FREEDOM AND OPPRESSION are at the very heart of the Torah portions from Exodus that Jews will read in the next few weeks. It’s a bit jarring to read these portions in January because they tell the Passover story months before celebrating the holiday. I often wonder if the rabbis, when dividing how the portions should be read, hoped we didn’t just remember the importance of the Festival of Freedom once a year, but every day.
It’s hard to overemphasize how central this story is in Judaism.
We are reminded repeatedly of the significance of always taking care of the stranger, the outsider, the widow, the orphan and the less fortunate, because that is what God did for us.
The redemption from the oppression of the Pharaoh is a key part in all our services. We sing songs and recite prayers about this seminal event to remind us of the importance of freedom, of standing up against oppression and of reaching out to strangers who are fleeing persecution, for we, too, were “strangers in Egypt.”
The story of freedom has resonated throughout history, found in not only the Torah, but in Christian and Muslim traditions.
Russian and Ethiopian Jews framed their flight to freedom as another Exodus.
The story is seen in the spirituals sung by American slaves in songs like “Free at Last,” the lyrics of which were made famous by Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty we’re free at last” are powerfully evocative words.
But our freedoms are not guaranteed. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same,” (Ronald Reagan).
Sadly, racist assumptions from our history of slavery upon which our country was built have permeated our culture. The continued discrimination of not just African Americans, but of all racial and religious minorities, the resurgence of white nationalism, and the predictable cycle of nativist attacks on immigrants of color, prove we are still shackled to the hatred of the “other.”
This attitude has reached a fever pitch in today’s climate where people are demanding mass deportations, even though it might involve family separations or deportations of actual citizens who are part of a family which includes an illegal immigrant.
We must learn to see immigration through the lens of the story of Exodus. People fleeing oppression and violence who are seeking safety and security, and who are contributing to society, should not be seen as “strangers” in our land.
The Talmud teaches us “The entire community will fall into ruin if its people insist on the letter of the law in every matter, however small, and show no inclination to temper justice with mercy. “
We should use the upcoming days of the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., Holocaust Remembrance Day and Black History month to search our souls as to how we can change our culture so we begin to live up to Declaration of Independence’s words that we are all created equal. We repeat platitudes every year during these remembrances, but nothing will happen without our courageous action.
The Dalai Lama points out, “It is not enough to be compassionate — you must act.”
Let us use the story of Exodus to help us live up to our founding fathers’ ideals and heed these words from the Torah: “When strangers reside with you in your land, you shall not wrong them. The strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens; you shall love each one as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt,” (Leviticus 19:33-34).
Kein yehi ratzon … may it be God’s will. Shalom.
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Issues of Faith is a rotating column by religious leaders on the North Olympic Peninsula. Suzanne DeBey is a lay leader of the Port Angeles Jewish community. Her email is debeyfam@olympus.net.
