CHOOSE TO SHINE

Have you ever felt stuck? Are you going through the motions of your daily routine without really thinking about it? Consider also the way you feel in your religious observance. Is it all by rote without the inspiration you may have once felt? Let’s be honest, are you doing the mitzvos because you have to? Where is the spark you may have once experienced? Might you even resent having to do things when all you want to do is be left alone to do what you want? Does this strike a chord, perhaps deep down?

Was there a time in your life when you felt excited about everything? How long has it been since you felt daily joy? How amazing would it feel to recapture that magic? If there were a hack to get that back, would you wish for that? Can you imagine yourself breaking through the lethargy and distractions to free yourself from the weight that impedes your return to happiness?

Pesach is not just a story of redemption. It is the primordial event for breaking free from the physicality which enslaves us in our modern lives. We have so many responsibilities, distractions, and anchors which hold us back. It can feel exhausting, as if we just want to curl up in a ball and recover from all the noise, if only we had a minute to ourselves.

What if we could pivot in our thinking? What if we consider a mitzvah to be a priceless opportunity customized by Hashem for us to earn unimaginable rewards by elevating ourselves? What if we could recapture our sense of purpose and a mission to live a life of meaning every single day, every moment?

When I was a kid there was a game show called Diamond Head.  It featured a glass box with money blowing around. Contestants had 15 seconds to grab cash. Let’s recreate that and add shiny metallic confetti to make it more  interesting. Do contestants feel trapped in the glass box? Do they feel frustrated by having to chase the money as it flies around? Or do they cherish the opportunity to take home whatever they can catch for the brief time they are fortunate to be in that box?

Is it a stretch to imagine the box is our world? The cash represents mitzvos, and the shiny confetti represents distractions. We are the contestants. Right before we go into the cash chamber, we psych ourselves up to only grab the cash, not the confetti.  But then the lights and the audience distract us. The loud music and flashing lights confuse us, losing our focus to grab as many bills as we can, forgetting our purpose. Do we go home with a fistful of confetti or with life changing wealth? How many contestants wish they could have another chance in the cash room? Yet there is only one opportunity per person.

Pesach shows us the way to break the shackles of physicality, how to drop the confetti and grab the mitzvos whenever we can. The chometz represents a rich man’s bread, given  time to rise into a beautiful loaf. Matza is poor man’s bread, representing the essentials, no time to rise, just flour and water.  By clearing away all the chometz in our homes, we remind ourselves to clear out all of the chametz in our thinking. We renew that special connection to Hashem and remember to live life as He designed. 

It is counterintuitive to think that limits set us free. The Torah instructs us what to do, what not to do, and how to live for the greatest joy. If you let children eat whatever they want – candy, cookies, soda – they will  become ill. When you limit sweets and fill their meals with nutritious foods, they will learn to enjoy the subtle flavors and colors of real fruits over fruit flavored candy. They will feel awesome and really enjoy life.  The same is true for us. When we allow the highest Power and intelligence to reveal which choices are best for us versus what to avoid, we will live a life of meaning and rich rewards in this world and in the next.