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Pesach – The Time for Faith and Action
By Ron Goldgewert

Like all of our Chagim, Pesach has several names. One of these is Chag Ha’aviv, or the festival of the spring. The source for this name is the verse “Shivat yamim tochal matzot.. l’moed chodesh ha’aviv ki vo yatza mi’Mitzrayim.” – “You shall eat matza seven days… at the time of the spring for that is when you came out of Mitzrayim.” (Shemot 23:15) I’ve always found this name difficult. All the other names of the holiday, namely Pesach, Chag HaMatzot, and Z’man Charutenu have obvious connection to Pesach, but what connection does this have to the spring? In fact, the connection to the spring seems so essential that we have many laws pertaining to the addition of a second month of Adar to the calendar so that we ensure that the month of Nissan always falls out in the spring.

I think that we have to understand the nature of spring, how it relates to the holiday of Pesach, and how it teaches us to relate to Hashem. Spring is a time for rebirth. We come out of the winter and there are no leaves on the trees, no flowers, and our lawns are brownish. Within a few short weeks, everything starts to bloom. It is a cycle that has occurred since the time of Creation, and as such, we tend to take for granted. However, I think that a key lesson of Pesach is that we cannot take Hashem’s relationship with us for granted. There is no question that we must put our bitachon (our faith) in Hashem that He will always do what is in our best interest, but it does not come for free. We must do our part. In Egypt, we were not redeemed until we cried out to Hashem for salvation from the crushing work. At the Red Sea, Moshe prayed to Hashem for protection from the approaching Egyptian army, and Hashem’s answer was, “Why do you cry out to me?” Hashem was saying, “Have faith, but do something!” According to the Midrash, only once Nachshon walked into the water up to his neck did the waters part.

It is this lesson that pertains to the rebirth of the springtime. It is very easy to think that the laws of nature just happen of their own accord. We are barely aware that they happen at all. But, it is not so. The holiday of Pesach juxtaposes both ends of the spectrum with respect to how Hashem interacts with us and how we should interact with Him. Both miracles and the mundane require bitachon in Hashem as well as action on our part to actualize Hashem’s plans for us. Pesach also teaches us the actions that we need to take. Prayer provides the avenue through which we can cry out to Hashem to express our needs, and devotion to mitzvot is the catalyst to bring about Hashem’s sustenance.

May we all be zocheh to raise the level of both our bitachon and our devotion to mitzvot this Pesach season. Wishing all a Chag Kasher V’Sameach.