Experiencing Freedom Every Day

Holy Letters of the Rebbe, Volume 17, Letter 6,205. Boruch Hashem, the first day of Iyar, 5718, Brooklyn.

The Rebbe addresses this letter to the beloved Chassid, Rabbi Yehoshua Nachum Goodman of New Haven, and in the same letter also extends his words to his wife, Mrs. Nechama Tzipa.

The Rebbe writes that it was a pleasure to receive their letter of the 28th of Nissan together with the enclosed photograph of their children, may they live.

People would often send photographs to the Rebbe, and from many letters we see how much the Rebbe valued them, taking interest in the growth and wellbeing of children.

The Rebbe blesses the parents that they should merit to raise their children—both father and mother together—L’Torah, L’Chuppah, and L’Maasim Tovim: to Torah, to marriage, and to good deeds.

He adds that this should be in a broad and abundant manner, with good health both physically and spiritually, and, as is self-understood, with joy and gladness of heart.

The Rebbe then writes that it was especially pleasing to read in their letter that they were studying in their new home the laws of Pesach from the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe.

The Alter Rebbe, author of the Tanya, is the great authority in the inner dimension of Torah, and also the author of the Shulchan Aruch, making him an authority in the revealed and practical dimensions of Torah as well.

The Rebbe explains that this itself reveals the meaning of Pesach.

What is Pesach? Pesach is freedom from all forms of constraint and limitation—even limitations that may exist within matters of holiness.

Pesach means leaving Mitzrayim. The word Mitzrayim is connected with boundaries, confinement, and restriction. The essence of Pesach is to go out of exile, to break beyond narrowness, and to enter a state of freedom.

The Alter Rebbe adds in the holy book of Tanya that this obligation is not limited to remembering the Exodus once a year or only in past generations. Rather, every single day a person must view himself as if he personally left Egypt today.

When the Torah commands us to remember, it is not merely verbal remembrance or lip service. It is not enough simply to say the words. True remembrance means to relive the experience, to internalize it, and to feel it as a present reality.

The Rebbe explains that if Hashem demands from every Jewish man and woman that they experience freedom each day, then certainly He has already given them the strength and ability to do so.

Hashem does not ask of a person something impossible. If He commands it, then He has granted the powers necessary to fulfill it in actual life.

Not only does He give the strength, but He also helps us accomplish it.

Therefore, the result is self-understood: when a person frees himself from physical anxieties, spiritual discouragement, and inner limitations, he can experience genuine freedom and accomplish far more than he imagined possible.

The Rebbe concludes with blessings for good news in all the above.

In this beautiful letter, the Rebbe responds to a report about a class in Hilchos Pesach held in a new home, and transforms it into a profound life teaching. Pesach is not only a historical event. It is the daily mission of every Jew to leave inner Egypt, break through limitations, and live with true freedom, joy, and Divine strength.