Searching By the Light of a Candle

By Nina Fondiller Woldin

Yesterday, I spent three hours cleaning the parts of my stove that can only be cleaned when it is moved away from the wall.

Why am I telling you this? 

Because Passover is just over three weeks away, and I want to remember that while much of our preparation for Passover is about the physical work necessary to prepare our homes for the holiday, to truly experience the power of Passover, we also need to prepare our hearts and minds spiritually.

As I was cleaning the stove, I thought about the poem Spring Cleaning Ritual on the Eve of the Full Moon Nisan, by Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb. In a portion of the poem, she writes:

“…On the eve of the full moon
we search our houses by the light of a candle
for the trace of winter
for the last crumbs grown stale inside us
for the last darkness still in our hearts.
Look in your pockets
and the pockets of those around you
for traces of Mitzrayim. …”

I thought about this not only for myself, but also for my family, those who will gather around my seder table, and especially my Chai Mitzvah family. Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 10, the GRANDparents Circle will meet, and I am eager to discuss the meaning of this poem. I am also excited to share ways to make these reflections tangible, even for our youngest members.

• What are we searching for? Where are we searching? Why?
• The Hebrew word for Egypt is Mitzrayim, which translates as “tight or narrow place,” from the Hebrew word tzar. In what narrow spaces have we found ourselves this past year? How can we liberate ourselves from them?
• What might we find if we look in our pockets for “traces of Mitzrayim”?

Please join tomorrow, March 10, at 7:30 PM ET. Here is the link to register. I am looking forward to seeing you then!