* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
“My Seder was nothing special and I was stressed out during the holiday,” someone wrote me. "I feel like I just completely missed Pesach.” After reading her message I was reminded of a quote I heard once:
Our feelings do not measure the value of our mitzvah observance.
Even if we did not feel anything special at the Seder, we received a significant spiritual infusion that affected us and the whole world: We ate matzah and maror, drank four cups of wine, and heard the story of the Exodus. Even if we were not permeated with holiness, our ancestors’ Pesach experience became part of us and was absorbed into our souls. In every crumb of matzah and drop of wine there was a dose of faith and hope and meaning.
And now, another magnificent thing — our everyday routine — lies before us. Most of life is not a Ne’ilah (closing) prayer on Yom Kippur or a night spent at the Seder table. As the prophet Ezekiel stated: “Does anyone scorn little things?”. In other words, it’s not worthwhile to minimize the little things in life. Every day that follows a holiday is also holy.
Wishing everyone success, an abundance of good news, and many holy and happy post-Pesach days ahead.
