Dear Readers,
Below is a beautiful poem written by one of my readers:
Unity and Miracles
By Annette Amelia Mandis
Our Creator’s plans are mysteriously,
Hidden from us mere mortals,
After all, Hashem knows the outcome,
Even before its actual inception.
So during challenging periods,
We may question, are we the chosen people,
Or the orphans among G-d’s children?
Doubt and confusion can emerge.
When Queen Esther asked fellow Jews,
To fast and daven for three days,
They united as one, turning to Hashem,
With their whole hearts and souls.
The incredible neis of Haman and his sons,
Hung on the gallows instead of Mordechai,
Causes me to wonder, is there is a deep connection,
Between unity and miracles?
Currently, for 1 ½ years our neshamos opened,
Unitedly helping the broken hearted,
Providing chizuk in a multitude of creative ways,
While many hidden and open miracles occurred.
One open miracle, 99% of Iran’s missiles,
Ineffective by the Iron Dome, etc.,
Reported by a scientist as statistically impossible,
Presents clarifying comprehension.
On one of the saddest days for Jews globally,
We united as one, mourning the Bibas family,
Suddenly, a rainbow appeared in Israel,
Revealing Hashem is watching over us.
Then a tremendous neis occurred,
A woman, or possibly a malach, on a bus,
Reported a suspicious package, resulting in the first,
Of many buses exploding without harming a soul.
Plans to detonate light rails and invade,
Israeli cities creating another October 7,
With far greater proportions,
Was miraculously entirely sabotaged.
Thank you Hashem, keep turning your merciful face,
Towards your precious chosen people,
We are partners, physical and spiritual chayalim,
Risking lives and utilizing neshamos.
Allow your shining glow to ignite Jewish souls,
By illuminating Israel with miraculous,
Physical, mental and spiritual healing,
As you bless us with everlasting peace.
* * * * *
Dear Dr. Yael,
Pesach is coming and I have so much anxiety about cleaning and preparing. I struggle with OCD, and I know that I clean too much. It is not simply since I have young children that really make a mess, and I know that my anxiety is out of bounds. I love to cook, and I have full-time help as well as a Pesach kitchen. I know that my cleaning is overdone and my husband who knows halacha tries to calm me down. Please give me some ideas to calm down as even though my husband has the best intentions, telling me to calm down does not really help.
Anxious for Pesach
Dear Anxious for Pesach,
Pesach brings anxiety for most women. Realistically, making Pesach is a big job; however, since I’m assuming you’ve done this already many times, you can be assured that you will be able to do it again. The question is how to prepare for Pesach without all of the extra stress. The key is preparation, specifically retraining your brain to look at Pesach cleaning in a different way.
Of course organization and being prepared will lower your anxiety, but what is just as important is teaching your brain that Pesach cleaning does not have to be anxiety provoking. The goal is to get rid of chametz. This means all rooms must be vacuumed and then the dining room and kitchen will need the most work. If your husband feels you do not need to do the extra things you are doing, please listen to him. If your OCD isn’t allowing you to listen to him, please ask a Rav you trust and then when he confirms, please “talk back” to your OCD as many times as you need so you do not give in. When you give in to anxiety and OCD, it just helps it grow bigger. You may feel better in the moment, but in the long run you are feeding the anxiety and making it worse.
Please seek professional help if you cannot fight the anxiety. Many people have gotten better with the right help and while Pesach will always bring on some anxiety, it should not exacerbate your anxiety to the level that you’re explaining. Hatzlacha with this difficulty and, im yirtzeh Hashem, you will enjoy Pesach this year!
