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Exporting FreedomApril 2005From the Desk of Rabbi CohonThere is a great deal of talk in America these days about exporting freedom to the world. The exact method to be used is left unclear, but the idea is certainly a popular one. After all, who can possibly be against freedom? And who can oppose sending freedom out to those who are in chains elsewhere in the world?
We can only hope that this rhetorical campaign is based in a true understanding of the meaning of freedom. And no one is better qualified to understand that meaning than we are as Jews. For our own z’man cheiruteinu, our holiday of freedom, Pesach, is coming up this month, and it is the rituals of Passover that most clearly explain just what freedom truly means, and just how it might be possible to “export” freedom.
Passover is the first and finest festival of freedom. What was demonstrated by the Exodus 3250 years ago was that freedom could be gained by an oppressed minority, if that minority had faith in God, patience, and came to believe that it truly deserved to be free. Nor did it hurt that the guarantor of that freedom was, unexpectedly, the most powerful presence in the universe: God.
But exactly what kind of freedom did the Israelites gain, and how do we understand the concept of being b’nai chorin, literally children of freedom? Freedom, in Judaism, means a good deal more than the absence of coercion, or the substitution of one form of authoritarian rule for another. Freedom for us means having the individual and societal right to choose whom we will serve. Primarily it means serving God, and morality, first of all.
Any effort to bring freedom to those who are in chains must start with a truly moral foundation. It is not enough to simply use force to break the power of an unjust or immoral enemy: we must be certain we are ourselves strongly based in an ethical tradition. And when we advocate the export of freedom we must also be certain that we are guaranteeing freedom to our own people, including those who are least powerful in our society. Anything less is hypocrisy.
On this coming Passover, may you be blessed with a holiday that helps you understand, and appreciate, the great blessing of freedom, and work for its fulfillment in our community and in our world.
Rhody, Boaz, Gabriel, and Cipora join me in wishing you a happy, healthy, and good Passover, and a Chag Samei’ach! L'shalom v'rei'ut, in peace and friendship, Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon
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