We speak much about freedom—but are we truly free? Bob Dylan famously sang, “Gotta serve somebody.”

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance.
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls.

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed.
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord,
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

Dylan’s words strike at a deep truth: We all serve something. It may be money, power, approval, or expectations ingrained in us since childhood. Our fears and anxieties often stem from feeling bound by what others want from us—real or imagined.

Servitude comes in many forms. It’s not just ancient slavery; it’s being enslaved to addictions, to materialism, to toxic relationships, even to therapy or medication when they dictate our lives. Is it being enslaved to that which imposes itself upon you and compels you to do something that you otherwise wouldn’t do.

The real question each one of us must ask is: Whom do you serve?

Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson and discover Purim’s secret: true freedom begins with not serving any man or man-made institution. Only by releasing ourselves from the material forces that control us – whom and what we serve – and connecting to a higher eternal reality beyond our mortal existence can we break free from our shackles and gain true freedom.