“RABBI’S
MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Tzav
Shabbas Hagadol
7 Nisan 5775/March 27, 2015
Every Tuesday and
Friday is garbage pickup for our block. On those mornings I have to remember to
lug the garbage cans up the driveway to the edge of the road, so the garbage
collectors can dispose of them properly.
On one occasion I
arrived home on a Tuesday afternoon to find that some of the loose garbage
which I had placed next to the garbage bin had not been collected. I realized
that although I had placed the garbage at the top of the driveway it wasn’t
close enough to the road. It wasn’t clear that it was to be thrown away, and so
remained there it remained.
On another occasion I
found one of our children’s tricycles close to the garbage pile. Thankfully it
too was not closer to the curb or it would have been disposed of. I reminded my
children that if they leave a bike at the top of our property, the sanitation
workers may think it’s garbage and dispose of it.
Often we may be
inspired to want to change. We may decide that once and for all we are going to
rid ourselves of our negative habits and foster meaningful change. But within a
short amount of time we find ourselves right back where we started.
If we are really honest
with ourselves we may realize that sometimes we don’t really want to
change. There is a great deal of comfort in what’s familiar and it’s
exceedingly difficult to let go.
As the old adage goes
“Let go and let G-d!” But if we are clandestinely holding on to our trash we
aren’t really allowing G-d to help us cart it away.
Before Yom Kippur a friend sent me a
picture of a young Chassidishe boy lovingly and emotionally clutching the
chicken that he was apparently given in order to schlugg kapparos. The
deeper meaning behind the picture is that often even when we externally
proclaim that we wish to rid ourselves of certain character faults, internally
we may really seek to clutch it close to our chests and hold onto it. The
unknown and unfamiliar is daunting and intimidating. The path of least
resistance and settling for our default mode is always easier.
Before Pesach we are
all involved with destroying our chometz.
The Radvaz writes
that the reason why we are so hyper-vigilant - not only to search for chometz -
but to completely eradicate every trace of it, is because chometz is a symbol
of our evil inclination.
While we are investing
so much time and energy into divesting ourselves of all chometz we are
wordlessly praying that Hashem help us divest ourselves of the chometz in our
hearts and souls as well. But we have to first have a sincere desire to get rid
of that inner chometz.
If we really want to
take out the garbage we have to make sure to leave it by the curb where it’s
going to be collected.
Shabbat Shalom &
Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani
Staum