Post-Pesach
Like everyone else, I was incredibly busy before and during Pesach so my blogging habit took a back seat. I still have family visiting from America and (like everyone else) I'm still pretty busy, but I'd like to try and return.
There is so much to talk about, but my thoughts now are turned to post-Pesach. It's hard to describe how I feel, but I seem to feel this way after the chagim and after Yom Haatzmaut, Yom Yerushalayim, etc. etc. The best way to describe it is like this.....
I have a friend who is a partner in a law firm. Before he became partner, he said that there was a tradition on the anniversary of the day he was hired (or maybe it was on another, pre-appointed day?) when all of the would-be partners found out whether they would be partners. For a few years, he would get on that day a very nice bottle of Kosher wine (they knew he kept kosher) and flowers or whatever with a beautiful note written by the managing partner saying how happy they were to have him and how appreciative they were of all his hard work. He said that onthe one hand it was so special to be appreciated, to get a nice gift, to know that they value his work and his contributions to the firm. On the other hand, he said there was a knot in his stomach: another year of not becoming partner, another year of hard work without the "big prize" to show for it, another year of wondering will this be the year?
Pesach in Israel was, as one could imagine, spectacular. The sights, the sounds, the tiyulim, the time with family, the seder (one seder!), etc. etc. all amazing... better than expected.
On the other hand, I couldn't help but feel like my friend before he became a partner: another year not being able to be one of the millions of people to make aliyah la'regel to Har Habayit with the fixed-up roads, improved signs, and refurbished mikvaot and with all of the music and encouragement that the Mishna describes; another year of not becoming tahor with water that had been mixed with ashes from the Parah Adumah; another year of not hearing the Leviim singing and playing their instruments; another year of not being able to take off my shoes and bring my Korban onto Har Habayit where there were so many people that the Kohanim had to hand the cups with the blood (the mizrak) one to another all the way to the Mizbayach and where the Leviim had to - once in a while - close the doors leading up to Har Habayit because there were so many people...
Another year of wondering will this be the year?
Another year.
There is so much to talk about, but my thoughts now are turned to post-Pesach. It's hard to describe how I feel, but I seem to feel this way after the chagim and after Yom Haatzmaut, Yom Yerushalayim, etc. etc. The best way to describe it is like this.....
I have a friend who is a partner in a law firm. Before he became partner, he said that there was a tradition on the anniversary of the day he was hired (or maybe it was on another, pre-appointed day?) when all of the would-be partners found out whether they would be partners. For a few years, he would get on that day a very nice bottle of Kosher wine (they knew he kept kosher) and flowers or whatever with a beautiful note written by the managing partner saying how happy they were to have him and how appreciative they were of all his hard work. He said that onthe one hand it was so special to be appreciated, to get a nice gift, to know that they value his work and his contributions to the firm. On the other hand, he said there was a knot in his stomach: another year of not becoming partner, another year of hard work without the "big prize" to show for it, another year of wondering will this be the year?
Pesach in Israel was, as one could imagine, spectacular. The sights, the sounds, the tiyulim, the time with family, the seder (one seder!), etc. etc. all amazing... better than expected.
On the other hand, I couldn't help but feel like my friend before he became a partner: another year not being able to be one of the millions of people to make aliyah la'regel to Har Habayit with the fixed-up roads, improved signs, and refurbished mikvaot and with all of the music and encouragement that the Mishna describes; another year of not becoming tahor with water that had been mixed with ashes from the Parah Adumah; another year of not hearing the Leviim singing and playing their instruments; another year of not being able to take off my shoes and bring my Korban onto Har Habayit where there were so many people that the Kohanim had to hand the cups with the blood (the mizrak) one to another all the way to the Mizbayach and where the Leviim had to - once in a while - close the doors leading up to Har Habayit because there were so many people...
Another year of wondering will this be the year?
Another year.
posted by T.Y.I.I. at
Friday, April 21, 2006
1 Comments:
Wow! I always enjoy your posts, but this one is "meal umeever!" I guess that I loved it so much because I too, always share those same types of feelings at the end of Yom Kippur and Pesach. On Yom Kippur I always wonder if I've done the journey well enough, and always conclude that I could have done better. On Pesach, my feelings are similar to yours. I have such a pleasure in all that the chag has to offer, but also that nagging feeling that we are not there yet. Especially during the "duchening" in shul. (since in chuz la'aretz we don't have it so often it really hits home on Yom Tov). Going into the omer, though, I take solace and mussar from two things. Number one, no matter what happens this year we know that we are closer to our final goal. Number two, it is no coincidence that the counting of the omer which leads us to our ultimate goal of receiving the Torah is mixed with a partial aveilut. It's the story of the Jews! Joy/sadness/Joy/sadness. If we concentrate, though, on the reason for the aveilut, our own lack of caring for our fellow Jews, we can actually have the opposite effect and speed if not bring on the ultimate geulah. Therefore this is a time of the year that I try to concentrate even a little harder than usual on not hurting anyone's feelings and acknowledging the good in Am Yisrael and specifically those who have shown goodness to me! Wishing you and all of your loved ones and all of Am Yisrael a year of only good things and a year where we will truly see the geulah shleimah!
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