Moses ben Maimon was a compatriot and contemporary of Yaish ben Yaiha. The latter was five years older. Both shared the streets of Córdoba, where they were born, and both became Jewish sages from a young age.

Although there are no records of their eventual interaction, it is necessarily inferred from the facts presented and the nature of the Jewish community throughout history.

Maimonides and the sage who would become the first Chief Rabbi of Portugal celebrated Passover in the same city and at the same time. The way they interpreted this important festival would certainly have many similarities. To know what Yaish ben Yaiha's thoughts were regarding Passover, requires an enumeration of Maimonides' thoughts.

Rambam viewed Pesach as a critical, multi-layered holiday that serves both to recall Jewish history and to educate the soul in rationality, divine providence, and freedom. His teachings on Pesach can be found largely in his Mishneh Torah and The Guide for the Perplexed.

He explains that the Exodus was not just for physical freedom, but specifically to allow the Jewish people to involve themselves in Torah and wisdom without any pressures and without fear of no one. He maintains that Passover highlights how God helps those who seek to purify themselves. By engaging in the intellectual and spiritual work of the Seder, individuals engage their innate capacity to act righteously and with great results. Because Passover occurs in the spring, it highlights the relationship between the laws of nature and divine law, teaching that nature can be used to live properly according to the Torah.

Maimonides is strict regarding chametz, outlining in Mishneh Torah that it is forbidden to own or derive benefit from it, with intentional consumption leading to karet (spiritual excision). The removal of chametz is treated as a deep psychological and spiritual act, emphasizing purification and the total elimination of prohibited substances from one's life.

The primary goal of Pesach is to "remember what was done" and to recall the history of the Jewish people. The night of the Seder should be geared toward educating children and questioning the meaning of the rites, ensuring the continuity of the national memory. The rituals (reclining, drinking four cups of wine) are designed to make participants feel as though they are actively experiencing redemption.

In summary, Maimonides viewed Pesach not merely as a set of mechanical rituals, but as a holistic educational experience that combines historical memory with intellectual and spiritual refinement. While explaining that matzah was eaten in haste, he connects its consumption to the deeper philosophical goal of removing negative character traits linked to the "puffiness" or pride symbolized by leaven.

For anyone familiar with Rambam's work, it's not difficult to understand what the first Rabbi Mor of Portugal thought about Passover. Perhaps he would even add details that would surprise everyone. Not only did a great military and strategic genius arrive from Córdoba. The man who helped Afonso Henriques found Portugal was a direct descendant of King David and a profound scholar of the Torah, perhaps even greater than Maimonides himself. It is an obvious conclusive fact that he knew what his countryman was teaching the Jews of Portugal.