שִׁמְעִי בַת וּרְאִי וְהַטִּי אָזְנֵךְ וְשִׁכְחִי עַמֵּךְ וּבֵית אָבִיךְ. וְיִתְאָו הַמֶּלֶךְ יָפְיֵךְ כִּי הוּא אֲדֹנַיִךְ וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִי לוֹ.

One of the Yetzer Hara’s biggest tools is to tie us down with the past and the future. For example, in middle of davening when we suddenly remember that we’re standing before Hashem and we want to have Kavana, he tells us, “until now you were dreaming the whole shmoneh esrei, now you want to suddenly have kavana? What will it help you? It’s anyway a messed up teffilah”. And he also uses the future to confuse us. He says, “And anyway, what will it help if you have kavana now, you know you won’t be able to keep it. In 2 minutes you’ll be dreaming again, so what’s the point?” This is his biggest tool. He uses it constantly in every area of Avodas Hashem. Each time we want to do anything better than in the past he asks us “Who are you fooling?” and also tells us we won’t be able to hold by it, so why bother? We are tied down to our past and future, and can never do anything in the present with a full heart. Indeed, that’s why we daven, והסר שטן מלפנינו ומאחרינו..

But how do we battle these misconceptions? We have to know that not only is it a lie -- our past or future have nothing to do with now, it’s also not our BUSINESS. Right now, I am standing before Hashem and must have kavana. What I did until now and what will happen later, is absolutely none of my business and I have no right to even think about it, and surely not to let these thoughts dictate anything to me NOW. Right now, I must have kavana before Hashem!

Maybe we can tie in this concept with the pasuk above. “Forget your nation and father’s home”, don’t remember the past, who you were or where you came from… And then Hashem will desire your beauty, because each Jew is so beautiful in the PRESENT, in his raw NOW - without any past or future tying him down. “For He is your Master, and you shall bow to Him.” Allow His greatness to awe you and bow to Him, be batel to him. For you have no right to let the past or future change anything about how you relate to Hashem right NOW, for He is your Master.

There is nothing more freeing. If we serve Hashem like this always, we can grow in leaps and bounds. We serving Hashem we must learn to let go of all thoughts of past and future. “Right now I am FREE to serve Hashem as if I have always been the biggest tzadik.” “Really? Who am I kidding?” Yes, that is the real truth. Right now I am FREE to serve Hashem as if I am the biggest Tzadik, and as if I will ALWAYS BE the biggest tzadik. I am FREE to act that way in this moment and nothing can tie me down! This is the greatest freedom.

ועתה ישראל מה ה’ אלוקיך שואל מעמך - this is all Hashem asks of us. ועתה - NOW. Hashem asks NOTHING else.