According
to Kabbalah, the mystic tradition, there are 10 powers that G-d employs in the
universe. These 10 are G-d’s attributes.
On erev Pesah, the eve before the festival
commences, we have an unusual custom.
Called bedikat hametz, it is
the search for vestiges of forgotten bread around our home. Until this moment we frenetically shop,
clean, invite, gather our Haggadot,
shine the silver, set the table, and cook.
Then, while the soup is still boiling away on the stove we engage in the
final search for leaven. We do this
because the Torah explicitly mandates, “No bread shall be seen in your home.”
(Exodus 13)
Here is
the ancient tradition:
We scatter
ten pieces of bread in our home. Then uttering
a blessing we light a candle, take a plate and feather and then
proceed to search through our home to find these ten pieces of hidden bread (in
addition to any other leaven hiding in our home).
Gathering
up the pieces our mind focuses on realizing the Divine energy that inheres in
everywhere and us. Part of the
religious journey that calls to us is seeking the holy within. This powerful act of bedikat hametz symbolizes the deep yearning we have to connect with
G-d to fully realize and own our liberation.
Whether we
need to awaken our soul to the desperate cries for redemption throughout the
world or simply open our soul to the Supernal Being that we want to fill us
this quiet mitzvah has the potential to connect us to the potential of what we
can become.
May the
Holy, blessed be He, be a recognized Presence at your table this Pesah.
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