While we eat the matzah as a symbol of our freedom from slavery, it is also called the poor man’s bread which we ate during the many years of Egyptian slavery. A person who’s
enslaved has no time for himself. He must eat his meal quickly and has no time to
wait for his dough to rise and therefore puts it in the oven immediately.
The matzah we ate on our last evening in Mitzrayim was a reminder of the poor
man’s matzah we ate during our long slavery in Egypt. And so we begin the story
of our Haggadah with “Ho Lachma Anya,” recalling the matzah we ate during our
slavery.
The matzah we eat during the seder is a symbol of the matzah we ate on the way
out of Mitzrayim. Hashem, in His great mercy, took us out in a very great hurry in
order that no Jew should be left behind. Every second was of extreme importance.
An extra moment could have meant another Jew sinking to the 50th level of tumah
from which he can no longer be rescued. This matzah is therefore symbolic of our
redemption.
While matzah can be eaten by itself even without the Korban Pesach and moror,
( as the posuk says “bo’erev tochlu matzos,” ) Hillel says that moror must be eaten
along with the Korban Pesach and the matzah, as the posuk says “Al matzos u’m’rorim
yochluhu.” This is why during the time of the Bais HaMikdash, we were required to
eat the Korban Pesach, matzah and moror sandwiched together.
This is why, nowadays, when we no longer have a Korban Pesach, the requirement
of eating moror is only rabbinical, while the requirement of eating matzah remains a
Biblical commandment.
However, the “korach” sandwich of matzah and moror we eat nowadays is only
a reminder of what Hillel did during the time of the Bais Hamikdash, since it is
missing the Korban Pesach.
In addition, Rabbon Gamliel says that one must not only eat the Pesach, Matzah
and Maror, but one is also required to explain the reason why we eat these foods.
According to the Rambam ( Hilchos Chometz U’matzah Perek 7, Halach 5, ) this is
an integral and essential part of telling the story of our exodus from Egypt.