The Freedom of Constraints

The bird glides gracefully through his space without boundaries,

without borders the world his to see and to explore. 

Right or left, up or down, his options are as endless as the wind

which carries him this way and that. 

He soars above the mighty mountains and swoops down beneath

the fluttering leaves. 

He rests on the landing of his choosing and sees himself off again

when he so desires. 

He lives without constraints, able to traverse every part of every part.

To be free. 

To go where the wind takes him..

After centuries living in subpar conditions, forced to work beyond what is humanly possible, beaten, murdered, degraded, G-d stepped in with awesome miracles, breaking the bounds of nature, and elevated the nation’s status from property to man, from servant to master. He gave them His love and attention, and His protection. He gave them their freedom. 

In the first commandment given to Moshe, while the exodus had not yet been completed, G-d taught Moshe to count time, its months and years, through the lunar cycle. With this, we reclaimed our time as had been taken from us during our many years as slaves. With this, G-d gives us back our dignity and our ability to think, to choose, to become. To be master of oneself and own how we use our time is the very definition of freedom. 

Was there something more to this commandment of conquering and sanctifying time? Why would Hashem reinstate some of the constraints He was in the process of so generously removing? Why would He bind us to a calendar and all it entails at the very moment He was facilitating our freedom?

The concept of time as we experience it is meant to bounder the infinite. Earthly time exists to structure the transcendent. It is the contraction of holiness which enables our reality. The first mitzvah as a nation was to flourish in the physical world, to create borders and limits to live, work and serve, to thrive within. To move from a state of G-d infused Hesed, generosity, to man infused Gevurah, restraint. To establish and elevate reality through the confines of time.

With this commandment Hashem sets up the paradigm for life: greatness, success and creativity are created within boundaries. Structure frees us to most fully develop ourselves, pushing us to think creatively and deeply, to question and to search for more refined answers. It is to stretch our minds beyond our initial suppositions, to be free from our more immediate, base instincts. 

Hashem is telling us to live within 

To be free, but keep ourselves together 

Be expansive, yet remain contained

To live life in a burst of color, while staying in the lines

The two are not contradictory, they are together what actualizes, what brings to fruition, to reality. Creativity needs a direction and a container with which to express itself, to create a fusion of idea and process, all encompassing yet tangible. To embrace the tension between unlimited potential and finite existence. To create in the physical world is to negate all that could have been for the one that is. 

It is easy to believe we want endless options and unlimited time, to have an empty calendar and a full store of energy. And yet, too many options are debilitating rather than liberating. The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz is the idea that while having some choice is beneficial, having too many choices can lead to anxiety, indecision, and dissatisfaction. Our brains are instinctively wired to thrive within structure, to expand within, and to even crave it. Like Steve Jobs in his black turtleneck, it is often these regimens which reduce the clutter of insignificant decisions, creating the foundation for our creativity and individuality to flourish, freely.  

Confidence in self thrives in an environment of self control. We feel accomplished through the standards we adhere to. Living a disciplined life often becomes our identity and a point of pride, “I don't do this, I do this this way..” Our dignity and integrity are honed and become our banner, our self respect blossoming when we overcome our instincts and adhere to the higher standards G-d places on us, the standards we readily accept. 

The Torah itself is a list of do’s and don’ts designed for us to reach G-d and our potential in the most effective way. We honor G-d most fully from within the guidelines of mitzvot. The Torah offers a structured life brimming with meaning and purpose, its parameters the very basis for our success. It lays the foundation of faith, giving us a concrete way to serve G-d yet freeing us to do so in our unique way, to express our individuality. It provides a framework with which to live within, to excel within, to create within. 

The strength to submit, with the yearn to rebel

To submit to Another, a Greater, to Him

To be me within the confines of Us

The bird flies freely, yet accomplishes nothing. 

He moves with his desires, yet builds naught.

Flitting and floating, aimlessly.

Purposelessly. 

The freedom of all, of every, is not freedom at all.