This week, I offered a Jew the opportunity to do the mitzvah of Tefillin. “Rabbi, I have not worn Tefillin since my Bar Mitzvah,” he responded. “I don’t think it would be proper for me to do so now. I would feel like a hypocrite.” Our conversation continued on to his past involvements in Judaism and at one point he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning with my Tefillin.” The next morning, he wore Tefillin for the first time in seventy years! Egypt, the ancient superpower that enslaved the Jewish nation and sadistically pursued a program to annihilate them, is called “Mitzrayim” in Hebrew. Understanding the meaning of the name “Mitzrayim” enables us to apply the lessons of the long-ago redemption to our modern 21st century lives. Following the revelation at the burning bush, Moshe delivered a divine message for the downtrodden Hebrews and the evil Pharaoh that so viciously persecuted them: The time had come to leave Egypt and serve G-d. After initially dismissing Moshe’s demands as the whinings of lazy laborers, Egypt started experiencing the terrifying plagues that gradually caused a societal breakdown and led to its eventual destruction. At one point Pharaoh proposed a compromise: The slaves will have three days off from work to offer sacrifices to G-d in Egypt. No need to pack up and leave. Be as religious as you’d like right here. This compromise was unacceptable. The geographical location within the borders of the nation called “Mitzrayim” was not conducive to divine service. The word “Mitzrayim” is etymologically linked to the word “Meitzarim” which means borders and limitations. Pharaoh represented a world-view professing that life is calculated and defined; What you see is what you get. The Nile River irrigated the entire land on a seasonal schedule and the Egyptian economy ebbed and flowed with the tide. The cycle of nature is unchanging and once we master the nuances of nature we can control our destiny. So long as the Jews remained Pharaoh’s subjects, it would be impossible to live a life focused on revealing the inherent divinity within all of reality. Pharaoh’s closed-minded and primitive perspective needed to be utterly rejected. To achieve redemption, Pharaoh was afflicted with the Ten Plagues, starting with all the water being transformed into blood for seven days. This miraculous malady provides us with an eternal lesson in overcoming our daily challenges today. Water is cold and blood represents life which is associated with warmth. The first step in being part of G-d’s team is to get rid of spiritual apathy and indifference. True goodness can be revealed and perpetuated only when it is pursued with passion and excitement. Earlier this week, my friend felt trapped in a life devoid of Tefillin and was not able to break the habit. After tapping into the inherent warmth of his soul, he had the courage to do a mitzvah - regardless of what happened for over seventy years.