What is True Freedom - Ari Abramowitz: The Land of Israel Fellowship

it's clear that there's a reason that this specific message that this specific light is shining down into the world you know they say that when Einstein discovered the theory of relativity some dude in in the other side of the world did at the same time like when there's certain light that comes down it comes down in waves through different people at different times that's part of the reason that I think there's light and and that's really what I was thinking about this because you know I've been in in uh I've had the privilege of being in touch with a lot of people here in this Fellowship and the subject that's the subject that is just coming up in all of our conversations it feels like all of them um it's about the hostages those that have been freed those that are still in captivity um the deal that the Israeli government struck with Hamas uh to free the hostages um I've heard a thousand different perspectives from so many people about was it good wasn't it good what's going on um a really interesting one I'll share with you I think next week I don't want to go into the depths of it right now but it's on our minds here in Judea as well um and for me you know when I was going through the Torah portion it really spoke to my heart about the matter as does the Torah portion always speak to whatever is really on our hearts if we're open to it to receiving it um and uh and so I think the part that was most pronounced was regarding the sacrifice of the Pascal land the Corban pesak I think I must discuss this point every year because it's really precious to my heart uh about how this the the corbon pesak it forced the Israelites into expressing their deepest Fai faith in God not just uttering the words but it demanded that they express it in action you know it always reminds me of the Jews in the times of Elijah the prophet that worshiping ba and worshiping the god of Israel and Elijah said how long will you be on both sides of the fence how long are you going to fear the Egyptians but also to fear the god of Israel it it forced them to really come down and say where does their true fear uh why because it was known that the Egyptians worshiped the lamb and now the Israelites were being commanded to take the god of their enslavers of their multi-generational Egyptian overlords and sacrifice it in a very public way outside their dwellings cook it whole and um and if the promised Redemption did not happen then each and every Israelite that had the audacity to sacrifice a lamb would unquestionably put to death and it wouldn't be hard to find them they did the work for for the Egyptian authorities by marking their doorpost with the very blood of the Lamb they sacrificed so it's like this is it one way or the other there's no no more being on both sides of the fence but the sacrificing of the Lamb was not only an expression of their faith in Hashem over their fear of the Egyptians but the very Act of the slaughtering there's a a very sweet wonderful Rob named R leor I don't remember his last name but he sort of shared this idea he said it wasn't just about expressing their faith where their faith really lies the act itself helped like tahila was saying helped set them free you know because it's one thing for them to be physically redeemed from Egypt but if they were still psychologically emotionally and spiritually slaves well then it didn't really matter where they were geographically in truth they're still slaves in Egypt even if they're nearly about to step foot in the Holy Land which is arguably why that whole generation had to pass away in the desert maybe they just couldn't shake it but anyways when they were able to Express Their Fear of Hashem even while still in the midst of slavery I think that liberated them enough that they were able to leave from Egypt itself it showed that regardless of where they were geographically or how many change they were Shackled to in truth those that sacrificed that Pascal Lam they were already free right in their hearts they were free and I couldn't help but thinking like TAA said of aam burger who was just freed from brutal Hamas kep ity in Gaza her friends who were released before her told her parents May and schom that no matter what aam did everything in her power to adhere to the laws of guarding the Sabbath eating kosher food during her time in captivity she even refused direct orders from Hamas Terrace to cook them food on Shabbat she wouldn't light a fire and cook food the Terrace on Shabbat she would rather die she would rather die that is this wonderful girl aam burger that is the soul of the nation of Israel you know and and just just just despite how limited their rations were how little food they have she refused to eat the meat that was given to her knowing that it wasn't kosher all of the time without knowing her mother on the outside was being so loud the whole country knew about aam Burger's mother would kept the Sabbath guarded it and kept it holy and revered the Sabbath she said even if her daughter was released on the Sabbath she wouldn't violate the Sabbath even to go meet her daughter okay so this is her mother and her daughter on each side of that slavery just think of the greatness there and of course aam was not alone there were many who went to Great Lengths even while being captives and slaves in every horrific way imaginable to ensure that no matter what conditions they were in they would not violate that which they cherished more than anything else more than their own lives and that's their relationship with Hashem and in that way aan burger and the other prisoners like her were never truly slaves at the core of their souls they were always free and that's why it's so important to remember that even in our darkest moments there is a part deep within us that is always connected to the highest most exalted source of light and if we remain connected to that light no matter what then we are truly free because think about it the brutal slavery the horrific abuse the murderous infanticide in Egypt was among the darkest periods in the history of the Jewish people and there have been a lot of dark and horrifying periods in our history but there are seven words and I'm going to wind it down with this Jeremy there's seven words in this portion that I think remind us of perhaps the most important truth in the world and it's it's a Timeless truth that we need to remember in our times of our greatest pains and our greatest darkness and this is a time where we need to be remembering that in Genesis chapter 46 B when Jacob is finally prophesized again before his families descend to Egypt Hashem Comforts him by saying I will go I myself will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will also bring you back Hashem is telling Jacob that he will be with the children of Israel throughout all of the darkness he will be with them through it and he will emerge from it with them he's telling them that in their moment of greatest Darkness he is going with them into that darkness and other than and let's think other than within the souls of every each and every one of them where was in during this whole period of time where did hashem's presence Shine the strongest where did hashem's light shine the most well I think the answer to that is best demonstrated in the ninth plague where all of Egypt and some say the entire world was immersed in darkness that was so overwhelming that it numbed the senses you couldn't see hear feel smell blinding darkness and SE and sensory deprivation we read about in chapter 10 people could not see one another and for three days no one could move about but all the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings so the sages teach that within the dwellings of Israel there was light in their homes in their dwellings in the places where they connected with each other even in the darkest of times Hashem brought light where those relationships grew where those connections were made and I don't think that it's only regarding then but reading those words really make me made me think of us in this Fellowship that as Israel and the world has been going through such Darkness this Fellowship for me has been a refuge so much beautiful healing light has come out of this fellowship at least for me I feel that way and I think many of us in this Fellowship feel that way too and so I want to thank hasem for that I want to thank all of you for that and I bless us that we should Merit to continue Shining hm's light to each other in the world particularly during these times of Darkness [Music]