Puritan and colonial America viewed themselves as the modern embodiment of ancient Israel. Like the Israelites, they saw themselves as fleeing from an oppressive Pharaoh, journeying into the wilderness in pursuit of freedom and the establishment of a religious and democratic society. No coincidence, then, that on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, the Hebrew Bible proclaims its ancient ideal. "Proclaim liberty throughout the land, and to all the inhabitants thereof."
Like the ancient Jews, the colonial Americans saw their mission as one of proclaiming liberty. But did the two groups necessarily mean the same thing when they proclaimed that liberty? What kind of liberty did the colonists spread, and what kind of liberty does that biblical passage intend?
Various cultures understand freedom differently. In the now-defunct ideology of the Soviet Union, freedom implied relief from unemployment and homelessness (at least in theory). In America, those basic human needs are not considered "freedoms" at all, but rather privileges that too many Americans don't get to enjoy.
Americans believe that freedom permits uninhibited expression of personal opinion and the freedom to practice one's religion unchallenged (at least in theory). In Communist China, those values do not comprise freedom; instead, they are considered counter-revolutionary and subversive.
Within Jewish traditions, Rashi (11th Century France) understands freedom to imply the ability to reside anywhere. He adds that freedom precludes living under the authority of others. One cannot, he claims, be truly free unless he is able to choose where to live. That ideal of freedom certainly applies to Jews who are in need of refuge throughout the world, but how about the homeless in our major cities? They, too, cannot choose where to live.
What of recent college graduates, now saddled with untenable debts and unable to purchase a home? What about members of racial or ethnic minorities who are victimized in certain neighborhoods? What of the freedom of gay men and lesbians to live freely where they choose without fear of intimidation or assault?
Our elderly refrain from leaving their homes at night. Women are frequently the victims of rape or robbery on American streets and on college campuses. Is a society where so many must worry about where they live truly free?
Rashi's second standard is equally intriguing; freedom from subjugation to the authority of others. This standard is necessarily more subjective. Whether or not we identify with those in power is a question of personal judgment -- do our politicians act based on our needs? Are we represented by the corporations whose boardroom decisions establish the contours of our lives? Or by the press? Or by those scholars who advise those in power or who mold the thought and culture of the rest of us?
No society is completely free. Our dual birthright -- as Jews and as Americans -- encourages us to struggle to increase our freedoms, so that a previous generation's aspirations advances the next generation's rights.
As Jews, our call to freedom emerges naturally from our relationship to God. Freed from human bondage in Egypt, we recognize that freedom is the simple corollary to divine service. In the words of the Talmud, we are God's "servants, and therefore not the servants of servants." In a world of social justice and spiritual depth, Jewish notions of freedom can thrive -- the freedom to assume our rightful place in a world sanctified and at peace.
Amen. Shabbat Shalom.