Freedom isn’t everything it’s cracked-up to be. Freedom requires taking responsibility for one’s choices, actions and consequences. Freedom brings with it uncertainty. The choices may be ours but the outcomes of our choices are not clear. Some people can live with uncertainty. They understand that this is the price of freedom. Others cannot, they are willing to live under authoritarian rule because it makes life feel simpler. That is why some people support dictators and demagogues; they want to give their autonomy away. This is the condition of the Israelites in this week’s Torah portion. Freed from slavery and moving through the desert toward the distant goal of the Promised Land, they begin to long for their life of slavery. It may have been hard and dehumanizing, but it was predictable and had a few physical rewards. “The riffraff in their midst felt a gluttonous craving; and then the Israelites wept and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. Now our gullets are shriveled. There is nothing at all! Nothing but this manna to look to!” (Numbers 11:4-6) So the Israelites fell into despair. In a way we are like the Israelites. We move through our lives, our futures are never certain and always out of reach. Events beyond our control could radically change our lives, whether disease, social unrest or natural disaster. How to cope with such a condition? The Jewish tradition offers us three strategies. The first is gratitude. Every morning the first prayer we are supposed to recite is, Modeh Ani Lifanecha, which gives thanks to God for giving us another day of life. Psychologists are confirming what our sages always knew, that practicing gratitude makes us happier and more fulfilled. As our sages wrote, “Who is wealthy? The one who is satisfied with what they have.” (Pirkei Avot 4:1) The second is hope. Judaism is ultimately an optimistic religion. We believe that human beings can always change and grow, that the world can be made better and that the world will ultimately be redeemed and made perfect. The last strategy is Shabbat, a day of rest, of peace, of cessation from labor, and of joy with family, friends, community and God. If we practice those strategies we can revel in our freedom and live a rich and fulfilling life.
Beha’alotcha, Numbers 8:1-12:16, Parshat Hashavua for Shabbat, June 10, 2023
June 9, 2023 by Dean Kertesz • Drashot
Freedom isn’t everything it’s cracked-up to be. Freedom requires taking responsibility for one’s choices, actions and consequences. Freedom brings with it uncertainty. The choices may be ours but the outcomes of our choices are not clear. Some people can live with uncertainty. They understand that this is the price of freedom. Others cannot, they are willing to live under authoritarian rule because it makes life feel simpler. That is why some people support dictators and demagogues; they want to give their autonomy away. This is the condition of the Israelites in this week’s Torah portion. Freed from slavery and moving through the desert toward the distant goal of the Promised Land, they begin to long for their life of slavery. It may have been hard and dehumanizing, but it was predictable and had a few physical rewards. “The riffraff in their midst felt a gluttonous craving; and then the Israelites wept and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. Now our gullets are shriveled. There is nothing at all! Nothing but this manna to look to!” (Numbers 11:4-6) So the Israelites fell into despair. In a way we are like the Israelites. We move through our lives, our futures are never certain and always out of reach. Events beyond our control could radically change our lives, whether disease, social unrest or natural disaster. How to cope with such a condition? The Jewish tradition offers us three strategies. The first is gratitude. Every morning the first prayer we are supposed to recite is, Modeh Ani Lifanecha, which gives thanks to God for giving us another day of life. Psychologists are confirming what our sages always knew, that practicing gratitude makes us happier and more fulfilled. As our sages wrote, “Who is wealthy? The one who is satisfied with what they have.” (Pirkei Avot 4:1) The second is hope. Judaism is ultimately an optimistic religion. We believe that human beings can always change and grow, that the world can be made better and that the world will ultimately be redeemed and made perfect. The last strategy is Shabbat, a day of rest, of peace, of cessation from labor, and of joy with family, friends, community and God. If we practice those strategies we can revel in our freedom and live a rich and fulfilling life.