April 2008: Spiritual Spring Cleaning
There are many opportunities
in the Jewish calendar to take stock of
oneself and one's surroundings. The
High Holidays are one such occasion.
Another is Passover, zeman heruteinu,
the time of our freedom, perhaps our
most beloved of holidays, which falls in
Nissan, the first month in the Hebrew
calendar.
How do we take stock on Passover? We do so first by preparing our homes. A thorough "Spring cleaning", the ridding of chametz (all that contains leaven), and kashering of utensils, is capped off by a quaint ritual with a candle and a feather known as the bedikat chametz, or the final search for leaven.
There is, however, a "spiritual Spring cleaning" that can take place at this time of year as well. Removing the chametz from our hearts and minds, that is, cleaning out the emotional leaven that can lead to excessive pride or possessiveness, or the gunk that can clog up and "harden our hearts" like Pharaoh's - all this we work to remove from our midst as well. And so, on Passover, we spend eight days eating matzah, an unleavened, flat bread, as we take stock of our inner lives.
Communities can take stock of themselves too. Here at CKS, in the past eight months, we have accomplished a great deal together. We celebrated the New Year and Simchat Torah, Chanukah and Purim. We have sat shiva together for a number of relatives and friends, rejoiced in our children's b'nei mitzvah, and helped each other out in times of illness. Together, we studied about Judaism and the environment, and about the exciting topic of Jewish mysticism.
In addition, bricks have been laid in our new walkway, and our lobby has been spruced up with paint, a new rug, and furniture - all donations of time, money, and materials of congregants. A new work of art, painted by our recent bar mitzvah, Jeremy Bilotti, now graces our walls. And, our Board and committees and our staff are all working hard on policy and membership and new ideas for our Hebrew school.
Of course, in taking stock of our accomplishments, we realize how much there is yet to be done in terms of growing our membership, refining our Hebrew school and adult education programs, beautifying our property, and streamlining our organizational structure. Any one of you can have a hand in these efforts and more, and I invite you to share your thoughts, time, and expertise.
It is Congregation Kehilat Shalom's 25th anniversary. On April 25th, during the beautiful holiday of Passover, we will hold an installation ceremony in which we can all take stock and celebrate together both our accomplishments as a community, as well as the possibilities for future development. Imagine, if you can, in the dawn of Jewish history, the possibilities of a small band of runaway slaves who celebrated the first Passover together, met God in the wilderness, and then set off for the Promised Land. On April 25th, let us, like our ancestors, hope and dream and celebrate all of our many possibilities together.
In the meantime, I wish each and every one of you a zissen Pesach, a sweet Passover, a season of taking stock, self-renewal, and spiritual growth.
B'Shalom,
Rabbi Susan
How do we take stock on Passover? We do so first by preparing our homes. A thorough "Spring cleaning", the ridding of chametz (all that contains leaven), and kashering of utensils, is capped off by a quaint ritual with a candle and a feather known as the bedikat chametz, or the final search for leaven.
There is, however, a "spiritual Spring cleaning" that can take place at this time of year as well. Removing the chametz from our hearts and minds, that is, cleaning out the emotional leaven that can lead to excessive pride or possessiveness, or the gunk that can clog up and "harden our hearts" like Pharaoh's - all this we work to remove from our midst as well. And so, on Passover, we spend eight days eating matzah, an unleavened, flat bread, as we take stock of our inner lives.
Communities can take stock of themselves too. Here at CKS, in the past eight months, we have accomplished a great deal together. We celebrated the New Year and Simchat Torah, Chanukah and Purim. We have sat shiva together for a number of relatives and friends, rejoiced in our children's b'nei mitzvah, and helped each other out in times of illness. Together, we studied about Judaism and the environment, and about the exciting topic of Jewish mysticism.
In addition, bricks have been laid in our new walkway, and our lobby has been spruced up with paint, a new rug, and furniture - all donations of time, money, and materials of congregants. A new work of art, painted by our recent bar mitzvah, Jeremy Bilotti, now graces our walls. And, our Board and committees and our staff are all working hard on policy and membership and new ideas for our Hebrew school.
Of course, in taking stock of our accomplishments, we realize how much there is yet to be done in terms of growing our membership, refining our Hebrew school and adult education programs, beautifying our property, and streamlining our organizational structure. Any one of you can have a hand in these efforts and more, and I invite you to share your thoughts, time, and expertise.
It is Congregation Kehilat Shalom's 25th anniversary. On April 25th, during the beautiful holiday of Passover, we will hold an installation ceremony in which we can all take stock and celebrate together both our accomplishments as a community, as well as the possibilities for future development. Imagine, if you can, in the dawn of Jewish history, the possibilities of a small band of runaway slaves who celebrated the first Passover together, met God in the wilderness, and then set off for the Promised Land. On April 25th, let us, like our ancestors, hope and dream and celebrate all of our many possibilities together.
In the meantime, I wish each and every one of you a zissen Pesach, a sweet Passover, a season of taking stock, self-renewal, and spiritual growth.
B'Shalom,
Rabbi Susan
posted on Monday, April 14, 2008
