The Sixth Step: Three Points of Clarity

So much of the time we imagine that we need a specific answer to our questions to feel satisfied. I think it’s a safe bet that everyone has had that feeling of deep frustration, that if only you knew what someone was thinking or what actions you should take, then you would feel good. So, why then, do we still feel stuck or confused, even when we have those answers? Enter: clarity.

If questions create and answers evolve, then clarity directs - and directing is a matter of rendering judgment to assess what you’re working with to get to your final freedom destination. So take a moment to remind yourself what kind of freedom you’re seeking this year and what you’re hung up about with how to get there, and we’ll let the Jewish wisdom tradition guide our path to clarity.

One: Make a mess to clean it up

During Passover it is customary to do a deep cleaning of your house for ‘chametz,’ so as to get your physical space (and kitchen) kosher for Passover. However, even by the most traditional interpretations, cleaning out ‘chametz,’ or the breadcrumbs that you need to rid your space of, is an internal cleaning as well. Taking time to assess if the clutter in the corners of your heart is worth throwing away or putting on display, can absolutely clarify what you’re working with. Sure, you may have always known that you wanted to make a more just and fair society, but when you really dig into and clean out your network of contacts, new wisdom, and gained experience since last year, you may find new and better opportunities much closer than you initially thought.

Two: Take in the new spaciousness

The same way you might take a moment to admire a clean room and stare in relative disbelief of just how much counter space you really had available to you all along, don’t forget to do the same after you clean out your internal chametz. One beautiful guiding text for Passover comes from Psalm 118: 5-6 and translates: “I called out to you from the narrow places, and you answered me with expansive possibilities.” I love this verse, because it evokes the feeling of the journey to freedom, and defines freedom as a place of expansive possibilities. And for the sake of clarity, taking in the new spaciousness of a clean room evokes that feeling of seeing the new potential of old space or projects.

Three: Identify your next conversation

Now you are ready to host a new conversation. Your space is clean and new possibilities have been identified, so whether you choose to have a conversation with yourself in a journal or with another person, the next step is to identify the conversation to discuss what’s newly possible - maybe to help you create a world of more justice and equity. We each have the agency to control how we transform, and it starts with how we write or share our stories with others. Our stories empower us and create clarity, and when we take responsibility for what we do with ourselves, these can become journeys of personal redemption, while also having a positive impact on the people around us.

Gaining clarity is a process of trial and error, of ongoing refinement. But, in my experience, there is nothing more clarifying than articulating yourself to a trusted other, once you’ve done some of the initial work of getting rid of chametz and seeing where the new possibilities lie in this journey of freedom and friendship.

Happy clarifying and grateful to be on this journey together,

Rabbi Jeff