain gifts to Kohanim (priests) - Terumah, Terumat Maaser (both from produce grown in Israel), Challah (portion of bread dough prepared by a Jew, normally removed prior to baking)

In addition:

• Shemittah - produce grown in the 7th year of the seven year cycle in the land of Israel may only be harvested and used in certain ways.

For all of the above items, use in any way except for consumption by a Jew, and in some cases very specific Jews (Kohanim, those who are Tahor - ritually pure), is prohibited.

However, from a practical standpoint today, particularly outside of Israel, most of these restrictions are not applicable. There are some exceptions, but generally speaking Matzah, even if baked with the Mitzvah of eating Matzah at the Seder in mind (generally this means hand-made Shmurah Matzah), is simply "food" and has no inherent holiness. There have been issues in some years with Shemittah Etrogim, but as far as I know, commercially sold Matzah is not made from Shemittah grain.

There is a common misconception (I've heard this many times myself) that Kosher food (Matzah or otherwise) is "blessed by a Rabbi" to make it Kosher. Rabbis are sometimes involved, but not always, and any blessings involved (e.g., on taking Challah from a batch of dough being baked into Matzah or other bread) do not actually sanctify the food.

Answer 2

Non-Jews can eat matzah in a shape or from, whenever they want, and with whichever other foods they may choose. (Note Orthodox Jewry does not consider a Reform conversion to be valid.)

All matzah sold in stores has no inherent holiness. Therefore, while they can be used to perform the commandment of eating matzah on the first night of Passover, they can also be eaten during the rest of Passover, when there is no particular command to eat matzah per se (just not to eat chametz). They can also be eaten year round. They can also be consumed by gentiles, and can even be fed to animals (Jews are prohibited from deriving any benefit from chametz, on Passover, which precludes feeding their pets chametz [OC 448:6]).