What's YOUR Chometz?

chanadownunda

Sun, Mar 25 2007, 7:02 am

Okay. So I thought while we are all cleaning for Pesach and getting rid of our Chometz, we could try to get rid of some of our inner chometz too Wink

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I'll go first:

I have a very hard time saying "no" when I have to. If I'm asked to do something like public speaking or giving a class, even if I have other commitments (like family, or teaching) I agree to do it because it feels good to be wanted and asked. I think that for myself that comes from too much ego. Soooo.... While I'm cleaning for Pesach I'm going to try to work on doing the right thing even if it takes me out of the "limelight". Smile

HooRYou

Sun, Mar 25 2007, 7:31 am

I am not sure this is my chometz but it did occur to me while I was cleaning that what really makes the cleaning hard is not so much the labour (and I know that it really is labour) but it is looking at the state of my house and wondering why I have such giant dustballs, messes, dirt, etc all over my house while everyone else has such a clean house. There are ery few women who do not have a lot of work to do erev Pesach since their house is already so clean and tidy (okay, for sure my downstairs neighbor, but not so many others). So while we do have to try to do a little bit more to keep our houses together we don't ahve to compare ourselves to how we think other live and how much worse I matzav is.

bashinda

Sun, Mar 25 2007, 8:04 am

chanadownunda: the only thing is are you doing more good being in the limelight even if it's a risk of gaivadikness? If you're doing more good to your audience by having your talks than maybe it's mesirus nefesh to do them when you have the chance of getting gaivadik (or maybe it's the yetzer talking? Hmm that's what makes things so complicated)

Now I have to say something for myself?! Who are you? Simon Jacobson or something? (does anyone have his book on the sefira which has homework at the end of each day's sefira? The stuff he tells you to do is good but HARD)

Okay, working on having patience with my oldest DD who is when it comes down to it not quite 4 and as the saying goes is not the korban Pesach. I also want to practice Pesach iskofia. I don't need to have tons of chocolate leben and chocolate bars simply because DH is fine with eating them on Pesach!

Motek

Sun, Mar 25 2007, 3:37 pm

chanadownunda wrote:

Okay. So I thought while we are all cleaning for Pesach and getting rid of our Chometz, we could try to get rid of some of our inner chometz too Wink

nice thread topic Smile

I'll tell you what I was discussing over Shabbos. It was along these lines but not worded in terms of "inner chometz" (which I would relate more to arrogance and yetzer hara) but how are we going to personally go out of Egypt this year? Our personal cheirus. It has been said many times that Mitzrayim is from the root "meitzarim" which means constrictions, limitations, and so "going out of Mitzrayim" in the spiritual sense is leaving that which binds you.

I heard a shiur in which the concluding point was, all the philosophy is nice, all the divrei Torah etc. about the Haggada and Yetzias Mitzrayim, but we need to make it real. This is the Zeman Cheiruseinu, it's a time which is auspicious for "going out of that which limits" you. It was suggested that we make a small, specific, time-limited commitment in something that will push us out of our comfort zone.

The question is, what to pick. Not too hard but something significant.

I'm still thinking about it.