“DO
YOU REALISE we have been here for a week already and we haven’t bought
anything for the grandchildren yet?”. “You’re in your own world, you
haven’t even noticed I’ve bought for half of them already” replied Judy
as we came to the end of our recent break in Israel.
It was only on our return that I realised that the videos, the books,
the mountains of Lego and board games are not what they really want.
“Zaidy, please tell me a story” said Shulamit, my seven year old
granddaughter, with those appealing eyes. And that’s really what they
want most of all – simple things – personal love that comes with
personal contact. For children life is really simple – if only we
realised it for ourselves as well.
The Maharal, a 16th century Czechoslovakian Rabbi, discusses this idea
in the context of Matzah. Matzah is called “poor man’s bread”. In the
Torah it says: “You shall eat Matzah for seven days. This shall be poor
man’s bread since you left Egypt in a rush. You will then remember the
day you left Egypt all the days of your life.”
Matzah as “poor man’s bread” is usually viewed in a negative light. It
is just flour and water, all a person can afford. On Seder night it’s
eaten in a rush, like a slave whose time is not his own. Moreover, we
break the Matzah to identify with poor people who always save half of
their food for later, never knowing where the next meal will come from.
However, the Maharal sees this description of Matzah in a positive
light. He agrees that Matzah is simple, in the sense that it’s just
flour and water, yet he sees this simplicity as one of the main lessons
of Pesach.
Eating Matzah is the climax of the removal of the Chametz, the leaven,
from our homes. Chametz is symbolic of all that is risen, become puffed
up and out of proportion in our life. Chametz is everything I really
don’t need, and as I rid myself of all the excess, I become more ready
to partake of the symbol of freedom. As I recognise what is inflated in
my life, I ask myself: what do I really need in order to give meaning to
my existence?
This is the question that needs to be asked in order to become
spiritually awakened.
How many toys do children need in order to be happy? How many do adults
need? How many shirts are enough? How many CDs? Why do I need so much?
Is it because I am so empty of meaningful things that I always need more
meaningless things?
Matzah is simple. On Pesach we are commanded to digest simplicity
because during this holiday we are trying to retrieve that simplicity.
When people get married it is often so simple. He says to her, “I want
to be with you”, and she replies “And I want you to be with me”. So
often years later, that beautiful simplicity has become clouded with the
distractions of a materialistic and often amoral world. The relationship
should be full of beautiful reasons to stay together, but they only see
the reasons to keep them apart.
As we eat the Matzah, we are also trying to become simple, trying to
give new life to the awesome simplicity of our relationships.
We love our children like there is no tomorrow. Can we ever have enough
kisses for our children? Yet it gets so mixed up. But then at the Seder
table, it all becomes so clear. A Jewish life teaches us to value the
simple important things.
We live in a complex world. We have to learn to function in it, use the
system and even sometimes pay homage to it. However, the Maharal teaches
us to retain an inner sense of simplicity.
The stack of toys remains in the corner as my grandchildren sit on my
knee as I tell them stories, because stories and time are so simple. And
they are also free!