What you’re really asking is: Why does the Korban Todah include both chametz and matzah—two complete opposites? This takes us directly to the heart of true gratitude—the kind that comes from the most honest place in the soul.
What does the Korban Todah include?
In Parshat Tzav (Leviticus 7:12), it says that the Thanksgiving offering is brought with forty loaves of bread:
30 matzot: unleavened cakes—plain matzah, wafers, and ones mixed with oil.
10 chametz: “loaves of leavened bread.”
And that’s surprising. Because usually—chametz is not offered on the altar!
(Passover, grain offerings, peace offerings—they’re all matzah!)
Only here—with the Korban Todah—suddenly we find chametz. Why?
What do chametz and matzah symbolize?
Matzah = simplicity, humility, speed.
It doesn’t rise, it doesn’t puff up. It’s made from just flour and water.
It represents the humble person who doesn’t take credit—just gives thanks.
Chametz = ego, fermentation, delay.
It rises, it expands, it takes up space.
It represents someone who acknowledges their worth, who knows what they’ve been through, who’s experienced something big.
And the combination of both? A powerful secret of true gratitude.
The Torah teaches us:
To say thank you isn’t only about shrinking yourself.
It’s also about acknowledging the greatness of what you’ve been through.
True gratitude includes two elements:
1. Humility (Matzah):
– Thank You for what I received, which I didn’t deserve, that was beyond me.
– I recognize this was a gift.
2. Healthy pride (Chametz):
– Thank You for the journey I’ve walked, for the struggles I overcame, for surviving.
– I wasn’t just a bystander—I was the hero of my story.
A moving example:
Someone who was sick and recovered.
If they say, “It was all from God, I’m nothing”—that’s not complete gratitude.
If they say, “I’m strong! I did it!”—that’s pride without recognition.
But if they say:
“Master of the world—You saved me, and You also gave me the strength to get through it.”
Then they offer matzah—for the humility.
And chametz—for the self-recognition.
And maybe that’s why the Korban Todah is brought with song.
Because true gratitude can’t be whispered.
It bursts into melody.
And a song—like gratitude—blends:
Simple notes.
And soaring harmonies.
Matzah and chametz.
And for you personally:
When you say thank you—make room for both voices inside you:
The one that remembers it was all grace.
And the one that’s proud of the path you took.
Because only when you combine them—
Your “thank you” becomes a true Korban Todah.
