Pesach: The Gift of Freedom

The kabbalists teach that there are different times throughout the year that offer us the opportunity of connection. For instance, there are times when we connect to draw great blessings into our lives, such as at Purim, or when we connect to draw down miracles during Chanukah. Today is another day in which we are offered the opportunity of connection as we prepare to observe the holiday of Pesach, which is also called Passover.

Pesach is unique in that it sets itself apart from other times of connection because it offers us complete transformation. It offers us the ability to disconnect completely from our ego and therefore, from negativity in all its forms. Negativity isn’t just a bad mood or an action we regret. It is everything that does not elevate us; everything that creates separation between us and others; everything that creates separation between us and the Creator. On this day we are given a window in time when, through our consciousness, we can repair our connection the Light of the Creator, releasing darkness and chaos and stepping into a brand-new energy of positivity and blessings.

In fact, my husband Michael says of Pesach, “We can and are meant to leave this day a completely different person.”

This sounds amazing, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. So, how do we do it?

The way to create this connection is through the consciousness of joyfulness. Put very simply, attuning your awareness, perspective, and feelings to the vibration of happiness and joy—no matter your current circumstance—is how you connect to the energy at Pesach. Continually bringing yourself back to this consciousness throughout these 24 hours is the priority.

Kabbalists explain that the Light is so unnaturally abundant on the first day of Pesach that any negativity that we have accumulated over the year is dissolved. The consequences of all of our negative words and actions from the past year have the chance to be wiped away. It all depends on how consistently we can carry the consciousness of joy throughout the day, and while this seems like an easy task, it isn’t.

It isn’t enough to superficially focus on good things all day long. You have to feel it thoroughly. Remember, the quality of your connection will be equal to the quality of your transformation. Now there are plenty of skeptics and skeptical voices within our own heads that question whether you really can remove negativity entirely from your experience. Is it possible to truly transcend the ego and live in a state of joyful consciousness? My response to this skepticism is always found in a quote from Rav Berg; “If you think what you are doing is not important, then it is not important.”

This is another way of saying that consciousness is and always will be more powerful than the ego. When we transcend the ego, we release negativity and reside in whatever consciousness we choose. This is the freedom that is available during Pesach.

Pesach lasts for seven days, and it is on the 7th day of Pesach that the Israelites first awakened a miracle with their own Light to the reality of their freedom. Rav Brandwein, in a letter to Rav Berg, explained that the Light of the Creator is like our shadow. No matter what we do, our shadow mimics us. When the Israelites came to the sea with the Egyptians chasing them close behind and ready to kill all of them; to their physical eyes, they were trapped by the sea. Instead of giving up, giving in to the negative forces of the moment, they called out to the Creator for his assistance. The Creator assured them that they had the ability to create the miracle for themselves. And they did.

The Creator is not the one who swooped down and created the miracle for them. He reminded them of the power of their own consciousness to create the miracle.

This is what Pesach brings for us. Not a giant unseen force that fixes all of our problems. It brings us the reminder and the tools with which to elevate ourselves. It gives us the opportunity to be free of our ego and to adopt a new consciousness of positivity so that we might be the creator of our own lives.

The more we seek to be free of ego and to let go of our desires to receive for the self alone as the kabbalists teach, the more we connect to the true essence of our soul; to the part of us that desires to be and do better.

Pesach is a holy day. It is a unique opportunity for transformation and freedom, but it is also a reminder of what is possible every day. We are able to connect to this possibility through our gratitude, appreciation, and joy no matter where we are in the year. Today, and for the next seven days, allow yourself to be blown away by all of the goodness in your life and in yourself. Connect to this powerful energy and use it to create a year of miracles, of radical sharing, and massive positive change in your life and in the lives of others.

 

THOUGHT INTO ACTION

It’s time to let the negativity go. As you prepare for the energy available during Pesach, make a list of the negative thoughts, words, and actions that you have accumulated this last year, examine the ways they have hindered you from joy, and prepare to release them.