When Steve’s father heard the price of this special matzah, he was not pleased

It was during the Seder when nine-year-old Yossi approached his grandfather. The family was about to eat the afikomen, and Yossi could not imagine how everyone could get a k’zayis from the one piece of matzah wrapped in the afikomen bag.

“Zeidy, how can that half a matzah be enough for all 17 people at our Seder?”

Shmuel Fischman (name changed) gently led Yossi to a box next to his seat. “What do you see in there?”

“I see about ten boxes of matzah,” Yossi answered.

“Yossi, I have 20 pounds of shemurah matzah. We have more than enough matzah for everyone.”

Suddenly, Shmuel began to cry.

“Zeidy, why are you crying?!”

Shmuel looked at his grandson and glanced at the large table crowded with his children and grandchildren. He was transported back in time to 1970. Back when Shmuel was “Steve,” and he was 14 years old, and a group of yeshivah boys on a SEED program had inspired Steve to become shomer Shabbos.

When Pesach arrived, Steve told his father that the family would need to purchase special shemurah matzah for the Seder. When Steve’s father heard the price of this special matzah, he was not pleased. Steve’s father informed him that at their Seder — as they had been doing since Steve’s father was a little boy — the family divides one Horowitz Margareten matzah among everyone present.

Patiently yet persistently, Steve explained to his father that they needed shemurah matzah to fulfill the mitzvah of matzah.

“We are not changing our traditions!” Steve’s father declared. “We have always divided one Horowitz Margareten matzah among everyone, and we will not be beginning some new fanatical fad of eating shemurah matzah."