Most of us aren’t being chased by taskmasters or whipped into labor. But the truth is—we’re still enslaved.

Not physically. Mentally.

We live with chains you can’t see: fear of failure, low self-worth, and the inner voice that whispers:
 “You can’t.”
 “You shouldn’t.”
 “You’re not enough.”

This isn’t just psychology—it’s Mitzrayim.

The Hebrew word Mitzrayim comes from meitzar—a narrow place. It’s not just a land in the Torah. It’s a state of mind. A mindset of limitation. Of “I can’t.” Of “It’s not for people like me.”

And just like in the Torah, redemption doesn’t begin when we leave the land.
It begins when we break the beliefs that are keeping us there.

They Couldn’t Even Hear Hope

When Moshe first came to tell the people that Hashem was ready to free them, the pasuk says:

“They didn’t listen to Moshe from shortness of breath and hard work.”

They couldn’t even hear hope. The idea of freedom felt so foreign, so impossible, they couldn’t allow themselves to believe it.

Sound familiar?

• “I’ll never get a better job.”
  
• “I’ll never get married.”
  
• “My marriage will never improve.”
  
• “Success is for other people, not for someone like me.”

This is the slavery of the mind.
And it’s the most dangerous kind—because you don’t even realize it’s happening.

My Personal Mitzrayim

A bit over a decade ago, I took a job that looked amazing on paper. A startup role with steady pay inside a reputable organization. It sounded like the dream: the best of both worlds.

But I ignored the red flags—because deep down, I believed this was the best I could get.

From the start, it was a mismatch. They talked about innovation, but resisted every attempt to move forward. They were stuck in the past.

Every day I felt more stuck. More miserable. But I stayed.
Why?

Because I was living in my own mental Mitzrayim.

I didn’t believe there was anything better out there. I didn’t trust myself. And, unfortunately, I definitely didn’t trust Hashem.

I was so crushed and beaten down by that job that I couldn’t even look for a new one.

Baruch Hashem, that was around the time one of my sons was born, and I was able to take parental leave.

That parental leave was the best thing that could have happened. I spent a lot of time learning Torah, growing as a person and in my mindset, and connecting deeply with my wife and kids.

I built myself up so much stronger than I was before I took the previous job.

And by the end of my leave, I found what became the best—and last—job I had before starting a business of my own.

“I didn’t just leave the job. I left the mindset that kept me there.”

The Chains Are in Your Mind

You ever hear about the elephant and the chain?

When circus elephants are babies, they’re chained to a small stake. They pull and pull, but they can’t break free. Eventually, they stop trying.

Years later, as full-grown elephants capable of uprooting trees, they’re still tied by the same tiny chain. But now, they don’t even try to escape—because they believe they can’t.

Fleas are similar. If you put fleas in a jar with a lid on, they’ll go crazy and hit themselves against the lid—until they learn the boundary and stop jumping that high.

Eventually, you can take the lid off, and the fleas will never jump out.
They’ve been conditioned by their environment.

Humans are conditioned the same way—by our surroundings, upbringing, and patterns of thinking.

We learn boundaries early:

• “Don’t speak up.”
  
• “Don’t take risks.”
  
• “Don’t dream too big.”
  
• “Don’t make mistakes.”

And we internalize them.

We grow up still chained by beliefs fed to us when we were 10.

Whether it’s career, relationships, or self-worth—you might be living in a jar with the lid already off, but you never jump…
because you’ve been trained not to.

Paradigm Shift: Your Personal Exodus

Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile in 1954. Before that, experts claimed it was physically impossible for a human to run that fast.

But once he did it—thousands followed.

What changed?

The belief. The paradigm.

We all live inside paradigms—internal stories about who we are, what we can do, and what’s possible. Some serve us. Many enslave us.

The good news?
Paradigms can be broken.

Abraham Lincoln failed in business multiple times and failed in politics even more—before becoming the greatest president in American history.

Michael Jordan didn’t make his sophomore high school basketball team. He went on to become one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Even throughout his career, he said he missed over 9,000 shots, lost almost 300 games, and missed 26 crucial game-winners. He succeeded because he refused to believe in limits.

L’havdil, the Netziv was known for saying he wasn’t naturally gifted or brilliant like many other Gedolim. It was his relentless diligence that allowed him to become the Gadol he was.

They weren’t born free.
They fought to become free.

Torah Is True Freedom

The Torah says about the first Luchot:

“The Luchot were Hashem’s handiwork, and the writing was Hashem’s writing, engraved (charut) on the Luchot.” (Shemot 32:16)

The Gemara (Eruvin 54a) teaches:

Don’t read it as “charut” (engraved), but as “cheirut” (freedom).

The only true path to freedom is Torah.

Torah doesn’t restrict you—it reveals who you really are.
A child of the Infinite. Capable of growth beyond imagination.

Living with Torah isn’t about limitations. It’s about expanding what’s possible.

You want to be a great parent and build something meaningful?
Have strong relationships, grow spiritually, and succeed in business?

You can.

“The entrepreneur’s dilemma: Social Life. Career. Family. Staying fit. Getting sleep. Pick 3. You can’t have them all.”

Typically, in the natural world, this feels true. No matter what you choose, something has to give.

But we don’t live in the natural world.
We are l’maalah min hateva.

When you live a Torah life:

• Getting married and raising a family becomes a priority
  
• You live in a Jewish community with deep friendships
  
• You keep Shabbos—a built-in weekly reset
  
• Even parnassah is grounded in bitachon—you don’t need 100-hour workweeks to succeed
  
• And health? That’s Torah too: “V’nishmartem me’od l’nafshoteichem.”

Hashem didn’t create you to play small.

This Pesach: Burn the Beliefs That Are Holding You Back

We search for chametz not just in our homes—but in our hearts.

Chametz is ego. Laziness. Fear. The comfort zone. The Yetzer Hara that whispers:

• “You can’t.”
  
• “You’re not enough.”
  
• “It’s not worth trying.”

This Pesach, don’t just clean your house.
Clean your beliefs.

Burn the mindset that’s keeping you in exile.

You were created for greatness—not for comfort.

Hashem took us out of Egypt.
But the work isn’t done.

Every day, we are called to leave our own personal Mitzrayim.

The moment you break the paradigm…
 you start to Live the Dream.

🔗 Ready for More?

If this resonated with you—you’re not alone.

This is what I write about, speak about, and coach on—every single week.

Mindset. Bitachon. Gratitude. Personal growth through the unstoppable wisdom of Torah.

If you’re ready to break your own limitations and start living your fullest life, I invite you to join this journey.

Subscribe. Follow. Share. And most importantly:

Believe.
Change is real.
Freedom is real.
And Hashem has big plans for you.