Jewish Musings Tuesday, January 16

[hollygail]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:

Frieda (hopefully)?
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you who stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!

[hollygail]

Back to this week's Torah portion. Among other things in parashat Bo, God tells Moses and Aaron that they will depart from Egypt in the first month, and that on the tenth day of that month each Israelite household should acquire a lamb. At twilight on the fourteenth day, each household should slaughter their lamb, putting some of its blood on the doorposts so that their houses are spared the plague of the death of the firstborn. The Israelites must also eat unleavened bread (matzah) for seven days. These observances — the sacrifice of the lamb and the eating of matzah — will become important parts of the festival of pesach (note: the word itself refers to the lamb that gets slaughtered, not to the week-long observance of the holiday). The Israelites ae further told to consecrate their firstborn to God, as a further remembrance of their departure from Egypt.

So we receive the commandment to observe the holiday of Passover, Pesach in Hebrew (although I always thought that the two words, Passover and Pesach, meant the same thing... see my previous note above). We're commanded to tell our children about the meaning of pesach — which means telling them about the meaning of freedom itself. And what was yesterday in the US? A day to remember a non-Jewish man who was a real ally to the American Jewish people (and to Israel as well)...

In your life, what experience(s) have you had regarding real freedom?

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well, warm and SAFE! Please pray for Israel.

Re today's topic: I have experienced real freedom a number of times, some of which got messed up due to unforeseen circumstances. Generally, they have been when difficult periods of my life ended and I embarked on new paths.

Changing the subject, it is cold, icy, and snowy, here in NOVA. I feel sorry for the birds outside. Hopefully, this winter won't continue to be yucky.

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[peachymom1]

I had real freedom when I left home, and while it was a little scary, it was a relief to be on my own. I knew I could take care of myself and would do whatever I had to in order to do so. I learned more about freedom when I went into counseling; it's liberating to let go of what's holding you back emotionally and mentally too.

On two occasions, I left toxic jobs after trying like heck to make them a success, and that was eye-openingly liberating. It was my own self, my own demands of myself, that kept me from being free, and once I finally realized it, I was able to free myself of those unrealistic and unhealthy mindsets that were keeping me where I should have left a lot earlier. But at least I did learn.

I'm not sure everyone really wants freedom - some people cling awfully hard to their chains. Maybe that's why we keep telling the story every year, so people will keep hearing it and eventually grasp the idea that freedom is what God wants for us, even before we know that we want it for ourselves.