Passover, Freedom and YOU

I had a dream to be free when I thought freedom meant no obligations.

I had a desire to be free when I thought freedom meant no responsibilities.

I had a craving to be free when I thought freedom meant no pre-arranged schedule.

But freedom is not about living without obligations, responsibilities or a pre-arranged schedule.

Freedom is about control. Self-control.

Freedom is about mastery. Self-mastery.

Freedom is about refining. Self-refining.

Slavery is having no control. No control of obligations, responsibilities or schedule. And worse: slavery is about preconceived notions, unrealistic expectations, and a lack of equity/balance/justice.

Slavery is living in a place of narrowness and restriction, limitation and continual darkness.  Slavery removes a chance for self-expression, self-awareness, self-soul-development.

We are two weeks away from entering the greatest holiday on the Jewish calendar that speaks to our nation’s, our people’s master story of Exodus, Redemption, Freedom. And from what are we freeing ourselves this year?

The rabbis state: “In every generation, every person is obligated to see him/herself as if s/he came out from Egypt.” From that place of narrowness and constriction min-hamakom hatzar, min-makom ha-tzarut. In every generation, every person is to make a commitment to walk out of slavery – from the places that bind, afflict and constrict: You.

Passover is about collective memory and recalling the story of the Exodus. What God did for us and what we did to survive. Passover is about the journey from fear to covenant and responsibility. The journey of a brother to find survival… “A wandering Aramean was my father” – JACOB … to his sons who wandered to find survival because of a famine. And it was their brother – JOSEPH … who provided nourishment to a nation. But when that nation – EGYPT … lost its collective memory, our people were enslaved. We, once the providers from a position of strength, became the providers from a position of enslavement. We were once given the choicest land – GOSHEN – and then we were afflicted with harsh labor and a complete lack of tzedek (balance/fairness/equity/justice).

The only person who could free us was the only person who was neither a slave nor a part of the ‘institution’ of slavery. He was beyond and above, neither in nor out. But he was the product of both. He was an Israelite by birth whose mother, sister, surrogate mother, and wife would all support his life, his livelihood, his efforts. And he was the only one who had tasted and known freedom. He was his own man and was honest about his own limitations and soul. He was unsure and yet aware of his and our uncertainty. He had responsibilities and obligations and was sympathetic to the call for justice. For all. Moses was the definition of FREE. And he was the ultimate teacher, prophet, guide, intermediary because he was so incredibly human and so incredibly free, honest, and authentic.

The Greek Philosopher Epictetus was born a slave though ultimately lived a life of freedom. “He believed that all external events are determined by fate, and are thus beyond our control; we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline. Suffering occurs from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power. As part of the universal city that is the universe, it is our duty to care for all our fellow men. Those who follow these precepts will achieve happiness and peace of mind.” (Wikipedia)

Among his most famous lines of which I am aware that I like the most:

“No human being is free who is not master of himself.”

Passover is about collective freedom but it must start with each person. B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et atzmo – every individual. Every man, woman, child must see him/herself as if s/he has walked out of Egypt.

The 19^th century German write, Johann Wofgang Goethe wrote, “None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”

6 months ago, we sat here cleaning out the chametz (leavening) of our soul and will do so again in 6 months. Now we are cleaning out the chametz in our homes but we must use this occasion to consider those places and elements of slavery in our minds and hearts that keeps us from being genuinely free.

Abba Hillel Silver, one of the greatest Reform rabbis and Zionists of the 20^th century wrote of Freedom: “When is a man free? Not when he is driftwood on the stream of life,…free of all cares or worries or ambitions…He is not free at all—only drugged…To be free in action, in struggle, in undiverted and purposeful achievement, to move forward towards a worthy objective across a fierce terrain of resistance, to be vital and aglow in the exercise of a great enterprise—that is to be free, and to know the joy and exhilaration of true freedom. A man is free only when he has an errand on earth.”

Finding our errand, finding our joy, finding our freedom, finding our soul-driven purpose, exploring our inner brilliance and kindling that light – that is the journey from Egypt to Sinai and to ultimate freedom.

May we journey with peace and in good health. Kein y’hi ratzon. May this be God’s will and may we make it our own.