The Holiday of Freedom

Rabbi Shmuel Goldin - "Unlocking the Torah Text"

Cheirut (freedom): The injection of positive purpose and value into one’s life. The individual who enjoys cheirut, by choosing to pursue a higher goal, actively frees himself from servitude to the surrounding world and its potentially enslaving forces. Cheirut cannot be granted by another but must be attained by an individual himself.

Rav Moshe Teragin - "Zman Cheruteinu"

Freedom to us, though easily accessible, is insufficiently grasped and all too often taken for granted. As freedom represents a natural state of the human condition, it is often not discerned until it has been snatched away. Without prior circumstances of confinement a free man will take little notice of what inherently is his. Operating as we do, in a society whose very underpinnings are founded upon the cornerstones of liberty and equality, we often overlook these values. Hence, to help underscore the value and cost of freedom, we commence the evening with "genut" - matchil bi- genut - tales of our harsh and bitter affliction, attempting to identify with the pre-redemptive state of captivity. This might allow, by way of contrast, a proper distillation of the authentic experience of sovereignty. Only by sampling the bitter maror can we begin to relish the sweet and refreshing flavor of freedom.

In attempting to savor the experience of freedom we face much more than the challenge of appreciating a privilege which we take for granted. As Jews, we are presented this evening with not only challenge but with dilemma and paradox as well. As shomerei Torah u-mitzvot we live a "commanded" life, governed in all its dimensions by a comprehensive system of taryag mitzvot. Given this reality, that we maintain a lifestyle which meets with constriction and prohibition, can we truly refer to ourselves as free beings? Pesach itself for all its grandeur and pageantry, for all its zeman cherutenu, anticipates Chag Shavu'ot, the moment of matan Torah and the Sinaitic covenant, the moment of legal constriction. Even those who left Egypt, amidst the elation and euphoria of their Exodus, recognized that their final destination, the very purpose of their liberation was "ta'avdun et ha-Elokim al ha- har ha-zeh" (2) (you will worship the Lord upon this mountain). Does the life of a "metzuveh ve-oseh" - a lifestyle to which we all aspire - abrogate human liberty? This lifestyle does offer in exchange Divine service, a more than equitable trade, but does this trade leave the ben Torah confined and restrained?

To be sure, such a state of serving God with our entire essence and being needs no external justification. It is a privilege to obey the Melekh Malkhei Ha-melakhim, and an ennobling service, one which obviously far surpasses the value of human freedom. To a large extent, the Pesach liberation is vital in preparation for the self-dedication and oath of allegiance performed seven weeks later. As slaves to a human sovereign, our acquiescence to Torah u-mitzvot is not a genuine display of commitment but merely replaces one monarchy with another. Pharaoh's authority is displaced by the Divine. Our liberty, though, and the accompanying freedom of choice, lends credibility and distinction to the events at Sinai.

Chazal [teach us] "Ein lekha ben chorin ela mi she-osek ba- Torah" - only he that labors in Torah is truly liberated. The origin of this aphorism lies in the dual meaning of the form "cherut." When pronounced as such it means freedom; however, when pronounced "charut" it refers to engraved script. In parashat Ki Tissa (6) the Torah depicts the engraved inscription of God's commandments on the tablets - charut al ha-luchot. Ironically, the same root describing human freedom depicts the ten commandments - the laws which form the nucleus of the Jewish legal system; the tablets of charut serve as an image of liberty of cherut....For us, this most visible and vivid symbol of God's authority does not revoke our own autonomy but coincides with it and indeed promotes and invigorates it. What for others connotes captivity and confinement, for us trumpets freedom and liberty.

It is in this spirit that we acclaim our freedom on Pesach, independence from our brutal human oppressor Pharaoh, but, at the same time, freedom which must self- contract in order to be sustained. In this respect, the seder contains a rich system of symbolism which encompasses this dichotomy. The symbols of freedom are unmistakable: the four kosot, haseiba, dipping our food, etc. It is interesting, however, to notice the variety of laws which regulate the manner of eating the korban pesach. One may only partake if he has registered in advance as part of a chavura - a group or party; participation in this meal must not be impulsive. Strict rules govern the mode of actual eating as well: it mustn't be cooked but instead roasted; no bones may be broken even while eating marrow; no food may be eaten outside the house; finally and most unexpectedly, all the meat must be consumed by daybreak, else it must be burnt. In truth, isolated reasons can be suggested for each individual regulation. However, in a broad sense, we must acknowledge that this meal, of all meals, stands alone as the most regulated and controlled. How ironic it is that on the very night we liberate ourselves, we act in a highly structured and governed manner. In fact, on the very night of the actual exodus, as part of the prohibition against exiting their houses, the Jews painted their door frames with the blood of the pesach sacrifice, outlining in blood, the walls and frames of their own "prisons." For although it is a night of liberty and sovereignty it is also one of discipline and constraint - a constraint which must form the nucleus of any meaningful or substantial freedom. Freedom to Transcend.