One of the special times Torah describes this week is called “the Omer”, the 7 weeks we are in, between Passover and Shavuot (a holiday that celebrates receiving Torah at Mt. Sinai). These weeks, like other special moments in our lives remind us of some basic truths we too easily forget. The Sefat Emet, a 19th century Hasidic rabbi teaches Passover is the season not just of freedom but of our own personal liberation.
Read MoreImagine: after 400 years of slavery in Egypt, during which they have been unable to determine their comings and goings, or tell one day from another, our ancestors are now free, have the power to shape their schedule. Rashi imagines God helping out by pointing at the moon as it waxed, and saying to Moses: “when you see the moon in a stage of renewal similar to this…you may proclaim that a new month has begun.” This is a tender moment of transition when God helps our people regain agency by giving them control over their schedules.
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