In Sefer Tehillim it is written “Ivdu et Hashem bB’simcha,” one should serve G-d with happiness. Anytime a person performs a mitzvah it should be done with simcha.
With that said, too often the days before Pesach are wrought with anxiety and arguments. Women throughout our history have approached these times very seriously in cleaning their homes in preparation for Pesach. However, in many cases instead of performing this act with simcha, it is done with a great deal of tension and stress.
I am reminded of a story that my son told me of a rosh yeshiva who invited his students to his home before Pesach. As he gathered his students around the dining room table he announced in a joking fashion that his wife told him that all the chairs are kosher for pesach.
His wife overheard his statement and came in noticeably upset and said:
“If it were up to my husband, we would be eating chametz on Pesach.”
Those who are cleaning for Pesach must remember that preparation for Pesach is a mitzvah and that theme should always be portrayed so that their children will learn from their actions. And if their preparation is a little “over the top” they should remember that they are setting the example on how their children will approach this mitzvah when they become adults.
However you accomplish this, whether your stringencies follow basic Jewish law or are “over the top,” It must be done with simcha.
– Rabbi Mordechai Weiss lives in Efrat, Israel, and previously served as an elementary and high school principal in New Jersey and Connecticut. He was also the founder and rav of Young Israel of Margate, N.J. His email is [email protected].
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Pesach cleaning need not be stressful and should not be stressful. If one does not make Pesach cleaning synonymous with spring cleaning and one takes a reasonable approach it should not be stressful. We eat bitter herbs on Pesach but should not become bitter people.
One should sit with his rav to formulate a reasonable plan to properly prepare for Pesach without excess, so that the mitzvot of Pesach are performed with joy. It is critical for the next generation to view Pesach as a labor of love and not a burden.
– Rabbi Chaim Jachter is a prominent rabbi who serves as the rabbi at Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, and is a popular Torah teacher at the Torah Academy of Bergen County. He also serves as a Dayan on the Beth Din of Elizabeth and has acquired an international reputation of excellence in the area of Get administration. He has authored sixteen books on issues ranging from contemporary Halacha, Tanach, Aggada, and Jewish Thought all available on Amazon.
