We Were Slaves. Is It Time to Break Free?

What happens the moment you stop reacting to everything that hurts you

Episode 53 · April 18, 2024

Jewish holidays

The Truth Hurts · Episode 53 · audio in Hebrew

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The conversation

Somebody says something, and you react instantly, as if you had no choice. According to Gili, that is exactly what real slavery is: not a master holding on to us, but the inner habits we keep giving authority to again and again, with nobody forcing anything on us. She explains why chametz and matzah at Passover stand for pride against truth, and why real satisfaction does not come from what we have but from connecting to the soul. And Nisan is the time when it finally becomes possible to set our fears down and bloom.

The truth

  • Slavery is not necessarily an external master. It is the moment you react to an inner voice, to an insult, to a craving, and nobody has to force anything on us. We manage that perfectly well on our own.

  • Chametz stands for self-will. Just like dough that swells the more water you add to it, appetite grows the more you have.

  • According to the holy Arizal, Pesach comes from peh sach, a speaking mouth: the moment you manage to look at reality without getting worked up over it and without reacting to it, and the moment you stop reacting you have already come out of slavery.

  • Real satisfaction does not come from chasing material things or from pride, but from connecting to the soul, and that is a freedom that does not depend on anyone except me.

  • There is a difference between a one-time miracle, like the sun standing still in the days of Joshua, and a miracle that returns every year on the same date and brings spiritual abundance with it. A holiday is celebrated only for the second kind.

  • Nisan comes from nitzan, a bud, a month of blossoming in nature, and the same thing happens in the soul when you get free of fears, of anxieties and of worries.

Questions and answers

Do we really eat matzah at Passover because there wasn't time for the dough to rise before we left Egypt?

No. According to the Torah, the Israelites received the instructions for leaving more than two weeks before they actually left, so they had plenty of time to prepare. The prohibition on chametz did not come from a shortage of time but from an explicit command not to let it rise in the first place.

What is the spiritual difference between chametz and matzah?

Chametz represents a lie. It swells up and looks big and full, but in fact it is mostly air, exactly like pride that puffs itself up on self-delusion. Matzah, on the other hand, stays simple and does not rise, which is why it stands for truth and humility.

What is a slave? Because if it isn't someone who was forced to work, then what is it?

Slavery is mainly inner reactivity: listening to your reactions, to craving, to anger or to fear, and giving them authority. As long as you respond automatically to those voices you are not in control of yourself, and as long as you are not in control you are not really free.

What is the difference between a one-time miracle and the miracles that wake up every year at Passover?

A one-time miracle happens once only, which is why no holiday is celebrated for it, like the sun standing still in the time of Joshua son of Nun. Against that, there are miracles that return every year on a fixed date, when a particular spiritual abundance comes down into the world, and that is the kind of miracle a holiday celebrates.

How was the song "Shir Sameach" born?

In 1954, four days before Purim, terrorists attacked a bus on its way back from the festivities, and 11 of the passengers were murdered. According to the story, Prime Minister Moshe Sharett sat two songwriters down in a room with a bottle of brandy, and some say he even locked the door until they wrote a happy song.

Gili's original episode description

A holiday episode in honor of Passover. Just as nature wakes up and renews itself in the month of Nisan, the human soul also has buds of blossoming waiting to break open.

In this episode, Gili and Tal focus on the idea of slavery. Not the kind of slavery you are thinking of, a slavery that has nothing to do with anyone else. A slavery we create for ourselves, by ourselves, through habits, cravings and urges that are not under our control.

They shatter the illusion that we are free while we are tied to needs and difficulties we never chose, and they call on us to face those limiting habits and get free of them.

A very happy Passover, and may we all come out from slavery to freedom!

About the podcast

Listening to The Truth Hurts feels like sitting in on a healing session.

The truth can hurt. It’s right there in the name. But we’re not here to cause pain. Quite the opposite.

In each episode, two women sit down for an honest conversation: an Emotional Healer and her client.

We talk about healing and consciousness, faith and science, the body and soul, personal growth, energy, and different approaches to healing. Above all, we face the truth no one says out loud: everything around us is upside down.

Is this podcast for you?

  • You want to hear the truth, and you’re ready to face it. (Yes, those are two different things.)
  • You want to gain insight and improve your quality of life.
  • You want to make a change.
  • You want a deeper understanding of the laws of the universe.
  • You want to live a healthy life in body and soul.
  • You want to take away something you can carry with you for life.

You don’t need any prior knowledge. You only need the desire to explore a wide range of ideas and discover practical guidance for living.

Listen and get in touch

Gili Man Wolner, Emotional Healer. Helping you heal and grow through Jewish wisdom.

Have a question about an episode? Send a WhatsApp message to +972 50-681-0611 (messages only).

Listen to The Truth Hurts (in Hebrew).

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