Normally, I am pretty lazy when it comes to cleaning. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when everything is spotless and tidy—it’s just that I prefer it when someone else does the scrubbing for me. Just ask my wife. And yet, Pesach is quickly approaching and many of us are busy with spring cleaning. Even me! Cleaning for Pesach is something that all students of Kabbalah take very seriously.
Why?
Rav Berg taught us that Pesach is so much more than merely commemorating a historical event. The Rav always enjoyed asking, “How does the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt 3,400 years ago help me pay my rent today? It doesn’t appear to be connected. So what do I care?”
The Rav explained that the Israelites were able to break free from spiritual exile (which, according to the Zohar, is code named Egypt—Mitzrayim in Hebrew—and comes from the word ‘Meitzar’ or ‘narrowing’ because it represents the constriction of healthy energy) because they knew how to tap the special flow of spiritual freedom that exists during this time.
What is spiritual freedom?
It’s the opposite of spiritual exile. The Israelites knew that the month of Aries, in general, and Pesach, in particular, contains the ultimate success strategy to win all of the battles we will fight in the coming year. This includes both internal struggles, such as uncertainty about a career move, and external challenges, like dealing with a difficult boss. On Pesach, everything we do – which includes intense cleaning (removing layers of our spiritual grime), not eating leavened bread (representing our reactive ego) and the Seder (our cosmic battle plan) – are all forms of spiritual technology that access clarity and certainty in the coming year. So when a student of Kabbalah cleans for Pesach, they are actually thinking (while they are cleaning) that they want to remove the layers upon layers of reactive spiritual residue that has accumulated over the past year. You know that wonderful ‘light’ feeling that you experience after you clean your home or office really well? There is a spiritual reason for that! You probably just removed layers of spiritual negativity!
We could all use a little more of that! Instead of wasting time worrying about identifying the next thing I should be doing, I want to have clarity and certainty that I am on a proactive path towards a loving relationship, great health and financial abundance!
To understand this idea on a deeper level, Rav Ashlag wrote, in his amazing work, The Wisdom of Truth, that a person must first experience ‘Golah’ (spiritual exile) before he can experience ‘Geulah’ (spiritual freedom of clarity and certainty)! ‘Golah’, or spiritual exile, is defined as being disconnected from the Light Force of the Creator. Why would Rav Ashlag wish this upon anyone?
Of course, Rav Ashlag’s only desire is for everyone to have the type of clarity and certainty that we are discussing. He is really talking about awareness. How aware are we that we are disconnected from the Light? He explains that there are actually two levels of spiritual exile:
1. Golah (exile).
2. Golah of Golah (exile of exile).
What’s the difference? Many people are actually in Golah of Golah, which means that they are so oblivious that they are in spiritual exile they don’t even recognize that they have a lack that can be fulfilled. For instance, have you ever had a friend that was stuck in a really bad relationship or situation and everyone was able to recognize it – except for that friend? (They are probably the sign of Taurus! Just kidding—it can happen to anyone! Even a Leo!) All they have to do to improve their lives is simply walk away but there is no true awareness of how damaging it is, so they do nothing and the pain continues. Or imagine someone gave you a beautifully wrapped key in a gorgeous gift box. You take the key out of the beautiful box and look at it wondering what on earth it is for? You are in Golah of Golah because you don’t recognize that it is the key to get out of your jail! You are blind to the fact that you are blind.
On the other hand, Golah means that you are actually aware that you are in exile in a certain area of your life. This is a blessing because with the combination of true awareness, sharing actions and a desire to improve, also comes the ability to run away from your unique form of slavery.
The only difference between the words Geulah (spiritual freedom) and Golah (spiritual exile) is the Hebrew letter ‘Aleph’. Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and it is also the first letter in the word ‘Ohr’, which refers to the Light of the Creator. The word Geulah (spiritual freedom) contains the Light of the Aleph and the word Golah (spiritual exile) does not. Rav Ashlag explains that if we wish to experience the spiritual freedom of clarity and certainty that the Light Force can provide, then we need to create a place for that Light to permeate our lives. According to Karen Berg, the best way to create that space for the Light is: don’t just ask the universe for what you want, instead ask yourself what are you prepared to give. If I want a soulmate, am I prepared to be a soulmate? If I want financial abundance, am I prepared to help others financially? If I want respect, will I respect others?
I could keep on going but I hear my wife calling. She says I haven’t finished cleaning the oven yet!
Make it a beautiful and Light-filled Pesach!
