Passover, also known a The Season of our Freedom in the liturgy, is a time when we remember our forefathers' slavery in Egypt and celebrate their liberation. We gather family and friends and reenact the exodus. We consume bitter herbs, matzah, and wine whilst recounting the great miracles G-d performs.
It says in the Haggadah that "every person must look upon himself as if he personally left Egypt." Living in a free country with so much abundance around us, it seems difficult to imagine ourselves as slaves yearning for freedom. But if we stop and think about slavery and freedom, we may realize that we can relate to them all too well.
A slave is someone who is unable to act upon his own will. He may have deep potential waiting to be accessed but he cannot to do so as his time and actions are completely controlled by someone other than himself. In fact, the Hebrew term for Egypt, Mitzrayim, means constraints. How many people in our contemporary society are slaves to addiction, fashion, technology, and money? Unfortunately, many of us are still in Egypt.
So what is freedom? Freedom is the ability to be who we intrinsically are. It's when our true colors are revealed and when we tap into our greatest potential. Real freedom is not to do what we want, but to be who we are. A Jew's essence is Torah, and only with Torah can we truly be free. As it says in the Mishnah, "There is no free person other than one who occupies himself with Torah."
Although Passover is celebrated only once a year, we mention the exodus of Egypt daily in our prayers. Each day is a new opportunity to free ourselves from the shackles of modern day pressures and start living a life of liberty. Just like G-d helped our ancestors escape the constraints of Egypt and lifted them up as people by giving them the Torah, He will surely help us leave our personal Egypt if we make the effort.
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