Page 44 - issue
P. 44
Room for Us
Sure, the house needs to be clean, but Pesach cleaning
can be accomplished without all the frantic spring cleaning
we seem to feel is part of the equation. “Let me put it this
way,” Rav Belsky says. “Yes, you may have missed some of the
chametz scattered around your house, but it won’t necessar-
ily be a problem if you’ve done a bitul beforehand.”
So keep things in perspective, don’t allow yourself to
become overwhelmed, and you’re already a step ahead of the
game.
Rebbetzin Kaganoff – educational director of Shearim, a
Har Nof seminary for baalos teshuva, and author of Dear
Kallah: A Practical Guide for the New Bride (Feldheim,
1992) – echoes these words: “Most women approach Pesach
with dread. You can’t let negative thought patterns get you
down. If you catch yourself thinking things like, ‘Oh, no,
Pesach is coming,’ get those thoughts out of your head and
replace them with, ‘I’m so glad Pesach is coming.’”
Are you looking forward to Pesach and the chance it
brings to bond with your family and your Creator, or are you
groaning at the thought of piles of potatoes to be peeled and
mountains of dishes to wash at 2 a.m.? It’s not only our atti-
tude to Pesach cleaning that needs to be adjusted, but often
our attitude to Yom Tov in general. If we’re looking forward to
the season of cheirus (freedom), we’re already ahead of the
game.
Mrs. Berson – an educator, wife, mother, and grandmoth-
er living in Yerushalayim who is known for her down-to-earth
wisdom – reminds me that there’s no reason to feel bad that
you spent the weeks leading up to the Seder cleaning your
home and preparing all the physical aspects of the Yom Tov.
“Someone had to do it,” she says matter-of-factly. “Appreciate
how hard you’ve worked, and give yourself a pat on the back!
The house is clean, the kitchen’s been turned over – this is
your accomplishment.
“You need to remember to take time for yourself in the
midst of all the cleaning,” she adds. “If you wait till everything
is finished, you’ll never do it, because the cleaning is endless.
You need to carve out breaks for yourself amidst the clean-
ing to prepare for the other aspects of Yom Tov.” This applies
whether you sit down with a sefer, if you’re so inclined, or
plan a family get-together for Shabbos Chol Hamoed.
Prepare the Tools
This leads us right into our next topic: how exactly we should
be preparing for the Seder. It may seem obvious, but it is
impossible to gain anything from the Seder if you’ve spent
the last four weeks working frantically to get your home ready
for the big day. If you’ve slept only four hours of the last 48,
can no longer remember your oldest child’s middle name,
and wouldn’t even have showered if your husband hadn’t
forced you out of the kitchen 20 minutes before candle light-
ing, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be in the proper frame of
mind for the Seder.
36 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
Sure, the house needs to be clean, but Pesach cleaning
can be accomplished without all the frantic spring cleaning
we seem to feel is part of the equation. “Let me put it this
way,” Rav Belsky says. “Yes, you may have missed some of the
chametz scattered around your house, but it won’t necessar-
ily be a problem if you’ve done a bitul beforehand.”
So keep things in perspective, don’t allow yourself to
become overwhelmed, and you’re already a step ahead of the
game.
Rebbetzin Kaganoff – educational director of Shearim, a
Har Nof seminary for baalos teshuva, and author of Dear
Kallah: A Practical Guide for the New Bride (Feldheim,
1992) – echoes these words: “Most women approach Pesach
with dread. You can’t let negative thought patterns get you
down. If you catch yourself thinking things like, ‘Oh, no,
Pesach is coming,’ get those thoughts out of your head and
replace them with, ‘I’m so glad Pesach is coming.’”
Are you looking forward to Pesach and the chance it
brings to bond with your family and your Creator, or are you
groaning at the thought of piles of potatoes to be peeled and
mountains of dishes to wash at 2 a.m.? It’s not only our atti-
tude to Pesach cleaning that needs to be adjusted, but often
our attitude to Yom Tov in general. If we’re looking forward to
the season of cheirus (freedom), we’re already ahead of the
game.
Mrs. Berson – an educator, wife, mother, and grandmoth-
er living in Yerushalayim who is known for her down-to-earth
wisdom – reminds me that there’s no reason to feel bad that
you spent the weeks leading up to the Seder cleaning your
home and preparing all the physical aspects of the Yom Tov.
“Someone had to do it,” she says matter-of-factly. “Appreciate
how hard you’ve worked, and give yourself a pat on the back!
The house is clean, the kitchen’s been turned over – this is
your accomplishment.
“You need to remember to take time for yourself in the
midst of all the cleaning,” she adds. “If you wait till everything
is finished, you’ll never do it, because the cleaning is endless.
You need to carve out breaks for yourself amidst the clean-
ing to prepare for the other aspects of Yom Tov.” This applies
whether you sit down with a sefer, if you’re so inclined, or
plan a family get-together for Shabbos Chol Hamoed.
Prepare the Tools
This leads us right into our next topic: how exactly we should
be preparing for the Seder. It may seem obvious, but it is
impossible to gain anything from the Seder if you’ve spent
the last four weeks working frantically to get your home ready
for the big day. If you’ve slept only four hours of the last 48,
can no longer remember your oldest child’s middle name,
and wouldn’t even have showered if your husband hadn’t
forced you out of the kitchen 20 minutes before candle light-
ing, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be in the proper frame of
mind for the Seder.
36 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
