We’ve All Got Some Seas to Part

Do you think in ways that are limited or limitless?

That’s the crux of the traditional Passover story. There the Israelites stood, trapped on the banks of the Red Sea. Pursued by Pharoah and his army, they faced that deep, wide sea: a seemingly impossible barrier to their freedom. While the story tells how the Creator heard their cries and parted the waters, Kabbalah teaches that the Israelites took a much more active role in the miracle. They co-created the splitting of the sea through the belief and certainty that it could be done! Their thoughts were not limited by their understanding of what was possible or impossible.

We, too, can harness this light on Pesach more than at any other time of the year. The cosmic window open to us during this holiday is so brightly illuminated, it has the power to obliterate all the dark corners in our minds where limiting thoughts like to hide. By removing our limitations, we enter into a consciousness of true freedom. Which, as consciousness goes, is the gold standard!

We can tap into this transformative opportunity by paying attention to what we’re focusing on, both today and in our general thought patterns. Many of the barriers we put up for ourselves come from fear or ego.

Are we limiting our own potential?

Are we participating in negative self-talk–you know, the “I can’t do this/I don’t deserve this” sort of thinking?

Are we spending too much time focusing on what’s wrong, feeding worries instead of empowering ourselves, judging the actions or words of others instead of elevating our own?

What is your own biggest obstacle at the moment, your own Red Sea in need of parting?

Last year, our son David made a request at a family dinner: he wanted everyone at the table to share what they saw as his “worst trait.”

The table went silent.

At first, I was a bit concerned that his invitation would invite his siblings to unload all of their criticisms and grievances, but I quickly realized it was just the opposite. David had surrendered his ego; he had invited feedback in order to better himself. By understanding how those he loved most perceived him—he was poised for internal growth.

After some distant ticking on the clock, David directly addressed his brother Josh (who was born with Down syndrome). “What do you think?” he asked, knowing how simple and wise Josh’s answers can be. Then, after another pause, Josh said, “Nothing matters to you.”

And in the silence, we all understood what he meant. David works, he travels, and he does it all with great ease. Josh didn’t mean that nothing mattered to his brother. He meant that, like most of us, getting caught up in the rush of doing and going and striving can distract us from acknowledging what matters most.

In the chaos of our daily lives, we can miss or take for granted all the miracles around us: our loved ones, the beauty of this day, the simple fact that we’ve been given another day to live and breathe and experience and love.

Rav Brandwein once wrote that the Light of the Creator is like our shadow. As we behave, so does our shadow. In other words, our consciousness creates our reality. And amazingly, science increasingly supports this ancient wisdom to be true!

In a recent article published by The Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Dr. Robert Lanza and his team argue that the physical world we perceive is not “out there” apart from us, but that we actively take part in its creation. Quantum theory tells us that an unobserved small object (i.e., an electron or a photon ) exists only in a blurred, unpredictable state, with no defined location until the moment it is observed. Lanza’s simulations on MIT computers are designed to prove that, even at a larger scale, “Observers ultimately define the structure of physical reality itself.” Stephen Hawking, who long held a similar view, said that “The past, like the future, is indefinite and exists only as a spectrum of possibilities.”

Truly, we are all co-creators of our lives. So during this brilliant cosmic window of Pesach, decide what you want yours to look like. Remember, the seas will part for each of us when we believe they will! When we remove the chaos and connect with the light, anything is possible. We can start by committing to more positivity. More joy. More trust in the Creator, ourselves, and those around us. More ways to help not just myself, but others as well. Like the Hebrews who crossed through a sea of obstacles (literally) to meet their liberation, we can connect with this week’s energy to find ours as well.

Because ultimately, it is within our own power to create our lives as we wish them to be. We can break our own shackles and leave our burdens on this side of the shore. This is freedom at the soul level: to part the waters within ourselves so that we can experience a life of fulfillment, joy, gratitude, and blessings—just as the Creator has intended for all of us.