And on this night, they shall eat the flesh (of the Korbon Pesach), roasted over the fire, and Matzos; with Marror they shall eat it. (Shemos 12:8)

This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Whoever is hungry, let him come and eat: Whoever is in need, let him come and celebrate the Pesach. This year we are here; next year may we be in the Land of Israel. This year we are in slavery; next year may we be free people. (Pesach Seder – Haggadah)

Right at the beginning of the Seder we confront a major problem. Firstly, we declare that we are here and now, presently in exile. Then for the rest of the evening we build up a world of gratitude for having exited Egypt. One could cynically ask, “What was the accomplishment of the Exodus experience if now we find ourselves back in the hot soup of history. What changed?

The Maharal writes in Gevuras HASHEM 31: “Some ask, “What does it help us if we are already under the authority of others? What was made different by the Exodus from Egypt?” These are hollow words. When Israel went out from Egypt, they received an essential quality of good to the extent that they are intrinsically fit to be free because of the essence of their being. Circumstance can never nullify the essential. Because Israel is imbued with this quality that they are free people and they just happen to be presently in a setting of exile…”

Let’s decode the words of the Maharal. What is the meaning of the distinction he makes between “Etzem”-Essential and “Mikroh” – Circumstantial? Imagine a wealthy man who, having left his hotel room and consumed a sumptuous restaurant meal discovers that he forgot his wallet with his credit cards and ID. Now he finds himself in serious negotiations with the management. They study him with suspicion and although he is humiliated in the process, he knows deep inside that behind a locked door in a hotel room on the other side of town is a little black leather folio that holds the answer to his problems. So, he endures the indignities with equanimity. He is essentially a rich person but his present circumstances have the signs of poverty.

It is also possible a person has all the trappings of freedom, privilege, and power and yet he is seriously addicted to some coarse behavior or dark patterns of haunting thoughts that don’t allow him to feel like an essentially free person. We know too many examples from the world around of individuals who seemingly “made it” but inevitably fumbled it all.

What is the real accomplishment of the Exodus from Egypt, if we find ourselves in exile again?! We have enjoyed the sweet taste of freedom. It is now forever installed in our historical memory and spiritual DNA. We are essentially free, even if circumstances, right now do not reflect a picture of freedom. We love and live for and long continuously for real freedom.

Now, imagine a magnificent and majestic bald eagle that finds himself in a chicken’s coop. He senses that something is wrong. He feels awkward and strangely different. He tries to pick up as many of those tiny kernels as he can just like the chickens around him, but they don’t really satisfy him.

One day he notices a slight opening in the wire that defines his home. He manages to squeeze out and now he sits atop the wire cage. Instinctively, he takes a wild jump and to prevent a hard fall he spreads his broad wings and surprise he begins to fly and soar. He climbs higher and higher until he can view the entire vista of mountains, rivers, and fields. It is so beyond what he had ever imagined before.

The time flies as he does, and the sun begins to set. So, he descends to that familiar place down below that he had always called home. He lands on the chicken coop and squeezes himself back through the opening. The farmer comes along to feed the chickens and noticing the breech, mends it quickly to make sure no birds escape. He realizes now that he is an eagle trapped in a chicken coop, this wire home is a prison that limits him severely.

After a liberating experience, a person can then find themself painfully aware of how constraining their current setting is. Yes, they may live currently with some existential angst and a constant striving to express their deepest desire, and that longing exposes the sign of a free people.