Shabbat Blast

From Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein

Dear CBO Families,

I can see the crocuses reaching up in front of my house announcing that Spring is here! I recently have become interested in how cultures view Spring and prepare for its possibilities. In Japan, Spring is a season in which households declutter. It is a spiritual pursuit. Marie Kondo, Japan’s tidying guru, explains that her method of decluttering is inspired by Japanese philosophies. There is the ancient Japanese teaching, wabi-sabi, which is based on a Buddhist teaching. Kondo describes this as “experiencing beauty in simplicity and calmness.” 
 
Decluttering requires you to look at everything you accumulated in order to discern what is truly necessary to simplify your life and bring you joy. I followed Marie Kondo’s teaching and had to put all of the clothing I own in one huge pile on my bed and decide what brings joy and what has served its purpose and can be swept away.
 
This concept is not foreign to Jewish life. With Purim behind us, we are gearing up for Pesach which also requires us to look in our pockets, our bags, and behind couches for that which has accumulated. We clean, we switch over dishes and switch out winter gear for our lightweight clothing.
 
We can find this in our Torah portion, Tzav, as well. The Torah teaches us that one of the essential tasks of the kohanim, the priests, was to remove the ashes of the olah sacrifice from the altar every morning before they proceed with the new day’s sacrifices. It seems like such a minor point, but it is poignant. You cannot move forward if the past still lingers and takes up the space you need for what is coming next.
 
We are not hybernating anymore. We can breathe in the warmth that is slowly trickling in and allow it to infuse us with the energy to sweep away the hametz, the build up from the year, so that we can begin the next journey unencumbered.
 
Shabbat Shalom,
 
Rabbi Bernstein

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