The Blessing of a Sticky Refrigerator by Rebbetzin Esther Baila Schwartz

The Blessing of a Sticky Refrigerator by Rebbetzin Esther Baila Schwartz

I just heard an amazing class on Passover by Rebbetzin Esther Baila Schwartz*…here’s an excerpt based on what she said:

The vast majority of things we complain about before Passover are the exact same things we prayed for.

On Rosh Hashana we prayed to Hashem “Fill our hands with Your blessings”…And Hashem answered our prayers, and those same blessings are the reason Jewish homes turn into madhouses during the weeks before Pesach.

Sticky refrigerators, for example, are one of those blessings. You know why?

Because when refrigerators have no food in them, there’s nothing to spill. Unless you are one of those very wealthy people who can afford 24-hour help, and behind every person opening the fridge is a cleaning lady waiting with a rag, you are going to have a sticky refrigerator.

You know what else sticky fridges mean?

They mean that there’s life in your house. There are people coming and going.

And that means sticky counters and sticky floors are a beautiful, amazing, wonderful blessing.

This is exactly what we prayed for.

Let’s imagine that there isn’t a single non-sticky surface in your house, and after wiping some of them off for Passover you sit down with a coffee to reinvigorate yourself. And you’re just sitting down on the sofa to relax with a cup of wet coffee, and you land on a wet diaper….

That too is a blessing.

Oh yeah, there are lots of people who would give anything on the face of this earth to have a wet diaper in their house…

Now that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s not easy.

But all of it, all of it, is a blessing.

*I highly recommend you listen to the whole class on the free Chazak hotline (phone numbers here) press option 5, option 6, option 1 to listen to the whole class.

9 comments

  1. This was great! I remind myself that when I feel overloaded and overwhelmed it is almost always due to my many blessings (work, family, etc). The juggling is still crazy, but it makes me want to be where i am.

  2. Have you seen the children’s book “Much, Much Better”? It expresses this very idea!

    • JewishMom

      i didn’t hear of that book, what’s it about?

      • From the review on Amazon:
        Shlomo and his wife, Miriam, live in a bright, tidy house in the ancient city of Baghdad. The couple s greatest joy is welcoming guests for Shabbat. But one week, there isn t a single poor or lonely person who can join them. When a mysterious traveler knocks on their door, Shlomo and Miriam treat him royally. Then, before he leaves, the grateful guest blesses the couple with the strangest bracha they have ever heard.

        Your home would be better with a sticky stained tablecloth…. And it would be much, much better with crumbs scattered on the floor.

        The two of them can’t help wondering: what will happen next?

        Based on a tale of Eliyahu Hanavi, this beautiful story of hidden blessing is a heartwarming treat for the entire family.

  3. Can you call Chazak for free from Israel too? Can you give the numbers?
    Thanks and a sticky and kosher Pesach!

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