Pesach Is Over. Now What?

B'ezrat Hashem, we all had a wonderful and meaningful Pesach; a taste of Gan Eden for 7 (8) days. So what happens now? Did we all play make-believe for 7 days and use our imagination to see ourselves leave Egypt only to return back to Egypt on the 9th day? Do we say that Pesach is our "time of our Freedom" to imply that the other 347 days of the (lunar) year are "not the time of our Freedom?"

During the rest of the year, we have the choice to be free or not. We can choose to learn Torah, to do mitzvot, to do good deeds, to daven, to work on our Avodat Hashem. On Pesach we don't have a choice. Hashem out of His kindness forces us to be free for 7 days. He gives us a taste of what it means to be free for 7 days. To hold back on our desires (chametz) and to see that we have the strength within us to overcome our desires.

It says in Yoma 69a, that the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed because of idolatry. And even after it was destroyed we had a burning desire for idolatry. It was driving us crazy. The rabbis fasted and prayed for 3 days and were able to remove our passion and lust for idolatry. So too after Pesach, we recognzie as they did then, that our desires overcome us and are more powerful than us. We beg and beseech Hashem to have mercy on us and remove these desires. That's what Hashem wants. He knows we are human, He knows that we are weak. But He wants us to reach out to Him and ask for help. And if we ask for Help He will surely give it.

So this is what we can take from Pesach to continue being free all year. We already know we can hold back for a week. We know that the strength is within each and every one of us. But after Pesach we go back to being slaves to our taivos. And for this we beseech Hashem for help. So that we be free not only during Pesach but also for the rest of the year.

Have a great Summer,

Akiva

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