The museum of dysfunctional attachments

Pesach cleaning is visiting the museum of dysfunctional attachments All the junk that you have saved up and didn't want to throw out You have to take a look at it and say what is this doing in my life

The more junk that you throw out the more ready you are for Peaach

From a shiur by Rabbi Shais Taub

Waiting to get Past the Bitterness of Life

Once a Jew and a German banded together to go around begging. The Jew taught the German how to pretend to be a Jew (since German and Yiddish are quite similar). This way the Jews, who are kind by nature, would help him.


Pesach was coming, so the Jew taught the German how to behave when invited to someone's home for the Pesach Seder. He explained to him that first they would make the Kiddush and then wash their hands… The one thing that the Jew forgot to mention was the eating of the bitter herbs.

When the German came to the Seder he was ravenous, not having eaten for the whole day. He was gleefully anticipating eating all the good things the Jew had told him about. But at first, all they gave him was a tiny piece of vegetable dipped in saltwater for Karpas, and they carried on reading the Haggadah.

The German was desperately longing for the meal. He was delighted when they started eating the Matzah. But all of a sudden they gave him the Maror, which was terribly bitter in his mouth.

The German thought this was the entire meal, and all they were going to eat was the Maror. He immediately ran out, bitter and hungry, thinking to himself that the Jews were truly cursed. “After all that ceremony, this is what they give to eat?!?” He returned to the synagogue and went to sleep.

Later on the Jew arrived, his face beaming, fully satisfied from eating and drinking. “How was your Seder?” he asked. The German angrily told him what happened.

“Oh you stupid German,” said the Jew. “If you had only waited just a little longer you would have enjoyed the best meal, exactly like me.”

So it is in serving God. After all a person's efforts and exertions to draw closer to God, he is subjected to a little bitterness – because the purification of the body comes through bitterness. The person thinks there will never be anything except bitterness, and immediately runs away.

If he would just be willing to wait a while and endure this little bitterness in order to purify the body, he would later experience every kind of vitality and delight. In serving God, first one experiences the bitterness of the purification of the body, but afterwards one enjoys the vitality.

By Rebbi Nachman of Breslov

from:

http://www.breslev.co.il/articles/holidays_and_fast_days/pesach/the_bitter_herb.aspx?id=15560&language=english

Pesach Inspiration and Enjoyment

Unnecessary attachment to a physical thing.

As I was turning over my kitchen I remembered something that I read in a Sefer by Bilvavi Miskan Evneh about the pain that we feel separating from the physical world after we die.  He mentions that a Tzadik has no problem with this, is is like taking off one set of clothes and putting on another.  As I was getting rid of my extra chometz I was thinking about how difficult this has been in past years.  It made me feel like I was parting with something of value, that I had invested in and didn't want to get rid of.  I realized that this feeling of attachment to a physical thing has caused me unnecessary and silly pain.  By emotionally detaching from it, and declaring it valueless in my mind, I could make the turnover much easier.

Using the spiritual strength of Pesach to free ourselves.

Pesach is a time of freedom.  At this time of the year we are able to use this inherent strength to free ourselves from our Yetzer Harah and from our physical desires.

from: The Shiur on Naaleh:  Freedom from Self to Self

Teacher: Mrs. Shira Smiles Class: Jewish Calendar III (Pesach-Shavuot)

Added: March 28, 2011 Time: 59:26

Emotional Slavery

by R' Abraham Twerski MD

Many families gather together for the Passover Seder. They eat the matzah and the bitter herbs, drink the four cups, and recite the Haggadah. The house is free of all chametz. In our prayers we refer to Passover as "the festival of liberation." These are wonderful mitzvot. But, what do we take from Passover into our daily lives?

It should be obvious that Passover is more than a kind of Independence Day celebration. Who prepares for an Independence Day two weeks in advance, making the house chametz-free to a degree of operating-room sterility, replacing all dishes and cookware, and having a sharply restricted diet for eight days?

The deeper significance of Passover occurred to me when a recovering drug addict told me that when his father began reciting the Haggadah at the Seder, and said, "Avadim hayinu (we were slaves)," he interrupted him. "Abba," he said, "can you truthfully say that you were a slave? Your ancestors were slaves, but you don't know what it means to be a slave. I can tell you what it is like to be a slave. All the years that I was on drugs, I had no freedom. I had to do whatever my addiction demanded. I did things that I never thought I was capable of doing, but I had no choice, no free will. I was the worst kind of slave."

