The Gift of Freedom

By Richard S. Moline
Director of College Outreach (KOACH)
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

I’ve always been struck by the fact that while we were under the tyranny of Egyptian slavery we were known as the Israelites, but it wasn’t until after the Exodus that we became Jews. One could make a cogent argument that during our enslavement, we were a tribe – we may have had some kind of ethnic identity, and the tradition certainly is clear that we had a strong cultural identity, but we were still a nomadic people with little hope for a future beyond the rule of Pharaoh.

Once the Exodus occurred, however, we were free from oppressive rules (rules, rules, rules) and from physical and spiritual domination. So what happens next? We receive a set of rules. As soon as we made our way through the Sea of Reeds, we were on our way to Mt. Sinai where, regardless of your take on the tradition, there seems to have been an event of historical proportions which paved the way for the establishment of rules. Rules, rules, rules.

This time, however, the rules were not there to oppress, they were there to liberate. A belief system. A system of justice. A system of mercy. A system which sensitizes us to the needs of animals, as well as human beings. A system which also recognizes that while we can rule over others, as the ancient Egyptians ruled over us, we shouldn’t – precisely because we were slaves. Sinai, then, was the turning point – the point where we went from being the Israelites to being the Jewish people.

This definition of freedom is a gift we initiated and shared with the rest of humanity. Freedom doesn’t mean doing whatever we please. It doesn’t mean being the most powerful. Freedom means having a set of rules. This gift of ours has been received by freedom loving people throughout history. Free countries have systems of justice and welfare – and constitutions and courts. Their freedom is expressed by kavod, by dignity, not by tyranny.

We live in a world where our freedoms, of late, have been challenged. There are modern-day Pharaohs who would like to take away those freedoms. As a result, we struggle with concerns on many different fronts – whether it’s affording certain rights to those with different backgrounds and orientation, to issues raised by the U.S. Patriot Act, to the changes to Canadian immigration laws after 9/11 and similar moves in other countries. And the reason we struggle is precisely because of this gift of freedom we have presented to the world.

Sometimes that line between freedom and oppression is a lot more precarious than we realize. Our tradition has performed a pretty good balancing act – and now it’s up to us to make the boundaries. Perhaps that’s why the Haggadah tells us that in each generation, every person is obligated to look at him/herself as if he/she personally left Egypt.

We devote this issue of KOACH ON CAMPUS to the topic of freedom – one we will surely be discussing this month at our s’darim on Pesah. Whether you’re at home for the holiday or on campus, may you enjoy the time with family and friends, and may your Pesah be both joyous – and liberating.

Hag Samayah!

[Posted 3/21/04]