Pesach Greeting

Just a short post to help usher in the festival…

The other day, while hurrying back and forth from our building’s laundry room, I spotted a neighbor walking her two dogs.

We exchanged wishes for a good holiday. Sensing that I was in a bit of a frenzy over last-minute pre-Passover cleaning, she reminded me to calm down and keep the “joy” in it.

That is good advice especially for Pesach, whose preparation requires detailed focus on making one’s household as spick and span as possible. The spirit of the occasion can get lost in the turbulence of all this “purification” activity.

A familiar and classic Pesach greeting, referring to the emphasis on ritual purity, is חג כשר ושמח / Chag Kasher veSame’ach, meaning, “may you have a kosher [i.e., proper, suitable, fit] and joyful festival.”

My custom, though, is to switch around the words and say, חג שמח וכשר / Chag Same’ach veKasher, meaning, “may you have a joyful and kosher festival.” Why do I make that change?

As my neighbor was reminding me, bringing a joyful attitude to our holiday celebration is what makes it kosher.

חג שמח וכשר

(sunrise over Zikhron Yaakov)