Cleaning for Pesach- Psychological Benefits?

When engaged in Pesach cleaning, I recently read an article which struck a chord about the topic of what in Sweden is called döstädning. The word döstädning means “death cleaning.”  No, it does not mean the heavy cleaning we do before Pesach!  It is a practice in Sweden where people get rid of material possessions that are not essential while they are still living, rather than leaving that work to their relatives.  This topic has been written about in the media lately due to the recent release of Margareta Magnusson’s book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter.

Kate Goldhaber, a therapist quoted in the Time Magazine article ”Death Cleaning is the Newest Way To Declutter,” asserts that this cleaning not only benefits those left behind after death, but also benefits the cleaner himself.  Clutter in one’s house raises stress levels and reduces productivity. Dr. Christopher Peterson, in his study in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology,  points to the psychological impact of clutter.   In the article. “Six Benefits to Decluttering Your Life According to Science,” this research is presented.  Clutter impacts your ability to concentrate.  “Physical clutter in your surroundings competes for your attention, resulting in decreased performance and increased stress. Clutter essentially makes your brain multitask, so getting rid of it will turn you into a concentrating machine.”  A recent sleep study found that people who sleep in cluttered rooms are more likely to have sleep difficulties including trouble falling asleep and sleep disturbances. The UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives and Families demonstrated that clutter affects our mood and self-esteem.  There has also been a link found between high stress hormone levels in female home owners and a high density of household objects.  And, of course, decluttering helps us let go of the past which is often full of emotions that hold us back.

In thinking of the positive psychological impact of “death cleaning” I considered, are there positive psychological impacts of cleaning for Pesach and ridding ourselves of Chametz (which is truly the purpose of the cleaning, after all)?

  According to Chazal, chametz represents the Yetzer Hara- the evil inclination.  In fact, a Gemara in Berachot 17a states, ““Rabbi Alexandri would end his daily prayers with the following supplication: ‘Master of the Universe, You know full well that it is our desire to act according to your will; but what prevents us from doing so? - the yeast in the dough...’” There is some connection with Chametz and sin.  Rabbi Alexandri sees “seor” (the word for yeast in the dough) as representing that desire for sin.  As Rabbi Alex Israel states, “ Rabbi Alexandri in this text, sees ‘se’or’ as a metaphor for the powerful drives and inflammatory passions that lurk within us all. Our mind has the ability to distort the reality of our vision, inflate our desires and draw us in directions that we would never take if we were to follow only our cold rational side. The impulse to evil ferments and corrupts. It makes flour and water appear as soft warm enticing bread. Chametz is the evil inclination! It is the “yeast in the dough” which allows us to lose self-control, which invites irrational decisions and leads us to impropriety.” While we remove Chametz because it is a mitzvah, as we do so we in essence need to search through our actions and look for our weaknesses in standing up to our impulses- clearly a positive psychological result.  

        Chametz also represents the ego- as it rises.  The search for and eradication of chametz represents that suppression of one’s ego.  Rabbi Naftali Zilberberg points out, “true spiritual growth begins with total humility, recognizing that without G‑d all pride is simply misplaced arrogance.” Psychologically speaking, there are definitely benefits of having a strong ego,(and I mean that as a strong self-esteem and self- importance and not the strict Freudian explanation).  But, having “too much ego” has its negative effects. When we allow our the need to maintain our egos to overcome our decision making in life it leads to trouble.  Catherine Huang, in her article, “Ways Ego Can Ruin Your Life” outlines some of those troublesome effects. We cannot tolerate making mistakes, or failure.  We lose humility thinking that we have all the answers, and do not have the ability to learn from others or even from past experiences. Craving attention and the “petting” of our egos, we forget about doing the right thing and only yearn to get credit.  Ego often leads us to forget about ethics and rather pushes us to  yearn for attention.  We live life with an “imaginary audience” which prevents us from being true to ourselves.  We live in constant fear of what others will say about us. Our communication skills suffer as we don’t listen to others to understand, but rather waiting to insert our own opinions.

        As the Swedish engage in döstädning they achieve psychological benefits.  As we engage in Pesach cleaning, I know it’s not easy, but perhaps we can find a few moments to absorb some of the messages behind the removal of chametz through contemplating  what chametz represents in our lives.  

Advisory Update:

6th Grade;  Students discussed conflict in friendship and how to navigate that conflict.

7th Grade;  After a training session by Mrs. Shifra Srolovitz, a child life specialist, students decorated stuffed animals with positive words of encouragement to be given to ill children.  

8th Grade:  Students discussed honest and cheating they see in the world around them.