Spirituality

TORAH PORTION

PRESENTS

The Facets
Of Freedom

Shabbat Mevarekhim (Parshat Vaera):
Exodus 6:2-9:35; Ezekiel 28:25-29:21.

T

many Jewish organizations
his week's Torah
have been devastated by its
portion as well
reach.
as recent events
In Israel, innocent people
in our world — the war in
on both sides of the conflict
Israel, the celebration of
suffer because some people
Rev. Martin Luther King
do not value human life —
Jr. and the inauguration of
not their own, that of their
President Barack Obama
children and, for sure, not
— all intone the same
that of the enemy. All over
theme: freedom.
Rabbi
the world, people are suf-
Vaera speaks of the
Jennifer
fering because of the effects
ancient Hebrews yearning
Kaluzny
of baseless hatred and fear
to be free from Egyptian
Special to the
of the other; perhaps the
slavery and reminds us of
Jewish news
two most prevalent and,
God's promise to Abraham,
yet, preventable plagues of
Isaac and Jacob that their
them all.
descendents would live
In the opening of the
in the land of milk and
Freedom Seder by Chaim
honey.
Stern, there is a prayer
Rev. King reminds of
that the entire human
another kind of slavery;
family can sit together
that of intolerance, big-
at one table, drink the
otry and racism. He, too,
wine of deliverance and
imagined a promised
eat the bread of free-
land, one filled with
dom. It could be applied
equality for all people,
to any of these instances
regardless of their skin
of freedom; and it is our prayer today,
color. He dreamt of a world free from
and every day, that there may be ...
hatred and malice, where people saw
Freedom from bondage and freedom
each other as brothers and sisters.
Barack Obama's election as the 44th from oppression,
Freedom from hunger and freedom
president of the United States fulfills
from want,
many of King's dreams, but we all
Freedom from hatred and freedom
know, there is so much work still to
be done to eradicate the same kind of from fear,
Freedom to think and freedom to
baseless hatred that still enslaves the
speak,
hearts and minds of so many.
Freedom to teach and freedom to
The war in Israel is a battle for free-
learn,
dom. Freedom from rockets, freedom
Freedom to hope and freedom to
from living in constant fear, freedom
rejoice,
from sending sons and daughters to
Soon, in our days, Amen.
the front lines of war. Rabbi Daniel
May we all be blessed to live in free-
Gordis closed his remarks at the recent
dom, soon, in our days. ❑
AIPAC lecture by saying that every
time we sing "Hatikvah," we repeat the
reason for our battles and the heart of Jennifer Kaluzny is a rabbi at Temple
Israel in West Bloomfield.
our greatest desire: lihiyot am chofshi
b'artzeinu, to be a free people in our
land.
Conversations
This week's portion recounts the
How can we further the cause
pronouncement of plagues, and their
of freedom here in the United
aftermath. Thank God we do not suf-
States and in Israel? How do
fer from the same plagues, but we do
Israel's safety and security affect
suffer from modern day plagues. In
the Jewish community in North
America, many have suffered from the
America?
plague of greed, and unfortunately,

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January 22 • 2009

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