What Is Judaism Disrupted?

TEACHER: Ask the participants to answer the question of what is Torah by calling out a word or short phrase? Give a brief definition of traditional notions of Torah and of liberal notions of Torah.

A defining text for my book is a teaching of the Hasidic master, the Sefat Emet (19th century) defining the essence of the Torah.

QUESTIONS: What does the Sefat Emet mean when he says that the purpose of the entire Torah is “so that every person in Israel shall be free?” How is he defining freedom? How do you understand his reference to the 613 commandments as counsels? Why does he stress that the Exodus had to precede the giving of the Torah at Sinai? What does his definition of freedom have to do with “by not becoming attached to material things?” Is this a surprising definition of Torah? Does it change how you think about Judaism?

“This teaching suggests that we can easily be enslaved without ever being literally in bondage. Most people are not physically enslaved and yet they live a life in which they are not really free. In Erich Fromm’s phrase (20th-century psychologist), we often want to “escape from freedom.” The responsibility that comes with freedom can be a heavy burden. We can live a life of slavery to our fears and insecurities. We can live a life bounded by the limitations of our expectations, or a life circumscribed by the lack of faith in our abilities. Most of all we can be enslaved to the needs of the everyday – making a living, errands, relationships and all the mundane tasks of life. Who has the time to reflect on whether we are serving our vision for ourselves or just being a slave to Pharaoh – the unending taskmaster calling us to build the treasure cities of our existence?

In this understanding, Torah is first and foremost about freedom. Torah is not, as commonly believed, about 613 commandments. Rather it is 613 counsels that teach us how to escape to freedom. Our biggest challenge is to take the precious gift of life and do as much as we can with it.

Freedom is an awareness of what life is and can be. As the Sefat Emet suggests, the Torah reminds us to strive for non-attachment. Real living means not holding on to what we possess in the face of the ever-encroaching final night. Torah is meant to be an ongoing pointer to the precious blessing of life. It is hard to cherish each moment of life amidst our busyness. Torah suggests that our mortality doesn’t have to define our existence. We have the ability and the freedom to create, to think, and to feel. Those abilities can shape our lives.

We are to remember the Exodus from Egypt because its story is repeated every day. We are “enslaved” by the things that constrict us – that either prevent us from reaching our potential or that lead us down pathways of hurt to ourselves or to others… The Sefat Emet deeply believed in the possibility of renewal. He taught that every day the world and each of us are/can be created anew.

The purpose of Torah is to encourage us and remind us to strive to live a life of compassion, loving relationships, and devotion to our ideals. The Jewish tradition does that by suggesting ways to focus on important themes in life – such as open heartedness, gratitude, and awareness. There are daily practices to aid us in cultivating these qualities. There are the annual festivals that encourage us to reflect on home and shelter; on food; on change. There is Shabbat, a weekly practice calling us to stop our work week and take a deep breath. The Torah understands the lure of Egypt and how easy it is to become enslaved... Yet, we are reminded that as a people we were once slaves, and we became free. Each of us can be free again. This is the real inheritance of the Jewish people leaving Egypt – the experience of freedom. Freedom begins on the individual level, but needs to spread outward into society, for the world needs to be redeemed.” (abbreviated).

This text led me to create 11 core principles which we will now explore-Michael Strassfeld