Sedra of the week: Vaera
Rabbi Boruch Boudilovsky looks ahead to this week's portion of the torah
‘Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has not made me a slave’ (Daily Morning Blessings)
This blessing, recited daily, is consistent with the intense and almost obsessive Jewish commitment to freedom. The Torah encourages the observance of Pesach, ‘the time of our freedom’, in terms unprecedented in almost all other biblical festivals.
When the process of freedom is described in this week’s Parsha in the context of God’s conversation with Moses, multiple words are used to illustrate the liberating experience: ‘I shall take you out’, ‘I shall rescue you’, ‘I shall redeem you’, ‘I shall take you to Me’, ‘I shall bring you to the land’ (Exodus 6: 6 – 8). Many of the biblical commandments are ‘in memory of the exodus from Egypt’.
We are commanded to remember the Exodus every day of our lives. Indeed, the Torah frowns on the Jewish slave who voluntarily enters slavery beyond the minimal term.
I believe that Judaism’s efforts in developing our awareness of freedom reminds us that freedom can easily be lost. Even when we live in free societies, a luxury that many still do not enjoy, our freedom is too often lost in abusive relationships, in uncompromising employment conditions, in addiction, in poverty, in mental health conditions and so on. Judaism is aware of how vulnerable freedom is and how it must therefore be appreciated, protected, and preserved.
Judaism also asserts that as free people we must become worthy of our freedom. Freedom in Judaism is not only an elementary human right, it is primarily a calling. Freedom obliges us to shape our lives with covenant, values, compassion, justice and truth.
I hope, trust, and pray that we will all be blessed with freedom and the wisdom to use it gracefully.
- Rabbi Boudilovsky is rabbi of Young Israel of North Netanya
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
