What we call it, how we see it - a thought for Passover

In his Haggadah, Rabbi Yitzchak Mirsky notes a puzzling aspect of the holyday we are about to start. Throughout the Torah, the holiday is referred to as “The Festival of Matzos” (see, for instance: Exodus 23:21, Leviticus 23:6, and Deuteronomy 16:16). Yet we commonly refer to the holiday with the title used in the Talmud, Pesach or Passover. Why do we use the latter title and not the initial, Torah-designated one?

Rabbi Mirsky answers, citing Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, that the titles reflect mutual admiration. When God uses the title of “Festival of Matzos” in the Torah He authored, He is referencing the fact that the Jewish people were willing to follow God’s command and leave Egypt, venturing into a wilderness without sufficient provisions – save for the half-baked loaves of Matzos. God admires us for this remarkable level of devotion and faith so He calls the holyday, “The Festival of Matzos.” On the other hand, in the Talmud authored by the Rabbis and in common discourse, we reference the fact that God passed over the houses of the Jews in order to exact punishment on the Egyptians. We are eternally grateful for God’s protection of us and His punishment of our cruel slavemasters. So we employ the holyday name that reflects our affection for His many kindnesses, “Passover.”