Shabbat Greetings

On this Shabbat during Passover, as we gather in the overlap of sacred time, the Torah invites us to reflect more deeply on what freedom means. We recall the Exodus as the moment of liberation, yet the special Torah readings for this Shabbat remind us that leaving Egypt was only the beginning of the journey. In Exodus (33:12-34:26), we encounter Moses in a moment of vulnerability after the sin of the Golden Calf, not celebrating freedom but questioning it. He pleads with God, “Show me Your ways.” It is a powerful reminder that freedom is not simply about release from oppression, but about the courage to seek relationship, presence, and purpose. God’s response: “My Presence will go with you,” teaches that true freedom is not found in isolation, but in connection.

At the same time, the passages from Numbers (28:19-25) ground us in the rhythms of sacred practice, detailing the offerings of the festival. This structure may seem at odds with the idea of freedom, yet it reveals an essential truth: without discipline and intention, freedom can feel empty or even overwhelming. The rituals of Pesach anchor us, helping transform freedom from a moment in history into a way of living, reminding us that choosing meaning, again and again, is itself an act of liberation.

And then we turn to Shir HaShirim, the Song of Songs, with its language of longing and love. The rabbis teach us to hear in its poetry the voice of a relationship between God and the people Israel. Love, like freedom, cannot be forced; it must be chosen. Only a free people can enter into covenant not out of obligation alone, but from a place of desire and yearning. The search of the beloved in Song of songs, “I sought the one my soul loves,” mirrors our own spiritual searching, reminding us that freedom opens the door not just to autonomy, but to deep connection.

So we are left with a question that feels as urgent today as it did then: are we truly free? Though we may no longer live under the physical bondage of Egypt, we know there are many ways in which we remain constrained – by fear, by distraction, by the expectations that shape our lives. The Sabbath of Passover (Shabbat Pesach) gently challenges us to see freedom as something ongoing, something we cultivate. We become free not only by breaking chains, but by choosing presence, by sanctifying our time, and by allowing ourselves to love and be loved. Perhaps the question is not simply whether we are free, but how we are using our freedom. This sacred moment calls us to live the Exodus not as memory alone, but as a daily invitation to seek, to commit, and to enter into relationship.

Chag Pesach Sameach & Shabbat Shalom