…have to work so hard to help for Pesach?
Ha ha! It’s the million dollar question! Once all the Purim costumes are put away, and there’s still a huge pile of Mishoach Manos candy… it’s time to clean up for Pesach!? One answer is what Bar Hei Hei says in Pirkei Avos 5:26, “L’fum tzaara agra, The reward is according to the work.” Basically that means that you get what you put in. If you put in the effort to help your parents and clean for Pesach, it will feel even better once you’re sitting at the seder. But maybe it’s deeper than that. The Tzadikim say it’s very, very, very good for our neshamos to shvitz for a mitzvah. Rav Shimshon Pincus once related that once, when he was a bochur in yeshivah, he was lying in bed, alone in the dira where they slept. It was after Bedikas Chometz, and he was exhausted! He suddenly remembered that no-one had cleaned the attic! He did not want to. Not now. But…. he slipped out of bed, and went upstairs. He scrubbed, he cleaned and checked for chometz. When he was done, he heard birds chirping, and could see the sun shining through the slats. His whole body was aching with pain. However, he said he had never ever felt that way before – his neshamah was on fire! From that day on, he said, he had more success in his avodas Hashem. Hard work especially for a mitzvah pushes us to levels we couldn’t dream about before. Hashem gave us these mitzvos especially so we should climb to greater heights before experiencing the light of Pesach! So roll up your sleeves, put down your book and say, “Mommy, how can I help?“
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 28.
