Free - to do what I want?

Hello and Good Shabbos,

I just wanted to share a quick idea with you all as we set our sights on the upcoming Passover festival. This week’s Torah portion, Bo, chronicles the last of the plagues and the moments and Mitzvos preceding the actual exodus – all the directives of Passover, matzoh, marror, paschal lamb, sanctifying the new month, collecting the Egyptians’ spoils, etc… As most people note, the Matzoh reminds us of how quickly we were whisked out of bondage by the grace and divine dexterity of the Almighty. True, we were in the midst of some delectable backing when, quite disturbingly, God gave the word “go” and nere did the bread have time to rise. Baked on our backs, we accidentally invented Matzoh – the Jewish staple diet that’s popular in the spring. Most people don’t however realize that just days before we actually rehearsed the whole Passover seder, replete with shank-bone (the real thing!), marror and – you guessed it – matzoh. The entire Jewish people were commanded to make and eat Matzoh well before the serendipitous quick sprint to the finish which left our yeast in the dust. Why do we “need” both Matzhos? Great question, but not for now. What we do see, however, is that before we physically experienced freedom, we had to taste it, literally.

Abraham was purported (by the Torah, in fact, which generally turns purporting into undeniable evidence, but that’s also not for now) to have eaten Matzoh on the 15th of Nissan (Passover day), yet wasn’t he generations and generations before Egypt? His synchronization to the mystical depths of the Almighty’s creation allowed him to tap into every last detail – that this is the ‘day’ of freedom and this is the ‘food’ of freedom. A careful study of the Passover menu will tell you everything you need to know about what true freedom is. And more than that, one who really knows freedom, wouldn’t eat anything else.

Here’s what the Egyptians learned about freedom. The ninth plague was darkness. Not just the absence of light, but rather a thick, palpable and utterly restricting darkness which allowed no movement other than vertical – you could sit or stand all you like, but absolutely nothing else. Yet we see that the last day of the plague denied the Egyptians even that limited movement. You see, when we choose the color of our brand new Porsche, we think we’re actually choosing when really we’ve been bought and sold before we woke up (they don’t spend billions on advertising that doesn’t work, trust me). The Egyptians were able to rationalize their autonomy and free-choice with only the most limited option available to them – standing or sitting. We’re that utterly ignorant of the real definition of freedom. But, by the grace of God, we, the Jews, have the answer – that which was to be found in the most sublime and least-expected of places – yes, I mean Matzoh.

Back to the basics. No leaven (ego), no sweetner (lusts/passions), just flour and water cooked almost immediately upon mixture. A bread which reduces the world to the necessary components, the true components, and builds it’s sustenance on that alone. No posturing, fantasizing, faking, or pretending something is what it’s not. No running after flippant and passing pleasures, no selfishness, and on and on and on… The icing on the cake (yeast-less, please) is that everyone spreads a little jam, sugar, or something sweet on top. Sure, there is beauty and aesthetics to the world, and we’re meant to partake of them, but in the right order and proportion – they are not part of the essential mix! They are not the goal, but rather are only able to be properly used when the priorities and essentials are in place – then…spread away!

Wishing you a beautiful Shabbos and a speedy personal redemption,

Rabbi Lynn and the MLF gang