וַ תִ תֶ ן לָ נו...ּ חַ ג הַ מַ צּוֹת הַ זֶ ה זְ מַ ן חֵ רוּתֵ נוּ...
And has given us this Holiday of Matzot, the time of our freedom...
When was the first Seder in all of history? While we would assume it to be the first year after the Jews left Egypt, in truth, the night before they left they were already acting as a free nation eating matzah and the Korban Pesach. Why would Hashem command them to have a Seder before actually leaving Egypt? How can you have an anniversary before getting married?
During my time spent at a finance company called RXR, I wound up giving a monthly class in the firm. People would come down to the lunchroom and ask any question on Judaism in an open forum. On one occasion, a broad-shouldered 6’6” man named Josh walked inside and took a seat. Sitting throughout the class, afterwards he approached me. “Charlie, I want to thank you for that lecture.” “It’s my pleasure,” I said. “Would you mind if I come back again?” Josh asked. “You may not know, but I am not Jewish.” “It’s fine,” I said, “you’re welcome to come again.”
At the next session there was Josh. As I was speaking about the power of words, I asked if anyone had a personal story of someone saying or doing something to them while in high school that forever changed their life. Josh raised his hand. “Come on up,” I told him. Josh then proceeded to relate the following story:
Growing up in the South, even as a young kid I was exceptionally big and strong. I was the perfect fit for a great football player. In truth, however, I was not a great player, but only decent. When I finally joined a team, my coach one day came to practice and said, “Josh, do you think you can give me the death crawl?” Knowing that a death crawl meant crawling on the floor only using your hands and feet without your elbows or knees, I knew that doing so would be a challenge. But I would do my best. “Yeah,” I said back to the coach. “How far can you go?” he asked. “I don’t know, but I think the twenty yard line.” “You promise me you are going to go to the twenty?” “Promise,” I replied.
Right before I was about to begin, my coach called me over again. “Wait a minute, Josh. Billy is going to be placed on your back.” “What? You told me to go to the twenty; I didn’t know someone would be on my back?” “Josh,” sternly said the coach, “you promised me.” With little option to argue, I agreed to shoulder the extra pounds.
“But don’t go quite yet,” he added, “there is one more thing.” Pulling out from his pocket a handkerchief, he walked over to me and blindfolded me. Now about to perform a difficult task with a boy on my back and my eyes blindfolded, I didn’t think I would get too far.
But I simply began to move. Inching five yards and then ten yards, my coach yelled out to me, “Josh, you are doing great!” I felt as if I had gone so far, but then my coach signaled only the ten yard line. “Keep on going!” I soon heard being yelled. “You’re at the fifteen!” Working as hard as I could, I soon felt I could go no more. “I can’t do it coach! I have nothing left.” “C’mon,” he yelled, “five more steps.” Putting in a few more steps and getting closer and closer... I collapsed.
Rolling over, I repeated, “Coach, I told you, I can’t even get to the twenty.” And then my coach said, “Josh... turn around. You are at the fifty.”
We often live our lives thinking that who we are is who we are. We get stuck in our own limitations. Before we left Egypt, Hashem had us visualize with a Seder what it means to be a nation free to carry out His mitzvot. Freedom does not merely mean changing your geography or altering your mode of dress. Freedom begins when you decide in your mind that you are going to be free. Only when you can visualize such a reality will you experience true freedom and reach above your limitations.