This is a precious insight. Slavery is not limited to a despotic Pharaoh or a slave owner. A person can lose his freedom and be a slave to himself, to his habits and negative character traits. A person who cannot break free from cigarettes is a slave, as is someone who cannot break free from gambling, from excess food, from the Internet, and even from the office.

A person whose self-concept is dependent on what others think of him, or whose behavior is totally determined by what he thinks others want him to be, he, too, has no freedom. He is not free to do what he thinks is right and proper, but what others think is right and proper. Anytime one loses control of any aspect of one's behavior, one is a slave.

The entire Haggadah is essentially a text on breaking free from all forms of enslavement, internal as well as external.

This understanding of Passover and the Exodus explains why we have an entire week of celebrating independence. For political independence, one day of parades, picnics, and fireworks suffices. For the realization of obtaining true personal freedom, an entire week of contemplation is necessary...

thank you Lynda for sending me this link!

A Dose of Tranquility for Pesach Cleaning-Dealing with BREAD CRUMBS durring Pesach Cleaning.

What about bread crumbs on your kitchen floor? There are various opinions in halacha, but I'm going to present one in particular that is easier to understand. We established that the third category -- "garbage" -- is defined as anything that cannot ferment another dough, and is so non-edible that even a dog wouldn't eat it. According to most halachic authorities, there is one more substance that is defined as "garbage": Chametz that is smaller than a kezayit (about 30 grams) and you would not use it for anything. This is something most people call "garbage" -- you would easily throw it away and in your mind it's nothing. Crumbs fit into this category. The only kind of crumb that's problematic is one you'd pick up with your finger and put on your tongue. So leftover crumbs from the table are in fact "chametz." Leftover crumbs on the floor, which you wouldn't eat, are garbage. Therefore, any crumb that you would consider dirt (and is smaller than a kezayit) does not have to be gotten rid of. (The fact that a baby eats it does not turn it into chametz. Because when a baby decides to eat something, it is not a conscious decision that "this is food." If you have non-food around, a baby will eat that, too!) from: Pesach Cleaing made easy: By knowing what and how to clean, Passover cleaning needn't be a chore. by Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits http://www.aish.com/h/pes/l/48970611.html

Nissan a time for rejuvenation.

Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the new Hebrew month of Nissan begins this year Monday at sundown and Tuesday, April 5, 2010.

It’s been a rough winter, not only in Israel, but around the world. The natural dreary feeling of the year’s frosty months became even more acute as a result of natural disasters around the world, political unrest in the Arab world, and a sharp increase of terrorist activity within Israel. Yet, there’s no need to despair. Hashem gave us a special gift, a remarkable time for rejuvenation known as Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the first day of the Hebrew month of Nissan.

The very first commandment that Hashem gave to the Jews as a people was to establish Nissan Nissan as the first month of the year (see Exodus 12: 1-2). The first day of the Hebrew month of Nissan is also the date when the Mishkan – the temporary portable Temple that was used in the desert – was inaugurated. Nissan therefore has an innate quality that’s conducive to rejuvenation.

from: http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/

Natural Therapy

In our recent OA convention they had a Yoga Laughter  therapist come for a session of Laughter Therapy.  This Shabbos I was treated  to the real thing.  My granddaughter turned to me and said, "Smile, and Smile  and Smile again"  Then she broke out into hysterical laughing until I was laughing along with her.  She kept doing it all Shabbos.  It is amazing how much a little laughter can make you feel good.  TRY IT YOU'LL LOVE IT! It can really take away some of the pre-Pesach stress. 

By knowing what and how to clean, Passover cleaning needn't be a chore.

There are so many Passover preparations that are done unnecessarily, where if you want to do them for extra credit, that's fine. But it's important to understand what is necessity and what is voluntary.

from "Passover cleaning made easy" on Aish.com by Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz

for the details go to:


http://www.aish.com/h/pes/l/48970611.html

True Freedom

Pesach is a time of freedom. What is freedom? Is it to be free to do whatever you want? No, it is to be free to do the right thing, Hashem's will. Hashem took us out of Egypt to become his people, to do his Mitzvot, not to do what ever we want. Freedom brings responsibility.

How free do you want to be. Do you want to be weighed down by your old baggage, that prevents you from doing the right thing, or do you want to be truly free?

We can use the power of the month of Nisan to be truly free to do Hashem's will.

