The Hebrew word matstsah (מַצָּה) refers to unleavened bread — bread made without yeast. It is the bread of haste, eaten at the first Passover when Israel had no time to let dough rise. The Festival of Matstsot (Unleavened Bread) immediately follows Passover and lasts seven days. The word may derive from a root meaning to drain or press out.
Matstsah is laden with theological significance. The unleavened bread of the Passover commemorated both the hasty departure from Egypt and a complete break from the old life of slavery. Leaven in Scripture consistently represents corruption, hypocrisy, and sin (Matthew 16:6; 1 Corinthians 5:7–8). Paul exhorts believers: 'Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.' The unleavened bread of the Lord's Supper points to Christ's sinless sacrifice.