The Kedusha Comes All at Once, and One Must be Prepared For It

A person must prepare himself to be worthy of receiving the sanctity of the day. One must realize that the kedusha comes suddenly, all at once, as the Avodas Yisroel (Inyanei Pesach) writes to explain how Pesach is greater than all other yomtovim. He says that on all other holidays, the kedusha does not all arrive all at one time. Rather, it comes little by little as one davens Maariv, Shacharis and Minchah. On Pesach, however, it all comes at once. Therefore, one must prepare in advance. He compares this to a burning hot sun that appears in the sky. It has the ability to light up a house, but one still has to open the shades on his own to benefit from the light.