Ridding ourselves of Pre-Pesach "Bloatedness"

Dear Friends,

These days of Sheltering in place have been challenging for all of us. Last week, I spoke about the need for creating rituals and routines that help us to stay focused and healthy. As I was thinking about what I would say to you this week, my thoughts turned to the fact that in just a few days we will be celebrating the joyous festival of Pesach. Of course, this year, our seder tables will be much different than in years past. Due to our need to stay safe and protect ourselves and others, we cannot gather together in person to tell our ancient story, sing the songs and give thanks for God’s redemptive acts as retold in our Haggadot. While we will be celebrating “virtually,” we will miss the family and friends whose presence has always made our celebrations special.

Passover (Pesach) is a time of renewal. The preparation for our festival is often as intense (if not more) than the festival itself. The cooking, cleaning, and anticipation for this week of celebration can be all consuming – and this year, truth be told, it is a welcome diversion from the cloistered nature of our Corona-lives.

One traditional ritual that many people follow is called B’dikat Chametz – the search for Chametz. Chametz is a word that we translate into “leavening,” but it means much more – I’ll come back to that in a minute. I remember, as a small child, how, after my parents thoroughly cleaned our home and got rid of all of the chametz, my father would hide a few bread crumbs in strategic locations around the house and my sister and I would go and look for them with a feather, a dustpan and a small broom. We would gather up all the hidden pieces, take them outside and symbolically burn them in a ritual that signified that our house was officially kosher for Pesach. Now, gathering up stale crumbs couldn’t compare to the elaborate Easter Egg hunts our Catholic next-door neighbors would throw that yielded them chocolate bunnies, marshmellow peeps and chewy candies in bright green baskets, but we like it nonetheless.

So what exactly IS Chametz anyways.  As I mentioned earlier, we translate it as “leavening,” but it means much more. According to the tradition among Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jews, Chametz is anything that rises when it comes in contact with water. All raw grains like flour, barley, and spelt are considered to be Chametz. Legumes and rice are considered by most Ashkenazi authorities to be not kosher for Pesach, while Sephardic (or Spanish/North African) Jews are permitted to eat them.

Whatever your custom, it is important that, on Pesach, we make a distinction between Chametz and Matzah. The Torah teaches us that we eat Matzah to remember the unleavened cakes of bread that our Ancestors ate when they went forth out of Egypt. But there are other ways to understand the difference between Chametz and Matzah as well.  In the Jewish mystical tradition, Chametz also signifies bloatedness or arrogance, while Matzah represents humility and simplicity. As grain expands when it comes in contact with water, so too, we “expand” when we get too cocky or self-confident. Matza is Lakhma Anya – and Aramaic term that means the bread of the poor people, or the “bread of affliction.” In this context, ridding our homes of Chametz is a powerful metaphor for our personal journeys of self-awareness and mindfulness. What better time than the festival of Springtime to rid ourselves of any notions of selfishness and arrogance?

During this period of social distancing (or “distant socializing”), many of us are spending time cleaning out our closets, cabinets, sock drawers, or garages in order to stay busy. Maybe we also can go through a process of Bedikat Chametz -  searching for the leavening in our souls as well.  Once again, I offer these 7 questions for the week to come to help us along our journeys:

1. What “baggage” am I carrying around that I need to discard of at this time of preparation?
2. How have I become “bloated” over the past year – physically? Mentally? Spiritually?
3.  During this time of isolation, have I tried to reach out to others and make sure that they, too are healthy?
4. On Pesach, we read the story of the Plagues that God visited upon the Egyptians. There are those who are stating that the COVID-19 virus is a divine punishment as well. This kind of Theology is dangerous because it can be used to justify hatred and racism. Have I done all that I can to confront and challenge these ideas when it is safe to do so?
5.  In ridding my home of non-essential items, have I considered how others might be able to use them as well? 
6. Bloatedness can also be a metaphor for hoarding items that are desperately needed by others. Have I been part of the problem or the solution of this phenomenon in our society?
7. When we are loaded down with symbolic Chametz, we can forget to see and appreciate the beauty and joy around us.  Have I taken the time to see the positive relationships and opportunities in my life – even in these worrisome times?

Again – these are just a few suggestions.  Feel free to add more and share them with me or others. May you and all whom you love have a safe, healthy and joyous Pesach.

L’Shalom,

Rabbi Joseph R. Black