Page 40 - HaMizrachi #28 Pesach USA 2021

PESACH READING THIRD DAY

Laurie Novick

Creating the Right Balance

hen my husband and I made Even in Israel though, trying to get a In Pirkei Avot (3:11), Rabbi Elazar
aliyah from the United grasp on the identity of Chol HaMoed HaModa’i counts one who “despises
WStates, we knew we were can be a challenge. The very name the holidays” among those who have no
giving up the second day of Yom Tov. itself, Chol HaMoed, reflects this slip- portion in the world to come. Rabbeinu
We didn’t realize that in return we’d be pery nature. Roughly translating as “the Yona explains that the Mishnah refers to
gaining Chol HaMoed. regular days of the holiday,” it’s a sort someone who performs prohibited labor
of oxymoron. (The term Shabbat Chol on the days of Chol HaMoed, out of con-
What makes Chol HaMoed different HaMoed is even more confusing, since
here? First of all, the atmosphere. In Shabbat cannot be chol.) Furthermore, viction that they aren’t all that holy. In
Chutz LaAretz, the society around is the halachot of Chol HaMoed don’t fit other words, if we are not careful, the
oblivious or indifferent to the ongoing neatly into the categories of “regular chol aspect of Chol HaMoed can become
too dominant, in any locale.
holiday. This means that aside from time day” or “holiday” either.
spent davening or at the occasional gath- What can we do to make the most of
ering (or in places with a large Jewish On the one hand, the mitzvah of simchat Chol HaMoed?
presence), Chol HaMoed can feel iso- Yom Tov, rejoicing on Yom Tov, applies
lating and constricted. on Chol HaMoed, and charges us to split Here too, the essential elements are time
our time between celebratory feasting and atmosphere.
In Israel though, Chol HaMoed is a and devotional study (Pesachim 68b). To
national holiday. Schools are closed this end, many acts of melacha are pro- We can make an effort to spend more
and – as anyone who’s ever been told to hibited on Chol HaMoed (Yerushalmi time than usual studying Torah, and to
wait for assistance until after the chagim Moed Katan 2:3). allow additional time for tefillot, paying
can attest – business does not proceed special attention to the longing for the
as usual. The public square takes on a On the other hand, the prohibition of Beit HaMikdash in Musaf and to raising
festive air, electric bus signs wish you performing melacha on Chol HaMoed our voices in song for Hallel.
moadim leSimcha, and festivals and fairs is less sweeping than on Yom Tov, and To build a festive atmosphere, we can
abound. The experience here is commu- was given over to our Sages to define. wear clothes that are a little nicer than
nal and expansive. For example, we can perform melacha usual, and try to add something special
if otherwise we would stand to suffer a
The second difference has to do with loss or we have a public need to fill, and – besides matzah – to our meals. We
can keep the rules of melacha in mind,
time. Pesach this year begins with Yom someone without professional expertise and not do anything more for work
Tov on Sunday. Outside of Israel, there’s in a given melacha can perform it for the or school than is truly necessary, in a
a second-day Yom Tov on Monday, fol- purpose of the holiday (Mishna Berura way that promotes simcha. And we can
lowed by four days of Chol HaMoed and 530:1). reach out warmly to each other, creating
another two days of Yom Tov, for an This fine-tuned prohibition keeps us a sense of peace and joy around us, no
even ratio of 4:4. Israel has five straight from burdensome labor while making matter where we are.
days of Chol HaMoed and a final Shab- allowances for essential work, and thus
bat Yom Tov, for a 5:2 ratio. When Yom fosters continued simcha and Torah Laurie Novick is Director and Head Writer
Tov and Chol HaMoed are evenly split, study over the intermediate days of the of Yeshivat Har Etzion’s Deracheha: wom-
Chol HaMoed becomes little more than holiday. At the same time, these allow- enandmitzvot.org, a Yoetzet Halacha and
writer for yoatzot.org, and a Nishmat Fertil-
a bridge from Yom Tov to Yom Tov. A ances also lead to a much wider range of ity Counselor.
higher proportion of Chol HaMoed possibilities for how to fill each day than
shifts the balance of the holiday, so its on Yom Tov. As a result, we don’t always A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
own identity can be emphasized. experience Chol HaMoed as sacred. mizrachi.org/speakers

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