Right and left, heads and tails. Freedom and responsibility, capitalism and compassion.
A healthy life journey seems to need more than a singular focus. We need a broad perspective, juggling the values tugging at our attention, and the areas of our respective personalities that need conscious oversight.
Life isn’t one-dimensional.
In Judaism, we see this reflected in the Torah’s outline of two general categories of responsibility: Do and Don't. Mitzvahs come in two flavors: Behave this way, and Refrain from doing that.
We can find these two elements in any strong relationship. The foundation of a meaningful bond is basic respect. We restrain ourselves from doing anything that might intrude on this meaningful connection. First do no harm.
But that's not enough. We need to also pro-actively build the relationship, creating avenues for further depth and beauty.
Similarly, in our relationship with G-d: By respecting the 'Don'ts', I declare that my momentary impulses aren't as important as my connectedness to the Divine; it's like controlling your temper at home, because the family cohesiveness is so much more important.
In performing the 'Do's', I’m finding/seizing opportunities to fulfill the desire of a Loved One. It's like bringing home flowers to show how much you care.
When the Jews finally escaped Egypt's physical and spiritual enslavement, crossing the [miraculously-split] sea was a watershed (no pun intended!) event. That was where they finally disengaged, jettisoning the physical and spiritual Egypt that had trapped them for so long.
We were finally free.
In that miraculous event, when even the average person was able to see Truth and Meaning crystallized, where life finally made sense to the thinking person, "the water formed a wall for them, to their right and to their left (Exodus 14:29)”.
Our approach to freedom needs protective walls on either side. To our right, this wall is our immovable commitment to proper conduct, and to strengthening the relationship with our best selves and with the Divine. And to our left, this wall represents self-restraint from any behavior that would separate us from true freedom i.e. lives of Higher Meaning and Holiness.
Freedom from [your personal] Egypt is an ongoing process.
Walk your sea.