Expanded Consciousness

(c) Dovid Sears

A Pesach Prayer By Rabbi Ephraim ben Naftali, Tefilot HaBoker, 7
From Entering the Light

Master of the Universe! Help me to attain holy memory—to remember the words of Your Torah constantly and not let them slip from my memory, in fulfillment of the verse: “They shall not cease from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your children, nor from the mouth of your children’s children, says God, from now until the end of time” (Isaiah 59:21).

Protect me from violating the prohibition of possessing even the smallest amount of chametz throughout the days of Pesach. Through this, may I be saved from falling into states of constricted consciousness that lead to all harsh judgments and all sufferings, God forbid. May I be worthy of seeing beyond the illusion of nature completely and eliciting the full manifestation of Divine Providence, which comes from expanded consciousness.

Grant me the privilege of eating matzah on the days of Pesach and, by so doing, attaining the perception of Divine Providence—to truly believe that the natural order is an illusion, and that everything takes place through Your Providence alone; to negate all perplexities and heretical ideas that befall humankind because of Your hidden ways; and to believe that all that transpires is for the good. We can accomplish all this by eating matzah in a state of holiness. Through the merit of eating matzah, may we be granted revelations of Godliness, to see and to know that everything reflects Your Providence.