What does it mean to go out of Egypt, especially today when are no longer slaves in Egypt?
On Pesach G-d took us out of Egypt, mitzraim. Chassidus teaches that mitzraim also means metzorim, limitations. So on Pesach G-d takes us out of our personal mitzraim, our personal limitations.
But what does that really mean?
In life we are often limited by things that affect our true service of Hashem. In a sense we are slaves to many different things and to many types of Pharoahs (pharaoh can be materialism, fear, worry, anxiety, etc. etc.)
We serve G-d every day. We pray, we learn Torah, we do good deeds. But there are many things that limit our happiness; our true service of G-d. Those limits can be emotional: are we perhaps depressed? Or not grateful enough in life? Are we easily angered? Are we addicted to various things (including facebook, email, videos etc. etc.)
And then there are things that interfere with our emuna or our simcha. Do we have doubts at times? Do we question why G-d does things in a particular way? Are there things that prevent us from serving G-d with true joy? These are spiritual limitations.
Are there character traits we find it difficult to change or improve?
Do we perhaps have negative habit patterns, either in thought or speech or even action. Do we think too negatively? Are we too judgmental? Do we speak negatively of others too easily? Do we have negative habits that we cant break out of?
Whatever it is that we find difficult to change or fix, is a limitation for us. Whatever we are enslaved to on some level is our personal Egypt.
Of course we are limited human beings. We are not perfect nor are we meant to be perfect.
But on Pesach Hashem gives us the opportunity to break out of those limitations, and we are helped from Above to do so. We are helped to fix things we find difficult to fix. We are helped to view life differently, to change our perspectives. We are helped to look at others differently, to look at ourselves differently. We are helped to overcome challenges. WE are helped to reject and go out of impurity and negativity. We are given additional light from Above to free us from things that we need to be freed from.
There is another aspect of going out of mitzraim (Egypt) that Chassidus talks about. The idea of mitzraim is meitzorim, boundaries, limitations. But included within that is the idea of how G-d Himself limited Himself, so to speak, by concealing His light from creation.
Part of going out of mitzraim is reaching a level where G-d’s light is fully revealed to Creation. That is the era of redemption. When Moshiach comes we will see G-dliness openly revealed and we will see the light that sustains creation every moment.
So Pesach is all about redemption: not just commemorating the past redemption from Egypt, but also preparing for the future redemption with Moshiach, when Hashem will show us wonders as He did when we left Egypt.
So let’s really take advantage of Pesach and the special light generated on this yom tov and may we all go free from our personal problems and limitations and may we merit the complete geulah with Moshiach tzidkenu.