blogs/rabbi-huberman

Chametz of the Soul #448

 
About fifteen years ago, while spending some time over Passover with my parents in Toronto, I accompanied my mother to the local kosher supermarket.
 
She asked to speak to the supermarket's resident rabbi, and posed to him the following question.
 
"Is tahini (sesame paste) kosher for Passover or not?"
 
"Hmmm." replied the rabbi. "It depends whether you follow Ashkenazi (European) or Sephardic (Middle Eastern) tradition."
 
"Really?" I thought. "Surely, there can be only one answer to the question." Besides, I asked myself, "What does God really want?"
 
Over time, I've been drawn closer to the belief that God cares less about the human minutiae of religious practice -- and more about the values which we both practice and share.
 
Indeed, Passover, which begins this coming Friday, is a glorious festival of freedom, combining food, family, friends, and tradition. It unites people from different backgrounds to retrace our steps from Egypt, and to rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of freedom.
 
In accordance with the requirements of the season, we clean every nook and cranny of our homes as we remove leaven (chametz)  from our midst. That is important: it can bring families together in rediscovery and a new appreciation of their homes. It can even feel liberating. But are we missing something?
 
What about the spring cleaning of the soul?
 
The Talmud, our ancient collection of oral traditions, talks about s'or sheh'b'isa - literally the yeast, or inner materialism which holds us back.
 
Rabbi Yehudah Prero once wrote, "Chametz  ...represents all of our character flaws such as haughtiness, jealousy, unbridled passion and lust. Just as we need to remove every speck of chametz from our household, so too we need to remove every speck of spiritual chametzfrom our beings."
 
On a day-to-day basis, we occupy ourselves with so many non-productive activities. Naturally this compounds during winter. We have all watched too many Law and Order reruns (yes, all of us), eaten too many unhealthy foods, neglected our bodies, neglected our minds.
 
It isolates us from others. Many remain indoors, interacting less with family and friends. During the restrictive winter months, we can become more stubborn, impatient, and opinionated.
 
But then comes Passover, a fundamentally social festival during which we're all needed to participate and celebrate -- we all have to emerge from hibernation.
 
At the Seder table, we rekindle friendships and embrace family. We eat, sing, and read sacred stories.
 
In so doing, we remember each other, and we remember our journey together.
 
Passover is seen as a time to remove anything physically stale from our homes, but it's also an opportunity to consider what may have grown musty within our souls.
 
What negative habits have we developed during the winter months?
 
What in our lives has become flat?
 
As the Talmudic sage Rabbi Alexandri taught two thousand years ago, it is the yeast within that stops us from meeting our full potential.
 
It's the yeast inside us making us stubborn. It is the yeast within that holds on to grudges. It's the yeast that demands we leave every confrontation as the undisputed winner, without thinking: Did I listen? Was I willing to learn? It is the yeast that forces confrontations when we could have conversations, learning new things, even changing our minds.
 
So Jewish tradition provides some additional advice this time of year as we occupy ourselves with physical preparations.
 
It encourages us to "Lose the chametz in our soul." Once we remove leaven from our souls, space is cleared for what truly matters: love, compassion, forgiveness, acts of lovingkindness.
 
The story of Passover is much more than splitting hairs. It is about teaching the message of freedom to our children, enlisting them through stories, parables, metaphors, and role modelling to become participants within the collective Jewish mission of Tikun Olam, the healing of this broken world.
 
Within Jewish tradition, this Sabbath is known as Shabbat HaGadol - literally the Great Shabbat. It is one of the few times of the year that old school rabbis would emerge from prayer and study to deliver a public sermon.
 
Often, they would take this opportunity to remind their followers thatPesach is a time for spiritual cleansing as much as any other kind.
Our Sages remind us that the pursuit of freedom begins from within.
 
May we each commit to that journey.
 
What is our latest obsession?
 
How have we become sour, stubborn, haughty?
 
What grudges are we devoting ourselves to?
 
It's time to get back to basics and make space for what really matters.
 
It's time to flatten our souls, and embrace those simple things which truly set us free.
 
Shabbat Shalom, v' kol tuv (with all goodness)
 
Rabbi Irwin Huberman