If you’ve been preparing for Passover the last few weeks, undoubtedly, you have been out shopping, spending more than usual and cleaning the house from top to bottom. Even for those who don’t prepare for the holiday, there is usually a lot of work to do in the springtime, as companies decide to revamp their management style and business model. Many people spring clean and rethink their lives during this time. I often think this is one of the reasons why Passover falls in the Spring, since Spring is a time to throw out what is not working, adopting new habits and a fresh outlook.
How many of those New Year’s resolutions get a second look in the Spring? I think many.
In the Jewish calendar, we add a leap year every few years to ensure Passover falls in the Spring. Why does it have to fall in the Spring? Because it has to! It is said that Hashem showed us great mercy by taking us away from our servitude in Egypt when it was not too hot or not too cold, and we were like young lambs jumping into physical freedom and to higher spiritual levels. The Hebrew word for Passover, is “Pesach” meaning leaping, like the leaping of a young lamb with which this holiday is associated.
Spring and especially Passover is a time to make that leap. Are finances draining you or are you facing obstacles that seem insurmountable. Passover tells us that, like the young lamb, to jump over our limitations and to see miracles of liberation in our lives.
Hashem took the Jewish people out of Egypt so suddenly that there wasn’t time to bake leavened bread. We had to take our dough with us and let it bake in the sun. This shows us that freedom can bee sudden. We don’t need to particularly feel free on Erev Passover, with everything to cook and to, or with deadlines at work hanging over our heads. But once Passover comes in, we are free people and can enjoy the seder without worrying about our every day condition. This is a leap from the every day to freedom, and we can take this freedom and apply it back to our lives when Passover has ended.