Pesach Cleaning

I don't like Pesach cleaning. Even though I found this cute cartoon (below) on Jewlarious, and I do have some OCD tendancies (don't worry-I'm working on myself), I still do not like to clean for Pesach. Bottom line is, it's physically daunting, I get overwhelmed with all the papers, articles and what-nots that I've saved over the years (a packrat, am I) and, combined with my natural laziness, it just doesn't cut it.

But truth be told, I found some really interesting things while I was cleaning the sifrei kodesh bookcase and books. My problem is, I sit down and start reading and thinking about the past, and my parents (ob"m), etc. and get into a sad mood, and the cleaning stops dead in its tracks.

For example, I found my old book, "Pninei ha-Dat," which I had while in school in New York, many snows ago...I found my sister's Mishna for students (from the same era), with her name written in Ivrit; she doesn't speak the language any more, and has forgotten most of it. . .

I found some Rav Kahane books, two of them in Ivrit, which he himself had sent me, a couple of months before he was murdered (I had started reading them years ago, and never finished...)

I found a copy of my father's (a"h) book of poetry, Shirim be-Sulam Minor, ("poems in a minor key"), published in the 1960s.

And, I found a little "megillah" of Megilat Esther (not kosher of course), which I would have used to follow the Megillah reading in shul on Purim, if I had known that I had it (-cause I like to follow the Megillah reading from a real, or a 'real-fake' scroll). . . it had slipped on top of and behind the Mikra'ot Gedolot...

I also found my eldest daughter's Chumash, from third grade in Israel, and another one of her third grade books in Hebrew, still covered with the paper book covers they made us put on then. I wonder if they still do that there. . . probably.

The carpet cleaners just left, and it will take hours before they are dry, but it really is beginning to feel like Pesach here (I managed to clean all the books and bookcase just before they arrived-- great timing)!

We will be picking up a guest who will be staying with us for a while, and I started pulling out books I want to learn with her, as I was cleaning them. Of course, they are now on the chametz table, so I'll have to clean them again, but we're not converting over until motzai Shabbat (G-d willing), so I have some time.

I miss my children. I wish they could be here for Pesach. We are having a lot of guests for the first Seder, but only we know our songs and minhagim (although one or two guests are Israeli, so maybe they know some of our niggunim as well), and it is never the same without family here. I am getting to the point where I can't see myself staying here for any length of time; it is almost time to move on, and join my kids. . .

It's happening again-I'm getting nostalgic and teary-eyed. Time to end this post.

Have a wonderful Pesach: chag sameach ve-kasher.

(by the way-the latest Haveil Havalim is up at Jack's. Go, get a good read in before Pesach...)

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