Slay Your Idols

Two pieces of electronic equipment sit on my desk – a Wacom Cintiq 21UX drawing tablet monitor and a Nintendo Switch. Both of them fell into my lap, for free, on the same day. I believe they’re not only connected, but they represent the missing element of Passover.

For the last three years I’ve been trying to sell this one TV show idea. I’ve reworked the concept four times, brought about from countless drafts. But the truth of the matter is that no one will probably buy it unless it was an established IP (intellectual property).

So it was suggested that I turn it into a graphic novel. That way I can sell it in a much easier market. Great. One problem. Equipment for digital art is very expensive. To justify the cost, I’d basically have to stop wasting time and really get serious. And by wasting time, I mean video games.

I love video games. They’re one of my biggest distractions. I have limited myself to only the old video game systems so that I won’t be tempted to buy new games. But I still spend plenty of time playing those.

My best friend hears about my graphic novel plight and says, “I can give you my old Wacom tablet.” Amazing! This is practically a miracle. But then, he tells me, “I also bought the new OLED model of the Nintendo Switch. Do you want my old one?“

Suddenly I am being given two incredible gifts, the tool that will help realize my career and Nintendo’s newest video game system. At the same time, for free. Over the last six months, which one do you think got more play time?

Let's just say if I put in the number of hours on the Wacom tablet that I had on the Nintendo Switch, I'd have penciled, inked, and painted a whole first issue by now. I can’t say I’ve lost much sleep trying to get another page drawn in my comic, but I have lost some sleep playing Nintendo.

Passover and Nintendo

We know the big Passover rituals – the four questions, the four cups of wine, matzah, maror, the dipping, the reclining, and that cup in the center of the table nobody drinks. But back in ancient Israel, the central focus of the whole Passover Seder was the sacrifice called the Paschal Lamb (Korban Pesach in Hebrew.) The original lamb was the sacrifice which protected the Jewish people from the plague of the first born. And for centuries after, this sacrifice was the central component of the Seder. Today, the afikomen and the Seder plate’s shank bone symbolize the Paschal Lamb. But what does it all mean?

The Jews in Egypt destroyed their connection to their idol by sacrificing it. They chose freedom over distraction. Priorities over vice.

The sheep was regarded in Egyptian culture as one of their most important gods. In order to leave Egypt, the Jews had to slaughter the Egyptian idol. They had to demonstrate a total rejection of the Egyptian values, lifestyle, and set of priorities and take a clear stance for the path they would now be following.

The Maharal of Prague said that in order for something to exist, it needs a space. From physics we know that when there is a void, anything surrounding that void is drawn in to fill it. It’s known as a vacuum. But in a deeper sense, when we make sacrifices and part with things that are unhealthy for us or distractions, it creates space for something new. If we look at this concept proactively and ask ourselves, “What do I want?” as opposed to “What do I need to abandon?” we can focus on a goal. In other words, “For what do I need space?”

Leaving those Egyptian values behind wasn’t easy, even after witnessing nine miraculous plagues. So the Israelites needed to perform an action to slaughter this Egyptian mentality and stand up for truth and meaning, creating the space for a new and better direction in their lives and the freedom to accomplish their dreams.

The Jews in Egypt destroyed their connection to their idol by sacrificing it. They chose freedom over distraction. Priorities over vice.

I need to create a space for accomplishing my dream. Something has to go to make that vacancy. No, I'm not going to sacrifice my Nintendo Switch. I’m not even going to get rid of it. But I am going to put it away for a while. A week isn’t going to be enough to break the connection and get my graphic novel written. But 49 days, until the next holiday of Shavuot? That might make be enough time that the vacancy is filled with the positive, instead of the distraction.