Except for the Mitzva of telling the story of the Exodus, the rest of the Mitzvot of Pesach night are all about eating and drinking.  In Temple times we were obligated to eat the Korban Pesach, and even today we must eat Matzoh and Maror and drink the Four Cups of Wine.

 

Why are we so busy eating and drinking during this special night of the Exodus? When we look at the other Festivals, we have Mitzvot such as the Shofar, The 4 Species, living in a Sukka , actions that don't involve food.  Pesach, on the other hand, is all about what we eat, and what we must not eat. In fact, according to the Vilna Gaon, every time you eat Matza during Pesach, it is considered a Mitzva, not just during the Seder. Why is Pesach packed with Mitzvot dealing with eating? 

 

When we look back at the beginning of the Torah, we find the concept of food being a central part of the story.  Adam and Chava's sin involves food. They ate from the Tree of  Knowledge which they were prohibited to eat from. Humanity started on the sinful path with regards to food.  2,448 years later, the birth of the Jewish nation takes place on Pesach. As we were being created, leaving Egypt to become an independent nation in our own land, we are given Mitzvot which involve eating. There are many guidelines how to eat the Korban Pesach and what exactly is Chometz and Matza.

 

Just like Adam and Chava received guidelines about which trees to eat from and which tree to avoid, the Jewish nation is provided with guidelines regarding our food consumption. According to Kabbala, Pesach night is an opportunity to rectify the first sin of humanity.

 

On Pesach night we are surrounded by Mitzvot involving eating and drinking. A Mitzva doesn't only mean a command but it also means to BOND.  Mitzvot are ways for us to bond and to connect with G-d. The Mitzvot of Pesach night, which are related to eating, serve as a reminder that in our physical world we can elevate the physical and connect it to the spiritual. That is exactly our mission as Jews.

 

According to the Talmud Yerushalmi in Kiddushin, eating and drinking, along with all other physical pleasures, are intended by G-d for us to enjoy and have benefit. Howcver, what separates us from the animal kingdom, which enjoys only the physical, is that we can elevate these physical pleasures to a higher spiritual level. For example, we manifest self-control over what we eat by the Halachot of Kashrut.

 

On Pesach night we elevate different categories of food and drink. For example, Maror comes from the raw plant world. Matza is our processed food also from the plant world. The Korban Pesach comes from the animal world.  These foods serve as reminders how to connect to G-d through His physical world.