The Human Spirit: Pesach on My Mind
March 31, 2005
It's the morning before Pessah and time to burn the last bread crumbs. Suddenly I realize that I've totally forgotten about Pessah. I haven't even begun cleaning - not the refrigerator or the cutlery drawers. I can't possibly get all of this completed in an hour and make a Seder, I panic. Then I wake up, realizing it's only December or March or May and that once again I'm only experiencing my repeating anxiety dream.
Most people have anxiety dreams about forgetting to study for a final exam or getting on the wrong subway and winding up in the Bronx, says my sister the psychologist. I don't know what therapists would make of my dream, but Jewish educators would doubtlessly be pleased about this merging of subconscious and Jewish consciousness.
Despite the advertisement in these pages by a group of Karaites, who declared Pessah began last Friday, (based on an interpretation of the Hebrew aviv to mean a moment in the cereal grain cycle) Passover would be hard to miss in Jerusalem. Advertisements for cleaning products are already flashing on TV, and one supermarket chain is trying to lure in customers by offering nearly free DVDs.
Anxiety dreams notwithstanding, from the moment Purim ends, fully awake women precede conversation with a sigh of resignation and then ask "how are you doing on Pessah?" I know that sounds sexist, but I've never heard a man heave this particular sigh or one man ask another how he was doing on Pessah.
An occupational psychologist told me that even women who run corporations are angst-ridden by Pessah preparations, as they match themselves to family role models. Reminiscences of Pessahs-past inevitably include the stock figure of mother or grandmother who exhausted herself scouring and cooking for the holiday to make her table perfect. In these nostalgic tales, grandfathers are forever grinding horseradish. It's my experience that to their wives' cleaning efforts men often contribute their favorite aphorism: "Dirt isn't hametz." To which I say, listen to the rabbi but watch the rebbetzin.
This preoccupation isn't confined to synagogue-going, Sabbath-observant Jews. In the weeks before Pessah, I once found myself among women ideologues from the Labor Party waiting for a conference to begin. They weren't using the time to expound on Berl Katznelson's views on uniting the workers' parties or the benefits of social welfare: they were comparing Pessah strategies.
ON ONE hand, Pessah elicits our religious stringency and obsession with
details: from the appropriateness of cooking with rapeseed oil to the
measure of matza that needs to be consumed to fulfill the mitzva to eat
unleavened bread. Halachic rulings for Pessah are judged according to
the uncompromising House of Shammai, in contrast to the more moderate
House of Hillel rulings for other holidays. On the other hand, the overarching
themes of the holiday express the most beloved ideas of Judaism: peoplehood,
the elevation of human freedom and dignity, reliance on Divine help, and
empathy for the oppressed that only those who have experienced slavery
and who savor freedom can internalize. Ideally, both come together at
the Seder table.
Annually published statistics show that nearly all Israeli Jews take part
in a Seder, from lifers in prison to beach boys in Eilat.
But what actually transpires at the Seder table varies greatly. The Seder can be a multi-hour family gathering with everyone taking part - from the littlest kids to the most venerable grandparents - and with every line of the Haggada read or even acted out. Others show up with lavish gifts but rely on an older generation to prepare the meal and read the Haggada. Still others break a matza or two, recite the four questions, and then eat a regular meal, including hametz.
I'd like to suggest that the energy of Pessah can be used to bring those who focus more on the persnickety details, and those who embrace only the philosophy without caring for the ancient rules closer to each other.
Jews whose Pessah tables conform to the most stringent level of Halacha are missing an opportunity for much-vaunted national unity if they don't invite at least one non-observant person to their table. Hint: this is a good time to line up guests among new immigrants and veteran Israelis. Likewise, those who have been casual about following custom might move closer to Judaism investing in tradition. Young adults with wanderlust are fascinated by the practices and adjust easily to the restrictions of Buddhists in the Himalayas. The traditional cultural habits of the Jewish people can also arouse some curiosity. Hint: Asking participants to prepare parts of the Seder ahead of time is a non-coercive way to increase identification with the Haggada, a book that surpasses most in its intrinsic interest level. There are wonderful resources available in Israeli bookstores.
We celebrate this Pessah with the joy of knowing that nearly all the Jewish people in the world are free to openly celebrate the festival of our liberation. Freedom demands that we work toward bridging the chasms within our people. If we're successful, the anxiety is worthwhile.
