Monday, March 30, 2009
Spiritual Freedom
How do we attain spiritual freedom? Start within. But How? We have a very popular topic which everyone wants to cash in on. Including me, bring on the masses. We say true freedom only comes through Torah even the though Torah and Mitzvot can be quite restrictive. We speak about slavery and we mean subjugation to others. We speak about spiritual freedom and we mean... what do we mean? To become observant, I think not. To achieve inner peace, sounds a little too fruity for me and a little too easy to fake. Torah is the key but what about Pesach? Is it the aspect of connecting to a community? Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathon Sacks said, this past Sunday, that the Korban Pesach was a bonding of the family as opposed to Har Sinai which was a community wide event. Though, we became a nation leaving Egypt, I think, not in Egypt. Perhaps that is the story of Leaving Egypt, the one we keep retelling every year. The story of becoming a nation and through that, attaining freedom. And then perhaps, when we speak of personal redemption as being a catalyst to a universal redemption not only the effect, we can really best attain that personal redemption through becoming a community. And that is the secret of unity, in addition to the Yechidah. How do we join the community? That is the Seder. The path to spiritual freedom as we join up in the collective whole and join destinies to become and touch something so great. The divine! Freedom! Inner peace. But how? מה נשתנה. The question is how is this night of Pesach different than last year's night of Pesach? עבדים היינו. Through slavery and hardship. Is antisemitism that what keeps us Jewish? Not really, but it plows the field waiting for the rain. Transform yourself like Avraham and Yaakov, through what? Through Torah. Ben Zoma. The nights. What is so significant about retelling the story of leaving Egypt by night? It's connection is to Tzitzit. Tzitzit is by day. So? They represent the Mitzvot of the Torah. Do they only apply by day? Freedom needs to be consistent through the night for it to be true. Only existing during the day, where it is a badge to be worn for consumption of the public is false. ואחרי כן יצאו ברכוש גדול. What is the purpose of this universe? Shouldn't have they run out of Egypt, who needs the money? What they achieved then was extraction. Which is not what are job is. Everyone will come along, even the רשע. And perhaps that is why עבודת הבירורים is over. Everyone and everything is going to come along for the ride. And this time it is going to be different from the last time. We say there will never be another Har Sinai, no other revelation comparable. Perhaps, according to what Rabbi Sacks explained, that is because this coming revelation will start off as a personal redemption through personal freedom similar to ברכת החמה which is fine to be done individually yet is best with the community.
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The Maharal writes that we are only able to achieve unity in exile by virtue of Rochel being buried on the way. Rochel is the Ikeres Habayis and a Bayis encompasses everything found within it.
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