Now let us return to the hachanos of Yom Tov. It’s clear that when a person works to connect with the essence of the Yom Tov... he learns sifrei Maharal for Pesach... he meditates on the concepts and ideas of the Yom Tov... he learns the halachos of Pesach and the mesechtos about Pesach—this brings him into a matzav of Pesach. There is no question about it.
But, at the same time, we must know that the Ribbono shel Olam commanded us to engage in practical preparations as a hachanah to Shabbos and Yom Tov. And it is here that the yetzer hara catches a person... robbing him of his presence of mind as he goes about these preparations. The Ba’al Davar will do everything to ensure that a person doesn’t remember that “I am now preparing for Yom Tov! I am now fulfilling a mitzvah d’Oraisa of ridding my home of chametz! I am now fulfilling the ratzon Hashem!”
