freedom – holy scribbles

The Cost of Freedom

weekly Torah reading: parasha Re’eh 5783

“And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the L-RD thy G-d redeemed thee.”

– Deuteronomy 15:15-18, JPS 1917 Tanach

Because the Israelites were taken out of Egypt, having been freed from slavery, we are no longer meant to be slaves in perpetuity. Yet, certain circumstances would lead to a Jewish person having to sell himself as a servant to another person. This included when a thief was unable to make good on a return of the items, monetarily that he had stolen.

And, so, the midrash addresses this circumstance: “the ear which had heard G-d say at Mount Sinai: ‘do not steal,’ and which had heard G-d say: ‘the Children of Israel are My slaves,’ needs to be reminded of this by being pierced after having opted to ignore both of these statements by G-d” (Chizkuni on Deuteronomy 15:17, citing Rashi; sefaria.org).

In other words, it is an insult to G-d as well as oneself, to disregard the status given to us at Sinai, via the covenant. G-d’s people are meant to serve Him; we should not forsake that priority, by serving another. Even so, we should not enslave ourselves to anything, that would deprive of us serving G-d, by way of the commandments.

To voluntarily choose a life that is devoid of acknowledging the One Who brought us out of bondage, is to forsake the purpose of our freedom. Unless careful consideration is given to the reason that G-d brought us out of Egypt, we will not have the full picture.

According to chazal (the sages), after being freed from physical bondage, G-d gave us the Torah, so that we would have a moral compass, in our lives, in order to prevent us from enslavement to sin. Therefore, by serving G-d, we are able to transcend our lower inclinations, that would otherwise compel us to stray from our pursuit of righteousness.

Today, the compass spins wildly in society, with no steady direction. Now, more than ever, the imperative to remain on a steady course is essential. When we pray, we pray to the East, toward Yerushalayim. When we lift our hearts to our Father in Heaven, we may also cast our eyes toward things Above.

Our freedom to worship, to speak with integrity, and promote the values that we uphold shall not be infringed upon. And, most of all, our conscience must remain free. The narrative norm sweeping the West is meant to undermine traditional religious beliefs and values. It is better to be a servant of G-d, than to be slave to the mentality of an ideology that seeks to have all conform.

Tikkun HaNefesh: Renewal of the Soul

Our entire lives may serve as an opportunity to seek tikkun hanefesh – a renewal of our souls, wherein every day may constitute an effort to rectify our personal past, within the framework of our individual lives. This is the essence of teshuvah, a returning to our unadulterated selves, not confounded by our attachments to the impermissible, nor confused by conflicting feelings, ideas, and behavior. Rather, a return, albeit, a continual progression, towards ourselves, as intended from the original blueprint of life. This path of an inner focus, differs much from the pervasive trend to point the finger at others and society. If we do not first make a concerted effort to change ourselves for the better, then we have no right to attempt to change others or society.

Additionally, because teshuvah (repentance) was created before the creation of the world, we are given continual second chances in life, despite our errors, faults, and foibles. Inasmuch that this gift is freely given to us, isn’t it right to also give others a second chance through a heartfelt expression of forgiveness? Yet, the relentless pursuit of “social justice” through the condemnation of others fails the test of human goodness, because of its incessant focus on human weakness, and redefined evils of mankind, without any offering of redemption to those who are being judged by others, who are also flawed, as we all are, myself included. A society does not become better in its overall national character through condemnation; rather, only through a natural bond of compassion towards all.

Moving Beyond

“The children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the water was to them like a wall from their right and from their left.” – Exodus 14:29, JPS 1917 Tanach

Passing through the Sea of Reeds, B’nei Yisrael (the Children of Israel) walked along a corridor created by a wall of water on their left and their right. The path towards the other side of the sea, where a safe haven could be found, was their road to freedom; in a sense, this is also, figuratively speaking, the path presented to us. Our walk with G-d compels us not to deviate to the left, nor to the right, thus permitting only a small margin of error as we journey along the path of life.

The road towards freedom, where we are able to transcend the limited constructs of our worldly existence, requires an effort to leave behind our personal Mitzraim (Egypt), by moving past our limitations in life to greater freedom. For, the shoresh (root word) of mitzraim means “limitations.” Therefore, we may apply this idea to our own weaknesses, negative character traits, and maladaptive behavior that limit our service to G-d, as well as our own personal development in life.

The truth is that our greatest limitations are often brought to our attention, for the most part, when we encounter the various nisyanos (trials) that the yetzer hara (evil inclination) elicits in our everyday lives. Yet, we should not give heed to these machinations on the part of our yetzer hara; rather, it is better to walk the narrow road to freedom, by not deviating towards the right or the left. Moreover, learning how to improve our character; for this will compel us to move beyond our limitations.

In like manner as B’nei Yisrael, the road to freedom is straight and narrow, and more challenging to walk upon, than when we give in to our “lesser selves,” by cruising through life on autopilot; yet, when we follow our “G-d given conscience” by doing what is right, we may excel even beyond our current level of connection to G-d; subsequently, there will be an increase in the positive effect of our choices, resulting in the elevation of our character to a greater degree than was previously known.

Crossroad to Freedom

parashas Va’eira 5782

“I am the L-RD. I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. And I will take you to be my people, and I will be your G-d.” – Exodus 6:6, JPSN

Out of the four types of redemption that would be successively enacted, for the benefit of the B’nei Yisrael (Children of Israel), “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm” refers to the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. Thus, after the burdens of slavery ceased, and they were brought out of Egypt, they passed through the Sea of Reeds, dry-shod, crossing over to their freedom.

Yet, the purpose of this newfound freedom was not to have free reign over themselves, as if now they were free to live in accordance with their own designs and proclivities; rather, this freedom was for the sake of becoming G-d’s people, as opposed to being slaves of Pharaoh. Thus, in effect, upon becoming G-d’s people at Sinai, through the covenant made with G-d, as ratified by Moses through offerings, they acquired the responsibilities that the covenant entailed.

This new life was a transfer of purpose from serving a foreign master for the benefit of his people and country, to becoming servants of G-d, for the sake of His Kingdom. So, the transition of power over their lives was one that brought them out of bondage to a meaningless existence, into the glorious promises of the One who would provide for all of their needs in the wilderness, while encouraging them to adhere to the requirements of a covenant that brings purpose and fulfillment.

For, in Egypt the Children of Israel were compelled to build structures for Pharaoh in swamps, that led to the sinking of those structures, thus causing their work to be fruitless. Yet, the work of the Kingdom brings fruition to all of mankind, who are compelled to enter into covenant relationship with the G-d of Israel. Truly remarkable is this journey from darkness to light.