Every so often the news carries a story of a prison break. Someone digs a tunnel with spoons, climbs walls with ropes, or sneaks out in disguise. For a moment, they breathe the sweet air of freedom. But it usually doesn’t last. Again and again, the escape is cut short by the same mistake: hunger. Searching for food, knocking on doors, or scavenging in trash bins is what so often gives them away.
The Baal Shem Tov taught that everything we see or hear can be a lesson in our service of Hashem. What can we learn from this?
Rosh Hashanah is the time when we reconnect to our truest freedom. At our core, we aren’t meant to be enslaved to habits, to distractions, or to anything other than Hashem. On Rosh Hashanah we proclaim Hamelech, Hashem is King, and remind ourselves that our only real dedication belongs to Him.
But inspiration is like an escape. At first it feels thrilling. We walk out of shul filled with clarity, uplift, and resolve. The question is: will we make it past the first days and weeks? Or will “hunger” send us searching, and in that search, cause us to slip back into old patterns?
The answer is food, spiritual sustenance. We need to pack food for the journey ahead. That food is the small, practical resolutions we take on that give lasting strength.
It doesn’t have to be dramatic. In fact, we are encouraged to keep it simple:
• Give tzedakah before lighting Shabbat candles.
• Say the Shema daily and spend two or three extra minutes in prayer with real focus.
• Attend a Torah class, or listen to a weekly Torah podcast (weekly class is on Spotify or Apple Podcasts)
These are the morsels that nourish the soul, the food that keeps inspiration alive long after the shofar has sounded.
As we step into 5786, let’s not just break free for a moment. Let’s stay free. Let’s prepare with enough food for the road ahead.
Wishing you blessings for a Good Shabbos and a Shana Tova!
Have a good Shabbos,
Rabbi Kushi Schusterman
For Rosh Hashanah info and services: HarfordChabad.org/holydays