Freedom in service

Monday, April 25, 2016

Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Thompson - LChaim Jewish Television

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On Friday evening, April 22, Jewish communities around the world began the holiday of Passover. Passover is an eight-day festival celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from the slavery placed upon them in Egypt. Through great redemption, God brought the Israelites out of bondage so that they could receive the Torah, God’s eternal covenant with the Jewish people.

When Passover is discussed we often focus on the theme of freedom: This has made the Passover story a source of inspiration for many people, and political struggles for self-rule and self-determination have often invoked the vocabulary of Passover. From slavery to freedom — a theme that touches the hearts of all people. However, there is another side to freedom. God did not “free” the Israelites so that they could do whatever they wanted. Freedom has a purpose.

Truth be told, none of us ever experience total freedom. Unless we shun all human company and all sense of right and wrong, our choices are always bound by certain rules, a sense of what is moral or not. Likewise, no matter who we are, we all “serve” others: It might be our boss, our family, or our community. The freedom granted to the Israelites was not a release from all obligations but, rather, the freedom to choose whom they would serve.

As slaves to Pharaoh they had no choice — body and soul, sun up to sun down, they were told what to do by Pharaoh or his agents. They were mere “human machines” creating the infrastructure of an empire. This type of slavery is the most destructive to the human spirit — to be considered a mere tool rather than a creature made in the image of God.

Passover, as it recalls the Exodus, marks the turning point in which slaves to Pharaoh were given the opportunity to become the servants of God. (A definite promotion!!) This was the meaning of Israelite freedom: God granted them a moment of redemption to redefine who they were to be. The Israelites made their choice clear when they came to Mt. Sinai and accepted the Torah with their pledge to be a holy people.

Throughout the two millennia of our common history, both Jews and Christians have embraced the message of Passover. We celebrate great redemptive acts of the past to offer surety in our faith in a God who moves through history and affects the fates of nations and individuals. The message of redemption, however, must be put in the framework of freedom. By releasing the Israelites from the physical and spiritual chains of Egypt, God posed the ultimate question: “Now that you are free whom shall you serve?”

May our choice to serve God always be as definitive as that of the Israelites. When we stand before the sea of indecision or doubt, may we jump in the water knowing that surely God shall split the sea before our foot is even wet! Passover celebrates freedom, but true freedom is the ability to choose the service of God.

Comments from readers

Pat Solenski - 04/26/2016 01:28 PM

Thank you for your reflection. As you say the message of the Exodus is truly a message of spiritual freedom posited in a physical experience. Your thoughts and words offer a powerful lens by which we can see the freedom given us from God. This freedom provides the opportunity to turn to or to turn away from Him. As his children we are created with free will we are not robots. He leaves the decision to us. Along the way we are gifted by His Presence and Spirit.

Sister Lidia Lidia Valli - 04/25/2016 09:01 PM

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Thank you for challenging us to remember that "true freedom is the ability to choose the service of God."

Pat Solenski - 04/26/2016 01:28 PM: Thank you for your reflection. As you say the message of the Exodus is truly a message of spiritual freedom posited in a physical experience. Your thoughts and words offer a powerful lens by which we can see the freedom given us from God. This freedom provides the opportunity to turn to or to turn away from Him. As his children we are created with free will we are not robots. He leaves the decision to us. Along the way we are gifted by His Presence and Spirit.

Sister Lidia Lidia Valli - 04/25/2016 09:01 PM: Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Thank you for challenging us to remember that "true freedom is the ability to choose the service of God."