From an OA meeting.
I am reposting this, this year because it really talks to me.

Taking Mitzrayim out of ourselves.

"And the Children of Israel said (to Moshe and Ahron), 'would that we had died by the hand of HaShem in the land of Egypt when we sat by the pot of meat, when we ate food to fullness," (Shemos, 16, 3).

"And Moshe and Ahron said to the Children of Israel, 'even then you will know that HaShem brought you out from the land of Egypt," (Shemos 16, 6).

This verse is teaching us that by providing the quail and Mahn in response to their fear of hunger in the desert, the Jewish People will know that HaShem is the One solely responsible for their salvation. But why is food used as the vehicle to deliver this essential lesson that serves as a fundamental cornerstone of Jewish doctrine? And why is their fear centered around their previous eating habits in Egypt?

Surely the wilderness of the desert could have easily prompted other concerns causing anxiety for the Jewish People (wild animals, lack of shelter, etc . . .). Why were they focused on the food, and what's the lesson HaShem is trying to teach us through this episode in the exodus from Egypt?

The commentator Seforno offers a powerful and penetrating insight. He explains that Moshe prayed that when HaShem responds to the nation's request for food, He should provide their sustenance on a nightly basis, exactly enough for that evening (no more and no less). And through this manner of provision, the Jewish People will know that HaShem is taking them out of Egypt - not just taking the Jews out of the land of Egypt, but taking Egyptian attitudes and behaviors completely out of the Jewish People.

For they yearned to return to the gluttonous ways of Mitzrayim, which was always having a pot of meat at their side, continually grazing like an animal, with no proper boundaries and guidelines in their relationship with food. They were likened to chickens constantly pecking at garbage, demeaning and debasing themselves just for another morsel of this, or bite of that.

This continued until HaShem's servant Moshe instilled the concept of set times for meals - teaching them to behave like mentchen (proper human beings) when it came to eating - having proper portions and proper times. This, the Seforno says, is the explanation of these verses, about how HaShem didn't just take the Jews out of Egypt, but took Egypt out of the Jews.

How can we deny this clear and graphic lesson? When we run from shul to shul hoping to chap another slice of cake here, or piece of kugel there, are we not enslaving ourselves back to Egyptian culture, ascribing importance to their sets of mores and values? Is this the Jewish way to have a holy and healthy relationship with food? Are we really being kadosh at a kiddush?

Is this the example to set for our children - to eat whenever we feel like it and whatever we want, like a cow grazing in a field or a chicken pecking at garbage? We're instructed to remember and relive the exodus from Egypt every day. It doesn't have to be just theoretical. Good שבת

from a Sovea Newsletter

That dangerous First Wrong Choice

The Brisker Rav, explains that the entire purpose of the ten plagues was to teach the world what happens to a person who becomes a habitual sinner.  Ultimately, say the Brisker Rav, such a person will become addicted to sin to the same extent that a substance abuser becomes addicted.  Of course, once that happens,  he has lost control of his actions- a truth that caused Pharaoh to lose his bechirah.  Pharaoh had a choice- and making that wrong first choice was what led to his repeated evil behavior.

Because we are surrounded by the decadence of modern society, we must take this lesson to heart and be extremely careful not to fall into the clutches of the Yezer Hara.  We must realize that the only time we still have full control is before that first taste of sin-because avairos, like illegal substances, are habilt forming and once we are addicted to them, it is almost impossible to extricate ourselves from their hold.

from an article by Rabbi Chaim A. Weinberg in Homodia Magazine 29 Teves

Thank you Rivkie for sending this to me.

Thought is greater then action.

The Alter of Kelm says that we learn from this week's Parsha that thought is greater then action.  When Hashem commanded them to fulfil the mitzvah of the Pascal Lamb they accepted it in their mind, and every time they thought about it, and accepted that they were gong to do it.  They got a reward each time that they had this thought as if they had done this.  We learn from this that we have to be careful that our thinking is always correct and not just our actions.

from a Short Video on Kosher Tube by Rabbi Avraham Tzvi Schwartz   "Every Moment-Parshas Bo"

A message for all times

Rav Rice notes that at the beginning of the parsha, Hashem says, “Bo el Pharoh, Come to Pharoah.” Why does it say “Bo” and not lech, go? Additionally, if Hashem planned to harden Paro’s heart, what was the purpose of sending Moshe to him so many times?  The Kotzker Rebbe explains that when Hashem said “Bo,” he meant “Come with Me.” He was really saying, “I will be with you on your mission.”

