הChelek 5
- Do not knead matza dough with warm water — even if only heated by the sun. (ShA )
- Water drawn from wells, springs, or rivers is warm and must cool down overnight. This is called ‘leena’. (ShA )
- Lechatchila, draw the water after shkia and before tzais hakochavim. This way an entire night can work to cool off the water. (MB )
- The custom is to use new earthenware vessels to draw and store the water. Never use copper vessels — they tend to keep the water warm. (Rama — MB )
- When you draw the water, announce ‘L’shaym matzos mitzva’. (MB )
- Avoid putting your hand into the water — hands are hot. (MB )
- Drawing water for matzos mitzva should not be done by a gentile. (Rama )
- If the night is warm, keep the water in a cool cellar or inside a house. If it is a cold night, leave it out in the air. Make sure it is out of the sunlight by the morning. Always cover the water so that no chometz falls in. (ShA — MB , , )
- Rain water collected from the air does not require leena. (MB )
- The custom is not to add any salt nor spices to the matza dough. These ingredients can speed up the leavening process. (ShA , )