The Seder was magical. A sold-out crowd of 50 had gathered, new and familiar faces, to celebrate the festival of freedom. Elegantly set tables, a delectable menu, authentic brick-oven baked Matzah, the atmosphere was one of liberty and freedom.
One of the themes of the Seder was to try and experience true personal Freedom. Overcoming whatever boundaries and shackles hold us back from achieving our personal goals and dreams.
In our quest to better relate to freedom, Devorah and I joined our family for one of the latest adventures to come to American shores; an Escape Room.
The carnival-themed room had a series of locks, keys, clues, and hints. The front door locks behind you until your team figures it all out. Entering into the brightly decorated fun zone, it seemed welcoming enough. Carnival games, a cotton candy machine, a mirror maze, we were transported to a wonderful place. But then there were treasure chests secured with locks, puzzles and cryptic messages on the walls, and the clock ticking down our allotted 60 minutes; we were stuck. As fun as the games were, we were not going to get out unless we buckled down and dealt wth our newfound reality; "imprisonment". Spoiler alert: we made it with 5 minutes and 38 seconds left.
After the thrill and adrenaline had worn off, I was thinking of how we can apply this to Pesach and to our quest for personal freedom
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The first step is to see through the distractions, the things that make it seem like we're in a great place, and identify what is holding us back.
Then get uncomfortable with that reality. When the Jews first came to Egypt, they had actually opted into serving pharaoh with promises of pay. Egypt was the superpower of it's time and the promise of a future there was enticing. The Jews had to arrive at a consciousness and mindfulness that this was not the life of their dreams.
It's only once we choose to reject the current state, that we have the ability and motivation to pursue and attain freedom.
On Sunday, April 23rd, we begin an exploration of this journey - From Egypt to Sinai. How do we shed a slave mentality and become royalty? How do we become the Chosen Nation? We will explore this based on the light of the Kaballah. Information below.
Wishing you a good Shabbos!
Rabbi Dovid Bush
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