Episode 73 (BONUS): Getting Unstuck - Pesach and the Quest for Liberation

“We are, in many ways, slaves to the grind — grind culture and being defined by our productivity.”— Bluth

Is the idea of “freedom” clear-cut and universal? How closely do we examine the chains that bind us — and how can the Seder help us to gain new perspective?

Slavery is not a grim chapter in our history we can consider closed. It’s an ongoing problem that still occurs today, in many parts of the world and in many industries. But even for those of us fortunate enough not to be subject to it, debates about exploitation and work-life balance are both urgent and applicable to our modern lives.

Referred to as the zman cheruteinu, “the time of our freedom,” Pesach is the perfect time to reflect upon the constraints we deal with in our daily lives, whether physical, mental, or emotional — where are we “stuck,” and how can we get “unstuck”?

In this special episode is dedicated to Pesach, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Living Jewishly’s Rabbi Rachel Rosenbluth (Bluth) and Rabbi Ami Silver, a teacher and psychotherapist living in Jerusalem, to explore our current understanding of freedom and where true freedom may be found in our modern lives.

“Rituals ought to be transformative experiences. If we look to the Seder as a ritual, then we can look to it as something we’re designing, with a beginning and a middle and an end: we’re trying to get somewhere.”— Bluth

This‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

• How to deal with situations and mindsets that leave you feeling “stuck”
• The symbolism of cleaning out chametz — and the thin boundary that exists between matzo and chametz
• How to approach the Haggadah in our contemporary age and what it can tell us about storytelling

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Highlights:‌ ‌

00:52 Intro

02:26 Being “stuck” or “unstuck”

07:26 The Sedar, pain & late-stage capitalism

11:52 Chametz & absolutism

14:30 Matzo & chametz symbolism

16:52 The Sedar as purposeful ritual

22:30 The Haggadah & storytelling

26:04 When do stories start?

28:07 Labelling children

32:54 Asking Sedar questions

38:18 Universal suffering & the inexplicable

42:50 Conclusion

Links:‌ ‌

The Social Contract

https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/rousseau/section2/

The School of Living Jewishly

https://www.schooloflivingjewishly.com

To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:

Visit‌ ‌our ‌website: https://livingjewishly.org

Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly

Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw

or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.

Shalom!