Windows 5778
The model of true freedom is the Exodus from Egypt. The Israelites were not liberated to be free. They were liberated to become a nation that would stand at Mount Sinai and receive G-d’s constitution—the Torah with all of its commandments.
The Misconception of Freedom
The Exodus from Egypt—the theme of this week’s parsha—highlights the benefits of freedom. This is an appropriate time to reflect on the blessing of freedom that we enjoy.
But first let us clear up some misconception about freedom, and on the institution of democracy that is a vehicle and expression of that freedom.
First, the idea that a free election represents an inherent and automatic improvement over no election is facile and dangerous. Is there anything positive about having the ability to freely vote for either a Hitler or a Stalin? If a system is based on evil ideas, giving us a choice to elect one tyrant and evil system or the other is not much of a choice.
For democracy to work, all candidates and parties they represent must believe in and stand for the values that make the difference between a righteous and evil society.
Judaism has established the criteria for a righteous society; one that is based on the Seven Noahide commandments that were initially given to Noah after the flood, and reiterated by G-d at Mount Sinai. These seven commandments are: Negation of: idolatry, blaspheme, theft, murder, sexual crimes, mistreating animals, and establishing a judiciary that will preserve these laws and guarantee the civility pf society.
But even a totally free society that is governed by basically decent people is not a panacea. Freedom has been erroneously depicted by many as an end and not just a means to an end. Being free from tyranny is a great blessing, but only because it provides us with the means to realize our G-d given potential. If freedom would cause us to forget who we are and what our purpose is as Jews, then freedom would be no better than tyranny, except for the fact that with freedom, the opportunity to get back on track is always there.
The Model of True Freedom
The model of true freedom is the Exodus from Egypt. They were not liberated to be free. They were liberated to become a nation that would stand at Mount Sinai and receive G-d’s constitution—the Torah with all of its commandments.
We can now understand why we are obligated to remember the Exodus from Egypt each and every day. It behooves us to constantly reflect on the true nature of freedom, so that freedom does not degenerate into license.
Every Day and Every Night
The question, however, can be asked, why are we also obligated to remember the Exodus each and every night? Why wouldn’t it suffice for us to mention it once every twenty-four hours?
The answer lies in the deeper meaning of bondage and liberation.
One could be totally free to live and behave the way one wishes to live and behave. Yet their soul can still be in an internal exile. And this internal exile can take two forms: night and day.
Opening Three Windows
Night symbolizes a time when there is no light in our lives; we feel darkness and loneliness. We feel distant from G-d and our people. It may be in middle of the day, but our soul experiences night and darkness. This feeling occurs when we don’t see or feel the light of the soul, because we have failed to open up windows that would allow the sunshine to enter our consciousness.
These windows can be opened three ways: by prayer, Torah study and the performance of the Mitzvos. In each of these spiritual exercises our Talmudic sages, and particularly our Chassidic sages, have emphasized the need for kavvanah, which may be translated “intent” or “concentration,” but also as “windows.” Remembering the Exodus every night is the impetus to do all that we have to do to open these windows for our soul. In the Shema, the themes of performing all the Mitzvos and the remembrance of the Exodus are inextricably bound.
To be sure, even the most perfunctory manner in which we do G-dly acts, enables the light of the soul to radiate. But when we combine the performance of a G-dly act—which possesses objective liberating energies—with the subjective liberating element of kavvanah, i.e. focus, feeling and fervor, we then possess a guaranteed mechanism to experience the Exodus of our soul, even in a time of night.
Now the question reverses itself. Why must we also mention the Exodus in the daytime?
Day and light implies that the soul is shining brightly. There are no impediments to our soul’s ability to express itself. And yet, we can still be in internal exile.
In the Dark in Broad Daylight
This can be understood on two intertwined levels.
It has been explained on numerous occasions that the word Egypt in Hebrew, Mitzraim, derives from a root word that means constraints or limits. No matter how much light we allow our soul to freely generate, there is always a need to “break out of the boundaries” that put limits on our spiritual life. One can be the most spiritually charged person, but he or she too must continually reexamine their status, and seek to go beyond the constraining parameters of their lives.
In addition, even when a person has freed himself or herself from the shackles of night, it is crucial that they go beyond themselves by reaching out to others. If we are naturally closest to ourselves, going out of Egypt-Mitzraim implies going out of ourselves; going beyond our own selfinterests, even if they are totally spiritual and G-d oriented. The “day-personality” who feels content with his or her own spiritual accomplishments is usually someone who is still deep in bondage from which he or she must be liberated. While the spiritual sun is shining brightly, this individual can still be in the dark.
Hence, the need to mention the Exodus not just every night but also every day.
All of our prayers are directed to G-d to take us out of our personal exiles as well as bring us Moshiach who will take us out of the general and universal exile the entire Jewish nation, and indeed the entire world, is in. By working at liberating ourselves from our internal exile—both the night and day forms of it—we create the force that will precipitate the imminent arrival of Moshiach and the complete and final Redemption.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Bo by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
