The word chaifetz (חפץ), translated here as ‘experience,’ also means ‘desire.’ Sforno explains that this verse means that God desires that various biblical commandments be observed at specific times of the year. Each season contains unique powers. The month of Elul, for example, which precedes the High Holidays, is conducive to repentance. Adar, the month in which the joyous holiday of Purim is celebrated, is a month of happiness, while Av, the month in which the two Temples in Yerushalayim were destroyed, is a month of mourning. Each year, a person can tap into the different powers corresponding to the different times of year. The Sages tell us that the exodus from Egypt took place in the month of Nisan, the month in which the holiday of Pesach is celebrated, and that the ultimate redemption will take place then as well. Therefore, a prayer for redemption is included in the Pesach seder, which ends with the words “next year in Yerushalayim.”
Source: Israel in the News
