Blessed are You, HASHEM our G-d, King of the Universe, who has chosen us from among all peoples, raised us above all tongues, and made us holy through His commandments. You have given us, HASHEM our G-d, in love festivals for rejoicing, holy days and seasons for joy, this day of the festival of Matzos, the time of our freedom, a holy assembly in memory of the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us above all people, and given us as our heritage Your holy festivals for joy and gladness. – Text for Reciting of Kiddush at the Pesach Seder

Pesach is referred to as “the time of our freedom”. That makes sense because, at this time, 3338 ago, the Jewish People were born as a nation as we miraculously emerged from Egypt and we became free. So, we celebrate by restricting our diet and curbing our appetite for so many goodies that we usually enjoy year-round, for a whole week!? This seeming incongruity prompts a classic question; “What is freedom?” Some might wrongly conclude: “If this is freedom, then, I don’t know if it’s for me!” Yet, we know that there is nothing more fundamental and universal to the human spirit than freedom.

I asked a group of elementary age students for a definition of freedom, years back and the consensus opinion I got was: “You can do anything you want!” I think I know what they wanted to say, I don’t think that that adds up to the freedom we refer to on Pesach. We don’t do whatever we want, but on a deeper level it really is true what they say. Allow me to explain, please. There are many parts of “you” and “me” too. Whenever you just do what you want, another part of “you” may be greatly offended. If I eat a gallon of ice cream a day, I am doing what I want. I should be free. However, my body will be profoundly offended in the short term and my health totally undermined over the long term. If I cannot stop, then I have a new problem of addiction. It cannot be that that is how freedom works.

The Mishne tells us, “Ayn L’cha Ben Chorin Ella Mi Sh’Osek B’Talmud Torah” – “There is no free person like one who is busy with the learning of Torah.”. Watching someone busy learning the Torah from the outside does not appear to the eye like the model of freedom. Sure, people are engaged and happily so, but how is that freedom?

Screaming at a ballgame feels more like authentic freedom. What could that statement possibly mean? Is it just some party line to keep people in lock step?! How do we slay this cynical attitude and successfully explain the Talmud’s definition of freedom?

Imagine a young boy whose parents are insisting that he take piano lessons and spend time practicing. He likes the idea of playing music, and he has shown some native talent and expressed interest in doing so, but it’s the first nice day of spring and his friends are outside jumping and running and shouting out loud. He is annoyed and encumbered by practicing scales and hammering out scripted music, slowly training finger after finger to follow dutifully along. It’s an arduous process and the boy is losing patience and hope and the noise from outside isn’t helping. Now, let’s run the calendar years ahead. The young boy is now a grown man. His cumulative skills have grown to the point where he is a master of piano. After years of playing classics, he is now able to express his feelings with the piano in the most profound and original way. With the notes he plays and the sequences and rhythms he is able to capture and transfer to others his deepest musical expressions.

Each of us is like that child, but our natural talent is for spirituality, and whether we realize it or not, our deepest longing is to be closer to HASHEM. King David stated, “FOR ME GOOD IS BEING CLOSE TO HASHEM”. Sure, we want to run around outside and skip and play but if we learn the classics and refine ourselves appropriately then when we are older, then it will become possible to express the deepest, the noblest, and holiest aspect of our being.

This gentle and enjoyable discipline will awaken within you the endless wellsprings of spiritual potential that reside within, without offending the other parts of “you”. This is the real “YOU”. This is the full expression of “YOU”. “YOU” are becoming liberated in the process. That’s freedom.

How many types of music can be played on a piano with 88 keys? Limitless! Now, how much more if there are 613 keys?! In the realm of the heart and private devotion to HASHEM, the keys are beyond deep and limitless. What is freedom? It’s true! “Doing whatever “you” want!” The only question is, “Which “YOU” is “YOU”?!