A Thought About Peasach, Speech and New Beginnings

Pesach in hebrew actually breaks down into two words "pe" (mouth) and "sach" (to chat). This hints to us that the cleansing process for our bodies that we are obligated to adhere to--via the do's and dont's of the laws of kashrut for Passover--may be just one aspect of this process.

It may be that the way through which we chose to transform our thoughts into words can impact our actions. That is, the distance between our thoughts and actions may be influenced by how we chose to voice ourselves. In other "words", the words we articulate may actually be impacting our ideas and emotions.

Thus, thinking before we respond may allow us to re-act more consciously and positively to any given situation.

So, how does this connect to Passover and to new beginnings?

Well, on passover upon receiving the ten commandments we proudly declared: Naase v'Nishma, we will do/obey and then we will hear/listen. Here, we are witnessing the same idea as stated above but in reverse order--that is, we commited to acting first, and only then to listening and contemplating (thinking/feeling/processing). Indeed, these aspects are all intertwined and impact eachother.

With regard to new beginnings: we learn from our declaration of faith, in the Sinai desert, about 3,327 years ago as we received the Torah from the heavens, that before something has happened, as it can be impacted by our words or by the words of others, we should hold tight and guard our tongue. Wait until our labor comes into fruition and only then speak. Indeed, "beginning" is defined as: "an act or circumstance ofentering upon an action or state".

All this to say, this is the time of year that has the historical imprint of change and manifestation. Of leaving our "bondage/baggage" in Egypt and ending slavery, so that we can evolve as human beings and embody our spritual light as we enter into our (inner and outer) Promised Land.