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Day 11
Freedom—Release or Work?
Studying Torah makes one free. Studying all of the commandments makes one free.
So clearly, the Rabbis understood the Exodus from Egypt as a moment of freedom, and even the receiving of the Torah as a moment of freedom. And it is clear, even in the Torah, that Avdut Hashem, service of God, is not mere slavery. So perhaps we need to redefine freedom.
Freedom is not anarchy. It is not the right of everyone to do as they want, say what they want, without any consequences. It is not a freedom from. Rather, freedom is a responsibility. It is freedom to. Freedom to serve God, freedom to build a family and community, freedom to help the world. Freedom is our autonomy, our ability to make mistakes and to fix them. Freedom to ask for forgiveness and to receive it. And freedom to ensure that our community is happy, healthy, and safe.
As we celebrate our freedom, we must remember what our freedom is for. As our rabbis say, learning Torah makes us free. And so too does helping each other, caring for our community, and making our world better, bit by bit.
--Rabbi Shapiro, Pesach is the Holiday of Freedom--But What is “Freedom”? mmae.org
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