Chametz is also something that gathers in the corners of our being, the spiritual chametz that, like the physical particles we gather the night before Passover, can infect, wither, influence and sabotage us as we engage with others.
It is truly in darkness, the night which starts the Jewish day, that we come to face our fears and uncertainties, to find the glow of light that reignites faith, hope and possibility.
We need to rediscover the excitement and amazement of life by going back to the beginning, which is what Rosh Hashanah, on one very deep level, is about.
Anyone touched by the Holocaust or the events of Oct. 7 has had their hearts broken apart. Tisha b’Av is but another opportunity to allow the tears of our inner Mikveh (Divine spiritual bath) to flow once again, releasing all that fills our souls.
We feel “as if,’”we were once slaves and now “as if” we might truly become free.
Passover is a historical and spiritual moment in the Jewish calendar. But it is only the beginning, for ultimately, it is about taking us on a journey through the desert towards Shavuot, standing at Mt. Sinai where we become a people.
Hineini, “We are fully present,” honoring important and pivotal women in the formation of our history, role models of values and action, inspirational human beings who helped to shape the narrative of our past, transforming their darkness and redeeming their exile.
When so many feel disillusioned and powerless, we relive the Exodus. We are reminded that when we fall down it is in order to rise up, stronger and more resilient.
Every Jew is an inheritor of the miraculous experience at Sinai and the law-based tradition promoting respect and compassion, receiving a tradition that honors the importance of what we do and teaches how we must do it.