Yes, It’s Personal

I like to read. I want to be aware. I want to gather information. Then I want to move on. I don’t need to open my heart to everything I read. But when studying the Torah, that approach doesn't do the trick. From a Chassidic perspective, I haven't really grasped a given Torah concept until I've found MYSELF in the narrative. In other words: I may understand the minutiae of a specific law, lesson or historical event being described, but I don't really 'get it' until I relate to it personally. Once I personally plug in to the Torah, once it is the tale of my life and once I am part of its rhythm, only then I have begun to digest the Torah in a real way. 
For example, take the famous episode of our enslavement in, and subsequent liberation from, Egypt. Are the historical facts important? Absolutely. But there's so much more. The Exodus story is MY story, and YOURS.
You see, Egypt represents limitations and impediments (its Hebrew name is related to the word for 'constrictions). Egypt represents my inability to apologize, my fear of failure, my fear of change. Egypt is my personal trap...and yours. So, Egypt is more than a geographical place, it is a condition; perhaps a state of mind.
And leaving Egypt means transcending my impediment to growth, getting past my fears and emotional blockages. Leaving Egypt means my personal liberation, and realizing a new level of 'me'. 
And like the original Egyptian Exodus, I'm not alone. G-d helps me with my growth.
But I need to take the first step. First, I need to recognize my Egypt, and I need to GENUINELY desire change.
It isn't easy... but it's worth it.