Preparing for Pesach
03/03/2021 09:23:19 AM
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Dear Congregational Family,
We are taught that thirty days before Pesach, one should begin inquiring about the laws of the Festival. Of course, once Purim ends, it is a month before Pesach. Locally, the supermarkets seem to be ready for Pesach even more than a month in advance.
This coming Shabbat, three weeks prior to the Festival, is Shabbat Parah. The Maftir passage reminds us about ritual purification, and the Haftarah reminds us about moral purification.
Pesach's laws about removing Chametz are both about ritual and morality. On one level, we remove all leavened products from sight and ownership during Pesach. On another level, we are commanded to remove our inner Chametz, meaning that which sours the soul.
Now is the time to begin the process of cleansing ourselves externally and internally. It is now three and a half weeks of shopping days until Pesach.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Howard Morrison