ואהביו כצאת השמש בגבורתו
The Holiness of Pesach Cleaning
This week Shabbos was surely preceded in every Jewish home, by days of intense physical preparation for the Yom Tov Pesach. Jewish men and women throughout the world are getting to Shabbos in a state of exhaustion as a result of all the cleaning and other preparations necessary to be mekayim all the halachos connected to the Yom Tov Pesach. It is crucial that we understand the holiness of the seemingly mundane tasks we do, and their potential to elevate us and cleanse our souls.
Like the Sounds of the Shofar
Once, when the heilige Berditchiver Rav saw women hard at work scrubbing and cleaning before Pesach, he exclaimed that what these Yiddishe Mammes were doing may not be viewed as mundane work.
Their actions, said the Bartitchiver, are hinted at in the יהי רצון that we say between sets of the Shofar blasts on Rosh Hashana. We say, יהי רצון שהקולות שעולים מן הקשר"ק וכו' - may it be Your will that the sounds that rise from our תקועה, שברים תרועה, תקועה and so forth, have a great impact in Heaven. These letters are the same as the Yiddish words קראצן, שארבן, רייבן, קערן, scrubbing, brushing, scouring, and sweeping. He said this to highlight the impact that the sounds of cleaning can have up on high, and how it can bring upon us a shower of blessings, like the sounds of Shofar that hopefully brought upon us a blessed new year.
(עשר אורות אות מה)
The 'Lit up' Night
Many seforim expound upon how the preparations of cleaning out the chometz from our homes is a prerogative to be able to receive the tremendous light that comes down on the night of the seder. The more we invest in our preparations for Pesach the more we will merit to see and benefit from the other-worldly light that is present on the night of the seder, which is referred to לילה כיום יאיר - a night that is lit up like day.
Rashi says on the possuk לא יכבה בלילה נרה (משלי לא יח) - her light will not be diminished at night, that the word לילה is written without the final 'ה', only the נקודות provide the correct pronunciation. The word ליל indicates that it refers to a specific night, which Rashi tells us means the night of Yetzias Mitzrayim which was lit up for the Yidden and protected them. And through our immense preparation for the night of the Seder, we too can merit that our neshomos should be 'lit up' on this night, each person according to his level.
Like the Sun at its Peak
Perhaps one of the reasons why such a strong light is present on the night of the seder, after such intense efforts to prepare for Yom Tov, is the opportunities we get to work on the middos of סבלנות and refraining from being כעס or hurting those close to us. We are presented with multiple opportunities to be mekayim what the Mishnah tells us אל תהי נוח לכעס (אבות פ"ב מ"י) - do not be easy to anger.
Often due to the intensity of the work, one is hurt by the words of another, and he then has the opportunity to fulfil what the Gemara tells us (שבת פח:), תנו רבנן: הנעלבין ואינם עולבין שומעין חרפתן ואינן משיבין - One who is shamed, and does not shame in return, or is embarrassed and remains silent, their light is compared to the light of the sun when it comes forth with its greatest might. The Seder night possesses the light of כצאת השמש and perhaps we can merit to absorb this holiness through working on הנעלבין ואינם עולבין, remaining calm and not replying when hurt, throughout our preparations for this heilige Yom Tov.
Cleansing our Hearts from Sin
It is also important to remember, what many seforim tell us, that cleaning the chometz from our homes, is also a reference to removing sin from our hearts during this elevated time. The Zohar Hakodosh says (בראשית רכו ב) that searching for Chometz awakens a person to search for any sins or bad character traits, and completely cleanse himself of them.
The של"ה הקדוש explains how the entire process one has to complete, in order to ensure that his home is chometz-free, has a parallel in the spiritual tasks that one should perform.
Firstly, one must perform בדיקת חמץ - search for chometz, including in all hidden places. So too one must search his deeds, both his revealed acts and the hidden ones, to seek out any aveiros. Secondly, one must use a candle to perform this bedikah. This is a reference to Hashem as it says, ה' אורי וישעי (תהלים כז א) - Hashem is my light and my salvation. A person must search his deeds to ensure that they are לשם שמים - for the sake of Heaven. Both his deeds throughout the year, and those in preparation for Yom Tov, should be done with the כוונה that we are performing these tasks because it is a mitzvah that Hashem commanded us to do.
Additionally, a person must search every nook and cranny, in which chometz could have entered. Hashem is a בוחן לבבות, He knows our innermost thoughts, and we must ensure that even our most hidden thoughts and intentions are for Hashem. Furthermore, even in those places where we do not usually enter with chometz, if there is a slight chance that chometz reached there, one must still check thoroughly. So too, one must search for even small sins, those that one usually forgets about or thinks that he did not commit, for it is easy to abstain from transgressing them. Still, if there is a slight chance that he committed these sins, he should search for them and repent.
Cleansing Ourselves from Sins בין אדם לחברו
The של"ה הקדוש continues, that the halacha is that if there is a hole between two people's houses, then both must search as far as is possible for them to reach. In the place that it is impossible to access, both neighbours need to be מבטל - nullify in their hearts any chometz found there. So too, one must search for any sins בין אדם לחברו, between himself and his fellow man. He must attempt to repent as much as possible, and one should nullify and forgive any remaining hurt.
Searching our Pockets
Furthermore, the רמ"א says that one should ensure to check all his clothing pockets for chometz. This can be a reference to any aveiros committed with money, for money is kept in the pocket, and very often can lead to grave sin. Pockets also refers to the heart, as the Gemara in Yerushalmi (סוף פ"ח דתרומות) says that the heart is encased in a 'pocket'. One must search his heart for envy, because many sins are a result of envy and coveting.
The Gemara says, אין בעור חמץ אלא שרפה - the correct way to destroy the chometz is through burning. The של"ה says that this is a reference to the fact that the way to get rid of all of our 'spiritual chometz' is through the fire of Torah. In this vein, the של"ה provides us with a detailed map of how our physical efforts of cleaning our homes of chometz, should be matched with a spiritual effort to cleanse ourselves of sin in multiple ways.
(של"ה פסחים – מצה עשירה, דרוש ג אות כו-כז)
Banishing the Unholy
The physical tasks of cleaning can be imbued with great spiritual dimensions if done with the correct thoughts and intentions, as illustrated by the following story:
The Rebbe R' Hershele of Rimanov, used to be the shamash, the custodian of the Beis Midrash. During his sheva brachos, he still came into Beis Midrash to perform his cleaning and sorting tasks. The people approached the Rebbe, R' Mendel of Rimanov, that he should tell R' Hershele that it is not appropriate for a chosson to be busy with these mundane tasks. R' Mendele responded on the contrary, proclaiming that he is thrilled that R' Hershele is continuing with his work, for when he cleans, he banishes all the "חיצונים", all the inappropriate and unholy forces that do not belong in a Beis Midrash. His cleaning was a spiritual endeavor, with holy results!
May we merit to do the elevated avodah of preparing for Pesach with serenity, and the correct frame of mind, and thus be zoche to benefit from the great light of the Yom Tov Pesach. All our holy physical tasks should be matched by spiritual efforts to cleanse ourselves of 'chometz' and in that way may we merit the final redemption very soon.
גוט שבת