Dearest friends,
Spring is here in Jerusalem. The sun is shining, flowers are in bloom, and the birds are singing. The feeling of rebirth and renewal in the air is tangible. Pesach, which commemorates our birth as a Nation, is also a time of renewal.
R. David ibn Zimra (16th C. Safed), in a responsum, struggles to understand the many Torah and Rabbinic stringencies surrounding owning, searching for, and destroying chametz. He writes:
Chametz on Pesach alludes to the Evil Inclination - 'the leaven in the dough' (See Berakhot 17a and Rashi, ad loc). Therefore, one must destroy and certainly banish it from himself. He should search in all of the hidden places of his intellect. [Like chametz,] even the smallest amount is not nullified (Shu"t haRadvaz, vol. 3, no. 536).
Chametz is full of air - it's inflated. It represents pride and ego. So while we work hard to rid our homes from all leavened bread, Pesach is also a time for some serious soul-searching. We turn inward and think about how to deflate our ego - the chametz of our souls.
Matza, the simplest bread, which the Zohar calls the "Bread of Faith," reminds us that true fulfillment comes from the simple things in life.
But if left for too long, if unattended - those same simple ingredients that go into baking Matza, become chametz. For chametz also represents paralysis and inaction - not actualizing our unique potential. As our Sages teach: "When a mitzvah comes into your hand, don't let it leaven."
While slaves in Egypt, the Jewish Nation suffered from a paralysis. Spiritually suffocated, they were covered over by a malaise of inaction. They could not hear Hashem's promise of Redemption because of their "shortness of spirit" (Exodus 6:9). Even the name Mitzrayim implies narrowness, constriction and limitations, from the Hebrew, meitzar. The bondage in Egypt wasn't merely a physical bondage, but a mental one. And so, while still in Egypt, Hashem began the process of taking the Jew out of the psychology of Exile, ridding him of his slave mentality.
It took a little chutzpah to leave the psychology of Exile. See my recent article on the JewishPress.com:
The Seder Night is a trans-formative experience. At the Seder, the narrative of the Exodus from Egypt is interwoven with the story of the whole of Jewish History, as well as the fabric of our own personal narratives. As we relive the experience each year, we leave Egypt and also our own Egypt - whatever is holding us back in life. We are challenged to break free from our personal meitzar.
Just as the house requires preparation, so too the Seder. Still looking for that perfect Haggadah? See some of my recommendations here:
To hear some of my thoughts on Exile & Redemption, listen to my interview this week with friend and colleague Yishai Fleisher on Galei Yisrael FM:
Wishing you and yours a chag kasher v'sameach - a happy and healthy Passover! May we soon merit to eat from the zevachim and pesachim - amein!
With blessings from Jerusalem,
Shimshon Nadel
