Pesach Energy-Sapper of the Day “I Can’t Stand this! My Family is Driving me Nuts!”
Today’s Pesach Energy Sapper comes from Rebbetzin Esther Bayla Schwartz whose series of daily Pesach Prep Inspiration segments on the free Chazak Hotline is providing me much chizuk for the final stretch until Seder night.
In one of the classes, Rebbetzin Schwartz, who is one of my favorite speakers, told the shared the following:
The Vilna Gaon explains that the purpose of life is “Shevirat Hamidot” or overcoming our negative character traits. To overcome impatience, anger, frustration, etc, etc.
And, of course, getting ready for Passover and Passover itself offer us countless opportunities to do just that…
This means that the hardest parts of your day are actually the best parts of your day, since they offers the greatest opportunities to fulfill your life’s purpose.
So the next time you are about to lose it with your spouse, your child, or your mother-in-law, say to yourself…
“Wow, look what we have here! Another opportunity to justify my existence!”
“Wow, look what we have here! Another opportunity to do what I was born to do!”
“Wow, this isn’t as terrible as it seems. This is an opportunity: to overcome myself and become a greater human being. To harness the donkey that lives within me and all of us.”
When we manage to harness our anger and frustration and do what is not natural for us… When it seems that everything is falling apart and we still manage to say “Gam zu L’tova”– “This too is for the best,” we are performing the mitzvah of “U’bacharta b’Chaim”– choosing life. And that is the case even if you don’t believe what you are saying, and are just mouthing the words through gritted teeth.
When we manage to harness our negative character traits and don’t react how we naturally would react, then we are choosing life and fulfilling the purpose for which we were placed on this earth.
You can access Rebbetzin Schwartz’s wonderful Pesach-Prep Inspiration segments at the following phone numbers (extension 5, option 4)
Brooklyn: 718-258-2008
Monsey: 845-356-6665
Lakewood: 732-806-8599
Toronto: 416-800-0656
Israel: 03-929-0707
England: 44-203-375-1580
Thanks for your posts despite all the work, not to mention a little baby on the home front!
Chag Sameach.
Yea, wow! Hashem should bless you and your family!