We know the ancient Jews endured physical slavery, the dominance of their bodies by Egyptian masters. I wonder if they thought at all of what freedom would look like. Did they even contemplate escape to the desert? Did they think that escape would be too difficult? Did they think they might starve? Did they wonder where they might go?
Were the Jews, the physical slaves, also slaves to their own minds?
We today are very fortunate. We are not physical slaves. But how might we be slaves to our own minds?
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We are slaves to our own minds…when see others in pain or sadness, and choose the easy path to look the other way.
Until…We can say, “how can I help you?”
We are slaves to our own minds…when our natural response to other’s behaviors is to feel anger or resentment.
Until…we realize their presence in our life is a test or lesson to be learned.
We are slaves to our own minds…when we seek validation or praise, and feel disappointed if not offered.
Until…we find strength in our own self- esteem, as a child of God.
We are slaves to our own minds…when we look to others to bring us happiness
Until…we realize we have the power within ourselves to find our own joy in life’s blessings.
We are slaves to our own minds…when we let obstacles in our path prevent us from achieving our goals.
Until… we envision our success and marshal our innate ability to prevail.
We are slaves to our own minds… when we quickly pronounce judgment on the behavior of others as a way to elevate ourselves at their expense.
Until…we seek to find the best in everyone.
We are slaves to our own minds…when we insist that others do things our way.
Until…we open ourselves to diverse possibilities in all we do.
We are slaves to our own minds… when we insist that others give us their immediate attention.
Until…we embrace serenity and patience in all things.
We are slaves to our own minds… when we let life’s challenges leave us in sour mood.
Until…we remember to reframe, smile, and show love to those close to us.
We are slaves to our own minds…when we anticipate worst possible outcomes.
Until…we can find optimism that all will be well, if not soon, then eventually.
We are slaves to our own minds…when we expect perfect order, rationality, and predictability.
Until…we learn to tolerate ambiguity and things being just ‘ok’.
We are slaves to our own minds…when we fear trying something new.
Until…we contemplate what we might do with just 2% more courage.
We are slaves to our own minds…when we feel jealousy of others.
Until…we acknowledge our own talents.
We are slaves to our own minds…when we allow life’s troubles to drag us down to the depths of despair.
Until…we embrace gratitude for every blessing in our lives, every bit of kindness shown to us, and the comfort of friends and loved ones.
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On this Passover, free of the physical slavery experienced by our forebears, may we seek to break free of the slavery of our minds, and become all we can be, and holy in the eyes of God.
SES/2014
Stu is retired from engineering at Ford Motor Company. He is proud to be a past President of Temple Beth Emeth of Ann Arbor. He continues to participate in older adult initiatives, and is grateful for the support from Rabbi Address.
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