The past few days have been busy in our home getting ready for Passover. Grocery lists and orders are being done, meal menus planned, and of course lots of cleaning. Talking to friends and family, I have heard about the cleaning that others are doing with their partners and children as well. Watching and working with Ilan and our kids cleaning the house I am really reflecting upon what all this cleaning and the opportunity that we have as a family to grow and learn through it.
From a Jewish standpoint, removing the physical chametz from our homes is crucial. Jewish law states that we are not allowed to have any leavened bread in our possession by the eve of Passover. Over the past few weeks I have learned what the chametz means at a deeper level. I would like to share with you how we can not only do some good physical cleaning but also work on removing from our homes the habits, behaviours, and mindsets that are not serving us well. I will connect some of the things that we are cleaning to changes that we can make for the better.
Crumbs, dust, and dirt = words
In removing it from our homes, talk about the words that we exchange between each other. Are we using kind, caring, thoughtful words? Do we think before we speak, especially when we are upset, frustrated, or angry. How do we express our feelings? Giving adults and children opportunities to express their feelings through words leads to more harmony in the home.
Walls = body language and behaviour
The walls of the home envelope us and protect us from all that is outside like harsh weather and any dangers that we can come in contact with. If these walls are intended to protect us then what happens inside of them should feel safe to all as well. Cleaning the walls is an opportunity to examine how we act towards one another through our body language. Sometimes we can use kind words but our facial expressions don’t match. Brene Brown said something in a recent podcast that really speaks to me - No nice words with harsh faces. As parents we need to model kind and appropriate body language for our children.
Old and unneeded belongings - We are in a culture of consumption, constantly buying new things and then moving on to the next once they are no longer of use to us. I am definitely a contributor to it myself! When we remove clothing, books, and other items, talking about how those items can be reused by someone else or recycled into something new is a worthy discussion to have. In doing so we all gain a greater appreciation for the stuff we have.
It is not coincidental that Passover falls in the spring each year. It gives us the opportunity to spring forward as a family and learn from one another. Throughout the year we always clean our homes, but now this “deeper” cleaning can be more than physical. It can have long lasting changes that can take us beyond this Passover into a renewed and refreshed way of being and give us the ultimate freedom.
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