Do you feel the panic in the air?

Everyone is panicking, but I strongly believe what’s happening right now is a good thing. You know what? Give them a few days, and everyone will calm down and even appreciate it.

What did you say? Why am I discussing politics right now? What politics? Tariffs? Oy vay! Who is speaking about tariffs? Tariffs, shmariffs! I am talking about Pesach!

Passover is almost here, and everyone I know is panicking. Is the house clean enough? Did I finish shopping? How will the food come out? Of all the Jewish holidays, I can assure you that Passover is the most stressful holiday.

The reason might be simple. All other holidays are primarily about “adding.” Yes, we refrain from doing certain things on Biblical holidays, but that’s similar to Shabbat. Otherwise, we add to the celebration by doing something additional: on Sukkot, we add the Sukkah; on Rosh Hashanah, we add the Shofar, etc.

But on Passover, we have a big “subtracting.” Not only do we have a Seder and enjoy Matzah and wine, but we also have to remove all chametz, even a tiny bit, from our possession.

And that can be a great source of stress. There has to be a good reason why we are doing it all!

And, of course, there is. In a letter from 1983, the Rebbe delved into the message of the removal of chametz. He explained that chametz is all about arrogance, the source of all bad personality traits.

“The nature of chametz is that the dough rises and expands more and more, giving the bread a unique flavor when baked. Matzah is made in an opposite process: the dough is not allowed to rise or expand at all.

“Chassidic books explain that chametz symbolizes pride and arrogance, which can sneak into everyday life, heaven forbid. They also explain that pride is the root and source of all undesirable tendencies…

“Therefore, one of the reasons (even though we must follow all of G-d’s commandments as divine commandments, not for other reasons) that the prohibition of chametz applies even in the smallest amount is to teach us that we must entirely reject pride and arrogance.”

In some ways, the Rebbe explains, it’s almost inevitable not to develop a sense of self-importance and arrogance.

“Thus, when Passover arrives, a person must conduct a thorough ‘search for chametz’ and ‘removal of chametz’ within themselves to eliminate the ‘chametz’ that has accumulated throughout the year, even if it is in a tiny and insignificant amount, ‘something,’ and afterward, they must guard themselves and their home very carefully from ‘any chametz’ during the entire Passover.”

In a letter written a few days later, the Rebbe explained that removing the chametz and feeling of self-importance would not only not weaken us but actually open us up to a feeling of strength and resilience, knowing our source of strength is not self-made but G-d himself.

The Rebbe concludes his letter with the wish, “May it be G‑d’s will that every one of us, together with the entire Jewish people, prepare for and celebrate the Festival of Matzot, the Season of our Freedom, properly and completely, including adopting and putting into practice the lessons and messages of the holiday.

I wish you a happy and Kosher Pesach, and may we welcome Moshiach very soon!