In the Passover Haggadah we say: "In every generation one must see himself as if he personally came out of Mitzrayim." Mitzrayim, the Hebrew word for Egypt, means "narrow straits"; on the personal level, this refers to what Chassidic teaching calls the "narrowness of the neck" which interposes between the mind and the heart. Just as, physically, the head and the heart are joined by a narrow passageway, the neck, so it is in the spiritual-psychological sense. Although, as mentioned above, the mind possesses an innate superiority over the heart, it is a most difficult and challenging task for a person to exercise this superiority -- to direct and mold his feelings and desires to conform with what he knows to be right. This is the "Exodus from mitzrayim" that is incumbent on each and every generation: the individual challenge to negotiate the narrow straits of one's internal "neck," to overcome the material enticements, the emotional subjectivity, the ego and self-interest which undermine the mind's authority over the heart, and impede its influence on the person's character and behavior.
As long as a person is still imprisoned in his personal mitzrayim, he faces many challenges to his integrity. As long as he has not succeeded in establishing his mind as the axis on which all else revolves, his base instincts and traits -- such as greed, anger, the quest for power and instant gratification -- may get the better of him. But once he achieves his personal "Exodus" from the narrow straits of his psyche, once he establishes his knowledge and understanding of the truth as the determining force in his life, the battle is all but won. He may be confronted with negative ideas and rationalizations; but free of the distortions of self-interest, the truth will triumph. He may be tempted by negative drives and desires, but if in his life the mind rules the heart, it will curb and ultimately transform them.
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