(א) וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר. (ב) הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים רִאשׁוֹן הוּא לָכֶם לְחָדְשֵׁי הַשָּׁנָה.
(1) And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying:(2) ’This month shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.
From here on, the months belong to you to do with them as you wish. But during the days of slavery, your days were not your own but rather were for the work of others according to their will. Therefore this [Nisan - the month of your freedom going out of Egypt] will be the first of the months of the year for you.
(12) The buds appear on the earth,
The time of singing/pruning has come;
The song of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
In the process of becoming?
How might you honor this process in preparation for Passover?
All the buried seeds
crack open in the dark
the instant they surrender
to a process they can't see.
“In nature, we are quietly offered countless models of how to give ourselves over to what appears dark and hopeless, but which ultimately is an awakening beyond our imagining. All around us, everything small and buried surrenders to a process that none of the buried parts can see. We call this process seeding and this innate surrender allows everything edible and fragrant to break ground into a life of light that we call Spring.
As a seed buried in earth can’t imagine itself as an orchid or hyacinth, neither can a heart packed with hurt or a mind filmed over with despair imagine itself loved or at peace. The courage of the seed is that, once cracking, it cracks all the way. To move through the dark into blossom is the work of soul.”
Mark Nepo, Seven Thousand Ways To Listen, Staying close to What Is Sacred
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: הַאי מַאן דְּנָפֵיק בְּיוֹמֵי נִיסָן וְחָזֵי אִילָנֵי דְּקָא מְלַבְלְבִי, אוֹמֵר: ״בָּרוּךְ שֶׁלֹּא חִיסֵּר בְּעוֹלָמוֹ כְּלוּם וּבָרָא בּוֹ בְּרִיּוֹת טוֹבוֹת וְאִילָנוֹת טוֹבוֹת לְהִתְנָאוֹת בָּהֶן בְּנֵי אָדָם״
One who goes out during Nisan and sees trees that are blossoming recites: Blessed…who has withheld nothing from God's world, and has created in it beautiful creatures and trees for human beings to enjoy.
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam shelo chiseir ba-olamo k’lum uvara vo briyot tovot v’ilanot tovim l’hitna’ot bahen b’nei Adam.
Blessed are You, Our God, who rules over time and space, whose world lacks nothing and who made wondrous creations and beautiful trees for human beings to enjoy.