 This is a message for all times. Even if we fall into the abyss of evil, Hashem will give us chance after chance to return and He will be with us. “V’ani hichbadti, I will harden.” Hashem himself sends us hardships and difficulties so that in the process of overcoming them, we create a new and deeper relationship with Him. The pain itself is a form of love, just as the very image of thedog, normally a scary apparition, symbolized Hashem’s chesed and compassion.

from Parshat Bo – Hark To The Bark

Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Mrs. Shira Smiles

Fighting our own internal Pharoah.

Just like Pharaoh ruled over the Jews in Egyp, our Yetzer Hara rules over us.  Just like  Hashem had to bring dramatic plagues to free the Jews from Pharaoh, we have a struggle with our Yetzer Hara.   By studying the lessons of Mitzrayim we can learn lessons for fighting our own internal Pharoah.  Just like it took stuggle after struggle, for the Jews to be freed. we have to be prepared to fight many battles.  Just like the Jews thought that they were free, and then Pharaoh came after them, we have to be prepared for our Yetzer Hara to come chasing after us just when we think that we have escaped.  Just like Pharaoh wanted the adults to leave and the children to stay behind, our Yetzer Hara tries to separate our children from us.

from a Shiur on Naaleh:

Parshat Va'eira: Existential Exodus Experience

Teacher: Mrs. Shira Smiles Added: December 29, 2010

The lesson of the ten plagues.

Hashem did not send the Makos to punish the Egyptians, he sent them to educate them and us.  To teach that Hashem runs the world. The Makos reinforced the power and existence of Hashem for all of the world to see. When we see negative things happening in the world, we have to remember that it is coming from Hashem to teach us and not as a punishment. This is also the reason that there are so many mitzvot to remember Yitziat Mitzrayim, to connect us back to our source, to remember that everything in the world is coming from Hashem.

from the Shiur on Naaleh:    Parshat Va'eira: Existential Exodus Experience

Teacher: Mrs. Shira Smiles Added: December 29, 2010

Fighting the idols of our time

When Benei Yisrael were in Mitzrayim they had to tie a lamb to the bedpost.  This was a major act of defiance because it was the Avodah Zarah of the Mitzrim.  In our times we have to fight the avodah zarah of secular society, whether it is "Hello Kitty" or other pop figures.

from a Shiur on Kol Haloshon by Rebbetzin Kalmonovitz

The ideal way for a person to aquire abstinence.

The ideal way for a person to acquire abstinence is to examine the inferior nature of the pleasures of this world, their insignificance, and the serious ills that are likely to emerge from them.
               - the beginning of chapter 15  Misilis Yesharim
                - Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto

Pesach was a time of stark contrasts.  As hard as it was to stay abstinent, the benefits were extremely clear.  I walked to Shul, up and down a big hill, and it was easy.  I feel like a whole new world is opening up as my physical abilities improve.  I could get down on the floor and play with my grandchildren, and even get up again without to much difficulty.  Overeating is a serious issue for many on Pesach, and as I emerge from the Yom Tov feeling healthy and good, and I listen to others complain about the misery of overindulging, I am extremely grateful for my abstinence.

Don't be a slave to anything.

The minute one loses one's personal sense of worth and a positive self image, he or she becomes a slave.

Lack of self-respect, self-deprecation, and ignorance of one's own marvelous qualities and heritage are tickets to the slave train. Shame or embarrassment about one's ethnic or religious background is tantamount to carrying around an iron shackle with a 50-lb. ball and chain.

These feelings of inferiority are an invitation to let society dictate how you should live your life. People who feel inferior are weak; it's easy to exploit a person with no backbone. Controlled and exploited people are the most miserable creatures on the face of the earth.

For a Jew, one of the most important Passover messages is learning who we are and why we're celebrating. Modern society often discourages us from learning about our wonderful background, our G-d, and what emuna - the full and simple faith in Him - can do for us in every level of life, be it emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and even physical.

Emuna helps you feel good about yourself. As soon as you begin feeling good about yourself, you become free. Every human has an inherent right to freedom; that's the universal message of the Passover holiday. Happy Passover!
copied from:
http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/

Freedom from slavery to your physical desires is a wonderful and empoyering thing. Every person that I have spoken to who has followed the 12 steps and worked the tools of OA has said that they became closer to Hashem through the process.