Thursday, April 17, 2008

Clearing out the Hametz

Traveling through the year with the Jewish sacred calendar is one of the things I love about my practice. While the same cycle eternally loops around, each holiday experience is different each year. This year, the clearing out the hametz--not just the leaven but all that is stale--is helping me move ahead in my life. I've been in this really long transition from my bout with cancer. I need that process of clearing out and letting go of those physical and mental manifestations that may have supported me then but I have no use for now.

I started this year with the teshuvah, a specific introspection, of clearing the clutter--you can read those thoughts here. It is a slow process for me, for I often have to fight the inertia. But then here comes Pesach and the ritual is to clear, and so I clear. And as I clear I become lighter and want to clear more. I know it won't last too long, but I take advantage of the momentum.

The good news is Pesach segues into the omer period--a time spent counting each day as a spiritual step leading to Shavuot, a commemoration of the teachings of Torah.

1 comment:

Marshallow Treats said...

This particular post resonated strongly with me. Thanks for sharing.
Gayle