Shaleim for the Middle Matzah

[Moshe Green]

This year was a difficult one for the bakery we got Matzahs from, and we barely had Shleimim. But as i was going through them i realized that we do Yachatz anyways before Motzei Matzah and that there may not even be a reason to have a Shaleim middle Matzah.

Did anyone ever hear of such an idea?

[JMHO]

Pre split middle matzah, great idea! It can be found in aisle 3 next to the prepackaged salt water!

[Moshe123]

This year was a difficult one for the bakery we got Matzahs from, and we barely had Shleimim. But as i was going through them i realized that we do Yachatz anyways before Motzei Matzah and that there may not even be a reason to have a Shaleim middle Matzah.

Did anyone ever hear of such an idea?

Sure. Well known if unavailable. Don't remember source now.

[YitzyS]

There is also the GR"A's minhag to only use 2 matzos in the first place...

https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/70340/why-only-2-matzos-used-for-seder-by-the-vilna-gaon

[koplonko]

This year was a difficult one for the bakery we got Matzahs from, and we barely had Shleimim. But as i was going through them i realized that we do Yachatz anyways before Motzei Matzah and that there may not even be a reason to have a Shaleim middle Matzah.

Did anyone ever hear of such an idea?

Practically that's what a lot of people do, although it's brought down that mitzvah min hamuvchar is to place shleimas for all 3.
If I need to use a shvura I place it with the "shleima" side showing.

[AsherO]

I always try to find a whole matzah that’s beginning to crack near the middle to make yachatz easier

[EliJelly]

This year was a difficult one for the bakery we got Matzahs from, and we barely had Shleimim. But as i was going through them i realized that we do Yachatz anyways before Motzei Matzah and that there may not even be a reason to have a Shaleim middle Matzah.

Did anyone ever hear of such an idea?

Good morning America

[Alexsei]

I always try to find a whole matzah that’s beginning to crack near the middle to make yachatz easier

According to halacha, the yachatz step of the Passover Seder involves breaking the middle matzah into two pieces, keeping the larger piece as the afikomen, and returning the smaller piece to the matzah cover for later use as the bread of the Hillel sandwich. This step serves as a physical representation of the Exodus from Egypt, where the Jewish people were split into two groups: those who remained faithful to God and those who did not.

Using a halfway cracked matzah for the middle matzah would nullify the symbolic significance of the yachatz step because it fails to accurately represent the splitting of the Jewish people. The act of breaking the middle matzah is meant to be a deliberate and intentional act, and using a matzah that is already cracked would not properly convey this message.

Furthermore, according to halacha, the matzah used for the Seder must be whole and without any imperfections or blemishes. Using a halfway cracked matzah for the middle matzah would therefore also violate this requirement, rendering the matzah unfit for use in the Seder.

In conclusion, taking an already halfway cracked matzah for the middle matzah would nullify the whole purpose of yachatz because it fails to accurately represent the splitting of the Jewish people and violates the halachic requirement for using whole and unblemished matzah during the Seder

-ChatGPT

[AsherO]

Thanks. Unless chatGPT offers a source that says that, it means nothing to me.

[Moshe Green]

I always try to find a whole matzah that’s beginning to crack near the middle to make yachatz easier

Your ok with this in any case because a half cracked matzah is still considered shaleim. As long as when picked up it doesn't come apart its shaleim (also by bread).