Don’t forget to board the plane

Last year, I bought Rabbi Shalom Rosner’s fantastic Haggadah, Shalom Rav, in which he shares the following idea from Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pincus, a well-known 20th-century rabbi who was Chief Rabbi of Ofakim in Israel – who was tragically killed in a car accident when he was in his 50s, along with his wife and 18-year-old daughter.

It’s an idea that has really struck me – I even made an entire series of shiurim inspired by this idea last year. I think it’s one of the most powerful ideas to possibly internalize at this point, just before we begin Pesaḥ.

R. Pincus said the following: imagine you have a flight soon – you inevitably spend a lot of time thinking about all the things you have to pack.

You then take a lot of time carefully packing your bags and wake up early in the morning to head to the airport. You check-in, drop off your bags, and go through the rigmarole that is security. You then stand in a ridiculously long line to get a coffee and sit down at the gate.

But then, as the calls to board are announced you remain sat there. They call your name on the speaker system, and you still stay sat in your seat. They do the “we are closing the doors in 2 minutes” announcement, yet you are still your seat. And then, you just sit there, staring out of the window – and watch your flight take off without you.

For too many of us, this is Pesaḥ. We spend weeks preparing by cooking and cleaning. We even read people’s emails containing Haggadah ideas! We do everything possible to prepare for Pesaḥ. But then, when Pesaḥ itself begins, we forget to board the plane.

We’re so relieved to have prepared everything that we forget to enjoy Yom Tov itself. We turn up to the Seder exhausted and just want to get it done.

So, this year, don’t forget to board the plane.