The first and second night seders are over, but we are still eating matzah and other Pesach foods. I’m still considering the seder plate symbols and answering questions related to them. I invite you to do the same whether you are Jewish or not.
The next Passover symbol on the seder plate I’m going to examine is charoset. It symbolizes the mortar that helped build the Pharoah’s cities. When they were enslaved in Egypt, the Israelites bonded bricks with mortar for the building being constructed. The word “charoset” comes from the Hebrew word “cheres,” which means “clay.”
So today I ask myself: What am I trying to build in my life, my work, or my relationships, and how will I build it?
Overall, I’m trying to build a life based on a foundation made of passion that brings me joy and fulfillment. I won’t bore you with all the details of what I’m building in my work and relationships; suffice it to say I am trying to build something in every area of my life that feels true to my purpose and that will bring me a sense of connection, peace, and happiness. Maybe I’m building a spiritual path on which to walk…or a sacred space in which I can exist.
I build this by staying in integrity, by staying focused on my purpose, by doing the things about which I feel passionate, by doing the things that bring me joy and peace and connection.
To accomplish this feat…and sometimes it feels like a feat…I must think about the following:
What bricks do I need to put in place, and what needs to go between them to hold them in place? How will I make them strong?
This means I need to come up with an action plan or a blueprint. I need to know how I will create what I want in my life. I need to gather the building materials as well. I’m talking about the bricks and mortar that construct the life of my dreams.
Do you know what you want to create and how you will build it? Do you know what it will take? It’s difficult to build what you want in your life without a clear picture and a plan.
Charoset gives us pause to think about building our ideal lives, molding them like a potter molds clay. Imagine that you can mold your life into what you want it to be.
