Removing Life’s Chametz
by Cantor Nathan Lam
Each year as we clean our house for Passover and remove all chametz from our living space, I am reminded of the need for us to prepare for this defining holiday of our Jewish narrative. The word chametz refers to leavened bread and other foods that contain ingredients deemed to be forbidden during Pesach. In modern vernacular Hebrew, it can also mean stuff that clutters our lives or things that don’t contribute to us being our best selves.
If this pandemic has taught me anything at all, it is to remove the “chametz” from my daily life and focus on what is important, meaningful and rewarding. I want to leave behind all the times that I was petty, or overly critical of others and myself. I want to leave behind all the things that I was addicted to and thought I needed to have or do. The times that I had the cell phone in my hand instead of being present at the dinner table or during a conversation. This “chametz” in my life was not productive nor did it lead to inspirational behavior.
When our ancestors fled from Egypt, they left in haste, and could only take with them what was important. They left slavery, yes, but they also left their chametz on the journey to freedom and the “Promised Land.” The pandemic has made me see what is important to take with me in the future. I have treasured the time that I have spent with my family. Sometimes we had to work hard to be able to get together and be safe. It made me realize that we should not take for granted the blessings that we receive every day with family and friends.
I discovered that being with those I love, even on a Zoom call, lifted my spirits and kept me going. It wasn’t the places that we went to for dinner, or whose house we were at, but it was who we were with that counted. We had to work harder to make those things happen—and it was and is worth it.
The look on my wife’s face when we get virtual hugs from our children and grandchildren is worth taking with us every moment. From the tragedy of this global pandemic, we are able to get a clearer picture of what chametz we need to remove from our lives as we move forward towards the freedom that vaccinations and treatments will bring us, soon.
May “The Holiday of Freedom” free us to bring love, friendship, and our best selves forward on our collective journey to a better world.
Read more from the Wise clergy and congregants in What We Carry Forward, Wise’s 2021 Haggadah supplement.
