I don’t think there is any time of the year in the Land of Israel I enjoy more than Passover. It is like a summer vacation without the heat and the hassle. While the amusement parks are crowded and sometimes hard to navigate my way around, I always run into people I haven’t seen in months or even years.
One advantage to living in the Land of Israel is that the Jewish holidays are everyone’s holidays. No matter what level of observance, practically no one is working during the week of Passover and Succos. Most of the bakeries are closed down, the supermarkets close off the sections where chametz, or leavening is usually sold and the Harley Davidson rider and Rabbi alike greet total strangers with “Chag kasher v sameach” (have a kosher and happy holiday) from the beginning of the month until the holiday actually begins.
In terms of keeping kosher, it seems that everyone moves up a notch in this observance during the holiday, but I don’t think many people really feel deprived. Perhaps I am just speaking for myself and my own family, but we love matzah. Even though the flavor is quite plain and wouldn’t seem so inviting at first glance, it is really spiritual rather than physical food. The matzah represents humility, freedom, healing, so many things that are also characteristic of Spring, renewal and rebirth. The connection between humility and freedom is letting go of the ego and its needs which drag one down. We don’t go to shopping malls during this week, or eat processed food or run out to restaurants. We eat matzah, fruits and vegetables and go out on family outings. It is nice to feel free of the laundry list, the to-do items and the advertisements screaming out sales. There are practical reasons many people don’t shop during this week (a discussion better reserved for another time), but the result is a feeling of freedom from shopping and consumerism, which be like a modern day equivalent to building pyramids.
Make some family time during Passover, just to enjoy each others’ company. Try a picnic in the park or just sitting around and sharing memories. Passover is a great time to reconnect with those closest to us.