Each year, between the events I run and the business owners I coach, I have thousands of conversations with singles. Through those conversations, I have learnt that most of us are enslaved to something - the next Netflix series, social media, one’s image, or the job. However, most people don’t realize they are also enslaved by their stories, locked into their narratives of the victim, the abused, the hurt, or the scared.
While no one wants to be controlled, this enslavement seems far better than what will become of us if we choose to leave. We are scared, held by powerful doubts and concerns.
In this weeks Torah Portion Mishpatim - literally translated as “laws” - we learn the commandment of setting a slave free after 6 years. “You buy a Jewish bondsman, he shall work for six years; and in the seventh he shall go free..." (Exodus 21:2)
After 6 years of bondage people are stuck physically, emotionally and mentally. It’s hard to leave so God gives us this commandment as a way of telling us that no matter how difficult it is, with God's help, you can be free.
Shabbat Shalom