Many say there is an obligation to eat meals with bread as part of simchas Yom Tov.
Is there a similar obligation to eat bread during Chol HaMoed? If so, how often? For example, during Chol HaMoed Pesach, must one eat matzah daily?
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1Note the Rambam says Simcha applies to all the days of the festival mechon-mamre.org/i/3406.htm#16– Double AA ♦Apr 27, 2016 at 16:17
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1Can you edit to clarify exactly what you are pointing to in that link? Perhaps add in a quotation and an explicit source reference in case the link goes bad.– Double AA ♦Apr 27, 2016 at 16:19
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i believe the Rambam would say one should eat matzah daily, as part of the simcha. As the Yemenites bake it daily as part of the "simcha." But their matzah is nice and fluffy and delicious, whereas most modern matzah is more of a punishment– AaronApr 27, 2016 at 21:15
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@Aaron My modern matza with cream cheese is delicious. Perhaps you're confusing "most modern matza" with people who don't eat Gebrokhs. In any event, where does the Rambam say this? And how is "baking" part of Simcha? How would you fulfill that on Shabbat Chol haMoed?– Double AA ♦Apr 28, 2016 at 3:47
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@DoubleAA I asked him [the Yemenite Rabbi] about the [soft] matzah and the Seder. “Do not be concerned,” he said to me, “eat a hot matzah with us, baked daily according to the custom of our ancestors. Do not worry about the kashruth, since they are not stale and thirty days old by Passover. Rabbis from Jerusalem have preceded you in seeing that our women are swift and very quick in making kosher matzah. Daily we eat a hot, fresh matzah, and the pleasure of the holiday is in none other than hot matzah." source: biu.ac.il/JH/Parasha/eng/pesah/gim.html– AaronApr 28, 2016 at 17:21
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1 Answer
I can pass along this bit of halacha (I will add bold for the relevant part) which I got in my email:
Every day of Chol Hamoed we add ya'aleh v'yovo in Shemone Esrei and bentching. In Shemone Esrei it is added in the beracha of Retzei before the words v'sechezena eineinu. In bentching it is added in the beracha of Rachem before the words u'vnei Yerushalaim. Shulchan Aruch writes that if someone omitted ya'aleh v'yovo in davening he must repeat Shemone Esrei, but if it was skipped in bentching he does not need to repea tbentching. The Mishnah Berurah explains the difference. Because davening on Chol Hamoed is mandatory, it must be repeated if there is an omission. In contrast, eating bread/matza on Chol Hamoed is not required, so bentching need not be repeated if ya'aleh v'yovo is left out. While according to the Mechaber eating bread/matza is not required, it is proper to do so. There are some Acharonim, including the Gra, who hold that one is required to eat bread/matza on Chol Hamoed. (סעיף ב וס"ק ג; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 3)
The email is from Daf Hayomi B'Halacha from Dirshu International, Inc., 212 Second St, Suite 404B, Lakewood, NJ 08701
