Acharon Shel Pesach

Okay. So I quit for a little bit. Or a lotta bit.
But now I wrote one. Apparently.
Probably a bad idea.
Oh well.

Livin' the Soggy Life

Life is filled with projects. Projects we take upon ourselves to enhance our lives, to improve our selves, or even just to pass the time.

Anything from spiritual resolutions, to diet & exercise, to writing semi-interesting articles, to squashing a pigeon with a large hammer (vulgar, I know, but hey – these are your projects, not mine…)

Some have a higher frustration rate than others; some take a lot longer; some require a lot more patience and dedication.
But we do our best to try and work through them.

Sometimes, we reach our goals – and it’s an amazing feeling. We throw a party; we tell all our friends; we pat ourselves on the back…

And rightfully so - we came; we saw; we conquered. Yay.

But sometimes, we’re not so fortunate. We try and we try, but despite our best efforts, our goals still just seem so … distant.

And (especially if you’re not one of those “glass half-full” types) it’s easy to become frustrated with the seemingly small amount of progress we’ve made in our efforts so far; and even easier to get overwhelmed and discouraged by the long distance still to go.

Those visions and ideals - once the focus of so much passion and energy - slowly become nothing more than a nice “Once upon a time…” story – with no happy ending in sight.

And most people don’t like non-happy endings.

So is that it, then? Are we all hopeless? Hopefully not.

So where should we start?

How about at the very … middle.

Why the middle?

Well, the problem’s not the beginning. We’re obviously motivated enough to take on projects in the first place.
And the end – well, that’s the goal.

But somewhere it between, something’s going wrong.

We seem to be doing the best we can. For the most part. But it’s just working out.

So are we all just helplessly flawed in some way?

I don’t know about you, but I’m not blaming it on myself. I don’t want to believe that I’m simply doomed to failure. And neither should you.

And G-d, being the designer and assigner of a very many projects, obviously doesn’t either.

So maybe if we take a look at some of His proposed projects, we can gain some insight into our own miserable undertakings. Maybe.

So let’s start with Pesach:
We cleaned everything – the rooms, the closets, the cars - even that pointless antique vase on top of the bookcase holding that entire collection of outdated Poughkeepsie road-maps.

Our project was to take all the Chametz – the “bad” bread – representing ego, selfishness, haughtiness, impurity, etc. - and get rid of it; burn it; destroy it.

Or, to get a little sophisticated: To cleanse ourselves of those negative elements that constantly interfere with the realization of our true selves and the actualization of our potentials. Namely – selfish, egotistical individualism. Or something to that effect.

Now, with that interference out of the way, it’s time to polish what’s left.
We call that project Sefirat HaOmer.
The goal (marked by Shavuot) is to get fully polished and all nice and shiny, so we can revisit our refined individuality and use the strengths and capabilities we have recently developed, and get back to realizing our true selves and our true purpose.
And to bring an offering with two loaves – the “Good” bread.

So, let’s check out the middle: the polishing / refinement project.

It’s a tough one. Real tough.
It’s a very long, hard, difficult process.

But G-d did something interesting with it: He split it up. (Or broke it down. Whichever.)

We got a whole bunch of little steps. 49 to be exact.

Why? Because He’s smart. Because He knows if we’d just gotten one BIG project, we’d all go crazy and eventually need to seek professional assistance. Or maybe we’d boycott Him. Or at least sign a petition. And for some reason, He didn’t want that.

But there’s also another reason. A really cool one that can do more wonders for poor-personal-project-perception than three self-help books, a prescription of Prozac©®™ and a Phillips-head screwdriver:

He wants us to know that everything we do is significant. Everything. Every effort, every step.
That it’s not just the destination that matters, but also the journey that we embark upon to get there.

That with each and every action we perform in the process of trying to improve ourselves, we are accomplishing wondrous things. It’s not just about perfecting ourselves – even though that is the goal; but about BETTERING ourselves.

And that’s something we can do even when our goal is still far off. Because it’s not just about what we’re hoping to BECOME, but also who we are NOW – and how we’re utilizing our potentials and capabilities in the present moment, to be all that we can be.

But, that being case, it would seem a little unfair that the big party is only thrown on Shavuot – by when we’re supposed to have already reached our goal. What about this whole “journey” thing we’re talking about? Shouldn’t that also be acknowledged?

So apparently, He was aware of that too. And He realized that we could use the recognition.

So He makes sure we get it. Every year.

We call it Acharon Shel Pesach.

It’s the day every year when we’re told:

“Hey – good stuff! You’re putting in the effort, and you’re accomplishing amazing things! True, you may not have reached the ideal state yet, but don’t underestimate the value and significance of everything you’ve done up until now.

Maybe I won’t throw the major bash now – I’ll bring out the breads and cheesecake on your graduation; but We should celebrate nonetheless, to mark the accomplishments of the first leg of your journey.

And with food, of course: we’ll have a special treat called “Matzah Sheruyah” (lit. “Soaked Matzah”) - because you’ve begun the process of developing yourself - even if you haven't quite risen yet. Keep up the good work!”

Acharon shel Pesach is the time we’re made sure to understand that just because we’re not perfect, doesn’t mean we’re flawed.

There’s significance in every step of the journey, even if we haven’t reached the destination yet.

Sure there’s more to go. But don’t get overwhelmed.

Take a step back: Recognize the progress you’ve made. Cherish it. Celebrate it.

Soak it up and internalize it.

Happy Wet-Matzah Day

PLEASE NOTE: WET-MATZAH DAY DOES NOT BEGIN UNTIL AFTER NIGHTFALL, MONDAY NIGHT. PLEASE WET RESPONSIBLY.

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