Beracha for Gluten-Free Matza

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Dear Rabbi Simon
I have a box of kosher for Passover Manischewitz gluten free matzo style squares at home. On the box, it says it is not a replacement for seder matzo. It was one of the post-Pesach bargains I picked up this year. Its listed ingredients are potato flour, potato starch, potato flakes, tapioca starch, palm oil, vinegar, egg yolk, dates honey and salt. It is not made from one of the five grains so I assume that one cannot recite hamotzi over it and thus cannot be used as a substitute for bread for hamotzi. Is that correct? What blessing does one say over this product? Does one say the “ha’adamah” or the “shehakol” blessing over it?
Thank you.
Matti

Hi Matti
Thank you for your practical question. You are correct that it cannot be used in place of challah (or matzah) for lechem mishneh, for example. The correct blessing is שהכל נהיה בדברו.
בתאבון!
Rabbi Rashi Simon

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Questions and Answers

Ask the Rabbi: Quinoa on Pesach
Dear Rabbi Simon,
Where do you stand on quinoa (and the kitniyot ban) for Pesach?
Many thanks,
Tzippy
***
Dear Tzippy,
In line with other American authorities, I am in favour of quinoa. Although I reject completely the voices (mostly from Israel) seeking to abolish the ban on kitniyot entirely, IMO we do not need to include in the prohibition pseudo-grains that were unknown in the Old World until modern times. Best to buy with a Pesach hechsher though, to be free of any possible wheat contamination.
Rabbi Rashi Simon
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