Putting it all Together

We have learned so much together BH. Now let's see how it all fits.

Shabbos Hagadol is coming. It is the first Shabbos we ever spent with Hashem (Sfat Emet). We deliberately set ourselves apart from the Mitzrim by taking one of their gods (lamb) and binding it in front of them. In that moment, we amplified our belief in Hashem.  

This past week we have been cleaning ourselves from the chometz that is holding us back from being able to experience a constant relationship with Hashem (Rabbi Cable and Rabbi Nivin chaburohs).  We have taken a small step in these 72 days of chesed in the hopes that Hashem will pull us the rest of the way.

On Seder night, He actually pulls us the whole way up to the highest height we can achieve.  Sarah Yehudit Schneider writes that at "three moments of ingesting matzah, maror, and Afikomen, the channels from heaven to earth are perfectly aligned and the possibility of transformation is maximal.  The root impurity in every soul...gets zapped by the healing light of the Seder's holy eating."

What do we need to do to tap into the power in these upcoming days?

1. continue cleaning out the chometz; physically and spiritually speaking

2. Keep this Shabbos with the same emunah we kept the first one; total devotion to Hashem

3. erev Pesach burn the chometz and the piece of paper that has your chometz written on it (Rav Nivin)

4. later in the day, recite korban pesach (if that's your minhag- Rav Nivin)

5. for the seder- pre-write and articulate a prayer: "to silently recite while eating the matzah, maror, and Afikomen (with your eyes closed for the greatest concentration)...it could be a life goal (ie marriage)..a character development goal (ie, becoming patient)...or a meditation on a pasuk... or for healing oneself or loved one...(also a propitious time to pray for relief from a literal eating disorder)."(S.Y. Schneider)

6. at the end of the Seder, recite Shir Hashirim (Yehudis Golshevsky), (if that is your minhag) to bring the Seder full circle to meet with the geulah- when we will once again amplify our belief in Hashem as we did on that first Shabbos Hagadol.

Sarah Yehudit Schneider ends (her article on Aish.com) : 
"Whatever you choose (to pray for), its seeds will be planted in your deepest depths...The Seder is the only opportunity throughout the whole year to bring healing lights down into direct contact with this most primal level of the soul."

May this Seder bring the redemption in each of us that we long for with all of our hearts, so that the movement within us can awaken those around us, so that this Seder can herald the geulah.

Chag Kasher Vesameach.

Love, aviva rus

(Thank you Reitza Sarah for sending me SY Schneider article)