Passover has always been perceived as the most Israeli holiday. It is associated with the smell of cooking and cleaning, the extended family gathering, and the traditional reading of the Haggadah about the Exodus from slavery to freedom. However, this year the Festival of Freedom takes on a different, more complex and tense tone. As we sit around the Seder table, the skies above us remain tense, and the security tension with Iran reminds us that personal safety is not taken for granted. Precisely within this uncertainty, our freedom takes on a deeper and sharper meaning than ever before.
Freedom is much more than a Jewish concept of going free, it is a state of consciousness of inner security and the ability to feel calm and protected. When reality imposes constant alertness, the sense of personal freedom is directly harmed. Freedom is not expressed only in the ability to move from place to place, but also in the possibility to plan plans and maintain a routine without the anxiety of what might happen taking over the agenda.
The current situation creates a kind of transparent prison. Although we are not in physical captivity, the anxiety of escalation and threats from the air reduces the emotional living space. When a person is under continuous stress, the brain shifts into survival mode. The body is tense, the thoughts race around extreme scenarios, and the simple ability to enjoy the moment is reduced.
One of the most significant challenges in coping with a security threat is uncertainty, which is a central component in states of stress and anxiety. The biblical Exodus was first and foremost a journey into the unknown, an act of courage based on a deep hope for change. Our task today is to find that same hope within the complex reality of the war.
The inevitable question is how can mental resilience be maintained when the news does not stop? The key lies in choice. True freedom is the ability to choose the response to the existing imposed reality. We have no control over decisions made on the other side of the border in Lebanon and far away in Iran, but we do have control over the amount of news we consume, the way we mediate the situation to children, and the small actions we take to calm the mind.
Effective coping begins with identifying the fear and giving legitimacy to the feelings. Simply acknowledging that we are going through a difficult and unusual period can ease the accumulated burden. Mental freedom is built by creating islands of sanity within everyday life, such as a quiet coffee break without a mobile phone or a good conversation with a friend without dealing with security matters.
The connection between the body and the mind in times of emergency is direct and immediate. Stress may manifest as back pain, chronic fatigue, or sleep difficulties. These are signs that the mind is trying to process the existing situation. In psychological treatment, for example, we deal with building a protected internal space, a kind of safe mental place that allows us to remain more stable and calm even when the world outside is stormy.
This year’s Passover is an opportunity to pause and reexamine our freedom. The war and the tension are a current reality, but they do not have to define our self-identity. Freedom is first and foremost a state of consciousness. The more we know how to be there for one another and understand the difficulty of those around us, the better we can find a way to cope together.
The greatest freedom is knowing that we are not alone in this story. Israeli togetherness and the ability to maintain a smile even when it is hard are the strongest tools we have. May we all have a quiet Passover, a holiday of moving from fears to security and true freedom in every sense.
Itamar Pascal is a clinical psychologist, specializing in CBT treatment for trauma.