Redefining Freedom: The Hidden Message of Passover - Jeremy Gimpel: The Land of Israel Fellowship

We talk about freedom. We talk about liberation. This is the holiday of freedom. And so I want to take some time and dive into the into why is the pillar of all holidays centered around freedom and what does freedom mean through the lens of the Bible? And it's so important because Passover is more than just a story of liberation. It's the blueprint for what true freedom means. See, in our world, there's like confusion. Freedom means endless choices, self-indulgence, do what you want, go with the flow. The Exodus Passover reminds us real freedom isn't about doing what we want. It's about becoming who we truly are. That's why the first commandment in the ten commandments doesn't begin with a command at all. It begins with our identity. The first command ten commandments. I am the Lord your God who took you out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. before the law, before the rules, before the rituals, before anything. God defines the relationship not as creator of the universe, but as redeemer, the one who broke our chains, the one who reached into our darkness and said, "You're not a slave. You're my people. You're free." Now, why does God introduce himself as the God who took us out of the land of Egypt from the help of slavery? Why not introduce us as, "Hi, I'm God who created the entire universe. Why not give us the big shebang? Tell us you're the master of all, the creator of many universes, the cosmos, you rule." Why is it that he introduces himself in the Ten Commandments? I am the God that brought you out of Egypt. Well, the first reason is the creator of the universe isn't necessarily a personal God. There's a higher power and intelligence that created the universe. And here we are now just in our universe. On Passover, Hashem continued his promise to Abraham because he personally freed one family to fulfill his promise. He's not only the God of the cosmos, but Hashem who watched and passed over or dwelled in the homes of every single freed slave. But what does it mean that he freed them? What is freedom? Modern society tells us that freedom is the ability to just do anything. I'm free. The float like a leaf, directionless, weightless, answerable to no one. But a leaf in the wind isn't free. It's at the mercy of every gust, every change, every mood. The Torah gives us a different image. Not a leaf, but a tree rooted, nourished, reaching upward, blossoming in its season. True freedom is free to flourish into who we are. Freedom in the Torah isn't about escaping structure. It's about devotion. It's about a choice to align with something greater than the self. It's about anchoring yourself in values that transcend the immediate moment, that transcend your immediate desires to rise above the ego. That's why Passover isn't just the end of slavery. It's the beginning of service. The Israelites didn't leave Egypt to be free from Pharaoh. They were freed for something higher, to serve, to love, to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Because you are not just a body looking for pleasure and living by instincts. You are a soul longing for truth and doing the will of God is the ultimate freedom. Not because it limits you, because it reveals you. You don't have a soul. You are a soul. And the soul wants to be devoted. It wants to be devoted to something beyond itself. People are only happy. Their soul is only at peace when there's an aim and a goal beyond yourself that you're committed to. Committing to the Torah, committing to God's will, devoting your life to the ultimate good is your soul's deepest desire. And if our soul is a small piece of Hashem, doing his will is the deepest will and desire of our soul. It's unlocking our soul. It's unshackling our soul for our soul to be free. It's like [Music]