Bread of Freedom If Egypt represents constraints and limitations, then Pharaoh, the source of the oppression, is our inflated ego. Our desire to preserve and defend our inflated ego often keeps us trapped in negative space. Whether it is fear of rejection, the inability to apologize to a loved one, refusing to take responsibility, or blaming others, it is the fear that we will not survive if our inflated ego takes a hit that holds us back from growth. The antidote to the trappings of psychological Egypt and the key to liberation is the matzah, which represents humility. As the Torah commands in this week's Portion: And you shall watch over the unleavened cakes, for on this very day I have taken your legions out of the land of Egypt, and you shall observe this day throughout your generations, [as] an everlasting statute. In the first [month], on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, you shall eat unleavened cakes, until the twenty first day of the month in the evening. For seven days, leavening shall not be found in your houses… (Exodus 12:17-19) The Hebrew words for leavened bread, chametz, and unleavened bread, matzah, share two of three letters (they both have the letters mem and tzadik), the third letter of chametz is the chet (ח) whereas the third letter of matzah is the hey (ה). The shape of the letter chet (ח), the leavened bread's inflated ego, is an enclosed structure that traps the person within it, whereas the hey (ה) of the humble matzah has a small opening on the left which is the path to freedom. The caveat, however, is that in order to take advantage of the freedom, one must deflate the ego to enable himself to escape through the narrow opening. To break free of difficult circumstances often requires ignoring one's inflated ego and focusing on the required task, despite the fear that our ego will be bruised. Our nature is such that we spend much psychological energy protecting our ego. The matzah teaches us that, counter-intuitively, when we release ourselves from the grip of our inflated ego, we escape the narrow straits of our existence and open ourselves up to the expanses of new opportunities and reservoirs of untapped potential. Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe, Lekuteu Sichos, Bo volume 1.
ב"ה