[Ha-Rav's
commentary on the Haggadah]
Question: What is the connection between freedom and the
prohibition of chametz (leaven)? The entire process of ridding ourselves
of chametz seems like a heavy burden which robs a person of his freedom. In
fact, all of the mitzvot seem to deprive a person of his natural freedom of
movement!
Answer: Rav Kook explained that true freedom includes two aspects:
a. Freedom
of the body: Physical freedom from any foreign subjugation: Anything which
forces the image of G-d within a person to be subjugated to any other power
lessens that person’s worth.
b. Freedom
of the soul: Spiritual freedom from anything which turns it from the
straightness which is its essential existence. G-d created man upright,
and He cleanses man from any refuse which sullies his inner holiness.
Each morning we recite the blessing, "who has not made me a
slave." The mitzvot are not foreign entities which are forced upon a
person, rather they are commands that reveal his inner essence. Before
the mitzvot were engraved on the tablets that were given at Mount Sinai they
were written on the “tablets” of every Jew's soul. Our Sages therefore
said: They were "charut" (engraved) on the tablets – do not read the
word as "charut" (engraved) but as "cherut" (freedom)
(Pirkei Avot 6:2). By slightly changing the vocalization of the word, we
learn an incredible lesson: in order to truly be a free people, it is not
enough to be liberated from physical slavery. On the contrary, it is
possible to have an enlightened slave whose spirit is full of freedom, and a physically
free person whose spirit is enslaved. We were transformed into free
people on Pesach, but we do not become truly free until we rid ourselves of
anything which robs us of our natural essence. This is the reason for
destroying the chametz, which symbolizes the evil inclination and is called
"the yeast in the dough," since it ferments in the heart of people
and causes them to transgress (see Bereachot 17a). The destruction of our
internal chametz is what allows us to raise the flag of freedom (Olat Re'eiyah
vol. 2, pp. 244-245).
