Breaking the chains - Behar

During the past few weeks, I couldn't listen to music because of sefira. This rare opportunity afforded me the chance to hear a lecture by Rabbi YY Jacobson. He explained that, in sefer bereishis, Yosef Hatzadik was sold into slavery.The only reason Yosef survived slavery was because he used slavery as a mission. Instead of feeling depressed about being enslaved, he took it as an opportunity to do his shlichus. This led him to transform Mitzrayim so that klal yisrael would be comfortable when they eventually went there.

In this week's parsha, we read about the idea of selling someone into slavery. A person would be sold or sell themselves so that they could pay back debt. This parsha elaborates that we should treat a slave with respect. True, the person was enslaved but that shouldn't take away moral values or a mission one may have.

The Rebbe teaches that if we do one more act of kindness, we can bring moshiach. No matter how stuck we feel, no matter what the physical world makes us feel, we can always make a difference. Let's take a moment this week to do a mitzvah and break the shackles of golus with the coming of moshiach.

Good shabbos

All the Best

Avrohom Y Ross