All the rhythms of Nature and seasonal events that are connected to Nature, are happening - despite, as reported in the news today, we are now four billion people on the planet to have almost completely changed or suspended some of our daily habits.
So as every year, this spring of the Jewish year 5780, we will be celebrating the festival of Pesach, which will begin on the evening of April 8th, yet in a very different way.
During the 7 days of Pesach we recall the exit of the Jews from Egypt, when Pharaoh Ramses II had enough of the plagues sent by God to make him understand that he should let the slaves, the Israelites, go. The exodus took place at night, the people were in a hurry, there was no time to wait for the bread dough to rise, and the Jews took it away with them as it was, unleavened. That's why the Matzah ( https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matzah) is the characteristic and only bread-like food allowed for Pesach: because it is a sort of cracker made with water and flour and no yeast. Also, the time taken by the entire process of preparation and baking must be within 18 minutes, as the sages think that even just the prolonged contact between flour and water is a kind of leavening.
Therefore, the ‘theme’ of Pesach is to clean our homes, especially the kitchen, from all sorts of residue of leavened food (crumbs etc) left in every nook and crevice, replacing the starch products in the pantry with only Matzah. I find it a good annual 'excuse' for some in-depth cleaning of our home (here I am in the photo), and this year more than ever, since we must be extremely scrupulous in our hygiene.
I have always felt close to the parallel between the yeast as a substance for food, and the leavening as an inflation of our Ego, of our excessive attention for our own appearance. Thus, I find it meaningful that during this Pesach we must be, somehow, more face to face with our self, have more time and opportunity for introspection, for an 'in-depth-cleaning' about our relationship with whom is present in our own life. With this purpose in our heart and mind, we may need an extra dose of humility, of trust in our genuine self. It is amazing sometimes to find that when the superfluous, the excess in our being is deflated, we can gain in courage and energy.
Chag Pesach Sameach!