How to Reach Your Personal Exodus

Judaism is not a religion lacking in resources, wisdom, mussar, or character development skills to enhance oneself. Some of the world’s finest Jewish influencers have encouraged people, not only by their life stories, such as Man’s Search for Meaning’s Victor Frankel, but simply with a few words. Perhaps my favorite of his, and most relevant to this article: “It is not freedom from conditions, but it is freedom to take a stand toward the conditions.”¹ Compared to Frankel’s living conditions described in his novel (of being held in a concentration camp during the Holocaust), many of us can attest to our personal freedom. We are free to make choices, with abundant options and opportunities provided to us on a daily basis. A more recent Jewish survivor, Eli Sharabi, a former Israeli hostage, described freedom as such: “People should really think when they open a fridge at home…The very concept of a free man who can take a fruit out of it. Or a vegetable. Or water.”²  It is difficult for many – if any of us – to attribute our lives, circumstances, or even environments as those in need of an “exodus”. And yet, when we find silence, and introspect, we can, indeed, hear a voice within, begging for its own personal exodus. 

Inspired by religious teachings, the 12 Step Program comes to mind when discussing freedom. Founded by Bill Wilson and Bob Smith, this program, originally designed for alcoholics, gave its members a structure for life. Now, almost 100 years later, it continues to save the lives of alcoholics, addicts, and loved ones of those suffering. Unsurprisingly, the first step advised is for one to admit their powerlessness to what has taken over their life. For someone who struggles with something less life-threatening, the admittance could sound something like, “I have lost hours in my days to social media usage – and I feel powerless.” Another statement could be, “I have lost my temper at my children too many times to count – and I feel powerless.” Beautifully, the next step is, verbatim, “I have come to believe that a Power, greater than myself, can restore my sanity.”³ Is reliance on one’s Higher Power, or G-d, casting off the “burden” of accountability and self-work? On the contrary. 

Prayer is huge. G-d created the world with His words, and He has given us the power of speech (and prayer) to essentially co-create our lives with Him. The emphasis one should put on speaking to his or her Creator about everything cannot be made enough. However, we learn a remarkable lesson from one man in the Exodus story, who is not often brought up. Just after being freed from Egyptian enslavement, the Jews began to despair; G-d had led them “between a rock and a hard place”. In front of them was the sea, and behind them? Enraged, and blood-thirsty Egyptians, eager to take them captive again, and probably worse.

Something that a recovering addict and a Jew have in common is the following: a personal accounting, or a cheshbon hanefesh. This could be in the form of journaling, or before closing one’s eyes at night, speaking to his or her Creator in truth. And as King David taught us, both from his life story (Tehillim), and with a few reassuring words, “The Lord is near to all who call to Him, to all who call to Him in truth.”⁴ As Psalm 145 continues, G-d not only hears the cries of those who fear Him, but He saves them. The first step of one’s personal exodus is realizing what your problem is. As many recovery programs ask, “What is making your life unmanageable?” This requires thought, heart, and being real with oneself – and then, with one’s Creator. As the brilliant Rebbetzin Silber said, “When you are real with G-d, He can bring relief.” Now, is prayer the answer to all of our problems? Some of Torah’s greatest thinkers, such as Rebbe Nachman of Breslov would say, “Yes, prayer is the ultimate answer. If you did not receive an answer from G-d, do not give up. Strengthen yourself, and pray again.”⁵

Prayer is huge. G-d created the world with His words, and He has given us the power of speech (and prayer) to essentially co-create our lives with Him. The emphasis one should put on speaking to his or her Creator about everything cannot be made enough. However, we learn a remarkable lesson from one man in the Exodus story, who is not often brought up. Just after being freed from Egyptian enslavement, the Jews began to despair; G-d had led them “between a rock and a hard place”. In front of them was the sea, and behind them? Enraged, and blood-thirsty Egyptians, eager to take them captive again, and probably worse. Moshe Rabbeinu took the previous lesson. Firmly grasping his staff, while his confused and desperate nation stood behind him for answers, he prayed. Then, with unmatched courage, one man by the name of Nachshon made a choice. The Midrash explains that each tribe hesitated, insisting, “We do not want to be the first to jump into the sea.” It was then, when no one else would – and while Moshe prayed – that Nachson jumped! G-d angrily called to Moshe, asking, “You are standing and praying, while my beloved ones are drowning? Lift your staff and spread your hand over the seas, which will split, and Israel will come into the sea upon dry land.”⁶ It was only after Nachshon’s leap that the Jews followed him, and G-d split the sea! Does anyone else have goosebumps?

So often in life, we can wait around until it’s the right time. If we believe in the Creator, we can wait until He shows us the door (to enter or exit), an opportunity, or gives us a nudge to wake from our slumber. The reality and truth to our personal exodus, though, lies in the brave story of Nachshon. In fact, it also lies in the stories of Victor Frankel and Eli Sharabi. We cannot always choose our position in life. Sometimes, the position chooses us. It can be gruesome, it can be painful, or, it can simply be difficult. Amalek, the grandson of Esauv and our nation’s greatest enemy, first came about right after we crossed the sea!⁷ They came out of nowhere – notably, after G-d performed a tremendous miracle for our nation’s salvation – to destroy us. In that the numerical value of Amalek is the same as the Hebrew word, ‘safek’, meaning ‘doubt’, this is how Amalek continues to attack Jews on a spiritual level – second-guessing what we know is correct and true! As Chazal teaches us, there is no greater joy than the elimination of doubt. 

So, how do we reach our personal exodus? We are not given as clear of a 12 Step Program to follow, but rather, an emunah-fueled program. Like prayer, faith takes us a long way. Like Victor Frankel and Eli Sharabi – faith in G-d and hope for one’s eventual salvation can literally keep a person alive in the harshest of circumstances. Although many of us already live in apparent “freedom”, we must pair our personal accounting, our cheshbon hanefeshot, with action like Nachshon’s, in order to truly actualize freedom. Step 1: take the leap Step 2: push away any trace of Amalek, or doubt. And finally, allow G-d to restore your life; He can split seas for you. 

1. Frankl, V. E. (1963). Man’s Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy. New York: Washington Square Press. ↩︎
2. Keshet 12. (February 28, 2025.). Breaking the Silence: Eli Sharabi’s First Interview on Hamas Captivity | Keshet 12. Retrieved March 25, 2025, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVPAlnqDorc.  ↩︎
3. Inc., A. A. W. S. (1938). Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous.  ↩︎
4. Tehillim 145:18-19 ↩︎
5. Breslov, R. N. of. (1994). The Empty Chair: Finding Hope and Joy (M. Mykoff, Trans.). Jewish Lights Publishing.  ↩︎
6. Mechilta, Beshalach 5; Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer 42; Exodus Rabbah 13 ↩︎
7. Shemot 17:8 ↩︎