Sign In  |  Register  |  About Los Altos  |  Contact Us

Los Altos, CA
September 01, 2020 1:26pm
7-Day Forecast | Traffic
  • Search Hotels in Los Altos

  • CHECK-IN:
  • CHECK-OUT:
  • ROOMS:

Passover's lessons today mean more personal freedom, much less 'enslavement,' says rabbi — here's why

Rabbi Pinchas Taylor of Florida shared faith-filled insights on Passover and how people are today, just as the Jews of Egypt were — today, outside forces such as Hollywood and politics are in play.

Passover, or "Pesach" in Hebrew, is one of the Jewish religion’s "most sacred and widely observed holidays," notes History.com.

Passover commemorates the Israelites’ departure from ancient Egypt, which appears in the Hebrew Bible’s Books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy among other texts, the same site notes. 

The week-long festival is observed with rituals including a traditional Passover meal known as a seder, "the removal of leavened products from [the] home, the substitution of matzo for bread and the retelling of the exodus tale," the site also says.

WHY PASSOVER SYMBOLIZES THE ‘MESSAGE OF AMERICA’ AND ‘YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM’

Rabbi Pinchas Taylor of Plantation, Florida, calls the Exodus story "timeless."

He told Fox News Digital, "It teaches that whatever your situation, you are worthy of redemption, and God will take you out of your affliction."

Taylor continued, "The energy of Passover can inspire redemption from self-inflicted slavery as well. Now more than ever, many people are challenged by combating oppressors from within."

Hebrew scriptural tradition teaches that the Passover seder "allows us to reexperience the exodus on a personal level in the present day," Pincher also said.

"More than simply marking freedom from a geographical place, ‘Egypt’ is also a state of mind," he said.

This is emphasized, he said, by the fact that the Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayim, also means "limitations." 

The "inner Egypt" is "limited thinking, feelings of powerlessness and spiritual constriction," Pincher continued.

FOR PASSOVER, DENNIS PRAGER REVEALS THE REAL REASON THE JEWISH PEOPLE HAVE SURVIVED 3,500 YEARS

Taking the Israelites out of Egypt happened in a moment, taking the "Egypt" out of the Israelites required forty years in the desert, he said.

"It’s not difficult to see how we can be physically enslaved to things like food and money," Pincher noted. 

"When dessert comes out and you must indulge, the cake is in charge. Same thing when you can’t turn off the TV or put down the smartphone."

He continued, "Deeper still, we are emotionally and psychologically enslaved in how we look at ourselves and the world around us." 

He noted that we may "believe false and limiting ideas about ourselves because of our upbringing or our circle of influence."

VIRTUAL PASSOVER, DIGITAL HAGGADAH ALLOWS FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO CELEBRATE JEWISH HOLIDAY ONLINE

Taylor said, "We may believe things about the world based on the values touted by society in general, or media outlets, Silicon Valley, Hollywood and political parties." 

The first step in breaking free of the "Egypt mindset" is recognizing that it is essentially "a mirage," Pincher noted.

"It’s almost like the giant circus elephants who are fastened in their place by an insubstantial rope. When the elephants are small and cannot break these ropes, the [ropes] are fastened to the elephants' leg during their training," he said. 

PARENT TAKES TO REDDIT TO SAY CHILD LOVES HANUKKAH AND IS CONVINCED HE'S JEWISH – WHEN HE'S NOT

"As the elephant grows," Pincher said, "it never realizes that it can now easily break the rope. Instead, it remains shackled only by its previous notion that it cannot break free from the cord that holds it back."

He continued, "The energy of Passover and reliving the Exodus through the Seder enables us to spiritually break free from our limiting worldviews — and find personal freedom."

The culmination of the Passover liberation story, he also said, was "when God split the Red Sea," enabling the Israelites to cross on dry land, "and their pursuant oppressors were washed away."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

He said, "This archetype is an eternal spiritual lesson for mankind: March forward. The final step to freedom begins with the first step forward."

Said Taylor, "When you feel trapped on all sides, with an army behind you and a sea in front of you, know that seas split for those who courageously march forward."

Rabbi Pincher also said that this Passover season, for anyone who puts the effort forth and no longer wants to be enslaved to the things that ensnare them, "God will surely lead them out of their inner Egypt."

Data & News supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Stock quotes supplied by Barchart
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
 
 
Copyright © 2010-2020 LosAltos.com & California Media Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.