Who is your Taskmaster?

Are you enslaved? Enslaved to your emotions or your way of thinking? Perhaps you’re enslaved to something of substance?

In any case, most of us are enslaved to our world view. It may be substantive and worthwhile, maybe even holy. But, it’s still the world view that we see from the eyes behind our eyelids.

Ever try looking at yourself from the other angle (outside of yourself)? Don’t worry; you’re in good company. It’s pretty hard to do this. So, if we can’t see ourselves from the outside how are we to ever liberate ourselves from our various imprisonments?

For this we have the Torah. Imagine if simply by opening a text you can rise above and see yourself for how you really are?

It’s not that you actually suddenly become enlightened in this rising above. But, anchoring yourself in something that transcends you, sets the stage, plants the seeds for the liberation and growth that happens.

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In this week’s Torah portion we read of the servant who says, I don’t want to go free, I love my master, I’m content with my delusional reality.

The Torah teaches us that the state of being enslaved is not good for us, it’s not right, it’s not all we can be. We have to break out of that limitation.

The Torah says “for the children of Israel belong to Me”, they are not enslaved to others. If we only recognize that we belong to Hashem, we can then simply dedicate the time to anchoring ourselves in Him and that alone will assist us in rising above.

Just as the servant in the Torah portion must go free after 6 years, so to we must free ourselves after 6 days. We do this on Shabbos when we engage in prayer, study, Torah discussions around the dinner and lunch table, comradery at and after services and by pausing to recognize that there is a different reality.

Have a Good Shabbos!