Leaving Egypt in 2011

~ This email is dedicated to the Fogel family of Itamar ~


Passover's on its way!
Get ready for some matzah, some wine, and a whole lot of storytelling! (Oh, and make sure to recline). Ever since we left Egypt, Jewish parents have sat with their children and recounted the miracles. In almost every prayer in our day, there is a mention of G-d's Taking out the Jews from Egypt. Our Sages go so far as to say: "In every generation, and in every day, a Jew must recall the leaving of Egypt."

But why? And of what relevance does this have to me today in 2011?
Why must I repeat the same meal and story every year?

Every event in the Torah has a connection to a person's inner being.
When the Jewish People left Egypt, this didn't just represent a people leaving a physical location in North Africa. The leaving of Egypt was so momentous, because it was the unlocking of a person's spiritual potential to leave his inner Egypt. "Egypt" in Hebrew is "Mitzrayim," while "limitations" in Hebrew is "Maytzarim."
In Kabbalah we are taught that the two are intertwined. We all have areas of "Egypt," of limitation, that stop us from being the best we can be. Sadness, anger, impatience, spiritual numbness. We can and must transcend our Egypts every day, and that's one of the reasons why there is such an emphasis in Judaism on this exodus.

We are taught an incredible idea about our festivals.
When one looks at Jewish history, one mustn't look at it as a timeline, from left to right. Rather, it is like an upward spiral, where a certain date is aligned with the same point from the year before. Meaning, the spiritual energy that occurred originally on that date, is every year again re-infused into reality.
Simply speaking, this Monday & Tuesday night, when you're sitting at your Seder wherever it may be, and you're fulfilling the mitzvot of Passover, you are receiving and tuning into the special energy of Passover - the ability to leave, to transcend, any and all limitations in your life. Spiritual limitations. Emotional and physical ones.

Tap into this energy of freedom, and decide now to work on freeing yourself. Good luck, and most importantly have a very happy Passover!
"And you shall rejoice in your festival" (Deut. 16:12).

-Daniel
P.S. To see much more on the holiday, check out: Passover