Rising in the morning to find that birds are singing, the sun is shining and tulips are in bloom seems to imply success. In conjunction with the four seasons and the Jewish holidays, G-d inspires his people through prescribed physical activities and ritual. During the springtime these include the Seder and its preparations. Spring cleaning prompted by G-d's guidance to remove leavening agents from our homes not only creates a fresh and new natural environment, but awakens the observant to a reality of spiritual newness. It is in this state of rejuvenation that we precede in reenacting our journey from exile to redemption.

Megilat Ruth takes place during this season and exemplifies how simple ritual can be translated into profound action. It is recorded that Naomi returned to Eretz Israel at the beginning of the barley harvest. The key to understanding what is implied in the text is to remember that this harvesting begins immediately after Pesach. Naomi left Moav on Passover.

Naomi's experience mirrors that of Israel. Like her ancestors, Naomi sojourned in a foreign land during a time of famine. Eventually however, what had been a refuge became a snare. She felt the sting of exile and eventually returned to her nation during the anniversary of the exodus.   

Our story gives a clue to what may have been the specific Passover ritual Hashem used to communicate to Naomi her need to leave Moav.  Upon returning to the land, the women of the town gathered around her and asked "Could this be Naomi?" Naomi responded, "Don't call me Naomi (pleasant); call me Mara (bitter)." Passover is celebrated in the eating of two major types of foods, matzah and marror. The matzot, unleavened cakes, speak of the haste in which we left Egypt. Marror, a bitter root, recalls the bitterness of foreign slavery. Naomi draws her new name, "Mara" from the marror eaten during the Seder. Perhaps it was while consuming marror on Pesach that Naomi realized she had been ingesting bitterness everyday for many years by her choice to live in exile.

Because Naomi allowed ritual to speak to her heart, she was given the strength to return to the land. Had she not returned, Ruth would not have entered the holy nation, King David would not have been born, and there would be no Messianic lineage. The Mashiach would not have come.

Naomi's choice to listen to the voice of tradition and take its message to heart marked a transformation from bitterness to redemption. This season is a time to "spring" into action, to rise from the lethargy of previous months and allow one's self to be enveloped by a sense of renewed life. At This time the natural experience of eating prescribed foods should inspire the faithful. The completion of a Pesach Seder can be the beginning of an entire season of reflection and growth.