WORK SLAVERY AND FREEDOM

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well.

I would like to mention that Renee had a car accident last week and had to be hospitalized. Her name is Rivkah bas Sarah Zlatah if anyone would like to say Tehillim, and we all wish her a refuah shleimah!

It is also the yohrtzeit of Aunty Lottie next week, and we wish Renee, Brian and Sidney long life. Aunty Lottie was a dear soul, of whom we were all very fond. Wishing the whole Family many simchos in the future.

There is a new worldwide initiative that started this year of learning the Rebbe's Sichos together.

Everyone learns the same Sicha, but at one's own level. The shortest level is a 3 minute audio summary in English, which is very easy to follow.

The web site is at <https://projectlikkuteisichos.org/>; https://projectlikkuteisichos.org/, and then you click on one of the boxes to 'View learning Resources.

The 3-minute summary for this week's Sicha in Parshas Mishpatim, had a beautiful message which I would like to share.

One of the many Mitzvos discussed in this week's Sedra was the law about a Jewish slave.

A Jew can become a slave either through his own extreme poverty, whereby he has to sell himself to a master, or because he was a thief.

Basically he then had to serve the master for 6 years and was set free in the 7th, but if he wanted to stay longer, he would have to go through the humiliating procedure of having his earlobe pierced at the door-post of the house. This is to remind him that the ear which heard Hashem at Har Sinai, saying that he wants us to serve Him, should not be a slave to anyone else.

And so how does this relate to ourselves?

In relation to WORK AND SHABBOS, a person can have 2 mind sets

1. He is going to do the work, but he is clear and confident that Hashem is going to look after him, and provide his needs, and that he is now more free to serve Hashem
2. Person forgets (or is not fully confident) that Hashem will provide for him, and then becomes a slave to his work ie the work becomes his master.

When Shabbos comes along, it is very difficult for the latter person to swing out of his slavery into Shabbos, as he carries on with all his thoughts and worries to some degree.

But the one who has spent the week trusting in Hashem and serving Him, is now, in addition to his acquired freedom, also free of the physical aspect of his work, AND CAN NOW HAVE A REAL SUBLIME SHABBOS

Here is the original 3 minute audio -
<https://player.captivate.fm/f4ec6e16-f59d-4755-88c4-430170e1f0ea>; https://player.captivate.fm/f4ec6e16-f59d-4755-88c4-430170e1f0ea

Wishing everyone a beautiful Shabbos with no slavery!