Passover is the Holiday of Freedom.
To celebrate freedom, we have a whole ritual called a Seder, which means order. For most people freedom means lack of order, no rules and I get to do what I want!
One who grew up Torah observant and now is no longer observant, in Yiddish they are called “Frie”, pronounced “fry”, which means free.
How does this freedom affect my connection with my higher power?
When you have a relationship with a G-d that recognizes the “Egypt” you live in and you trust that Hashem will take care of you, like he did for the Jews in the original Egypt on the original Passover, then you are truly free. You have a structure. E.G., at the Seder we first focus on the good and holiness (kadesh) and only then start to dabble with the challenges (karpas in saltwater).
True freedom is when you are free from worry, both the spiritual and material kind. True freedom is when you have nothing holding you back; no internal or external constraints and boundaries to living a complete Jewish life.
When you sign up for the limitations of an exclusive relationship with Hashem, you open yourself up to all the benefits of a meaningful, personal, and exclusive relationship.
To be free, you need to accept that structure, seder, is good.
Have a freeing, kosher, happy and orderly Passover.
Rabbi Kushi Schusterman