Thoughts After Reading About Freedom Written By Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and its relationship to Shavuot

This morning we started a new book of the Torah, B’midbar, which literally means in the wilderness.  The wilderness that is referred to in this case, is not a lush wooded area; it is a barren place that lacks water and food.  It is the place where we received the Torah and wandered for 40 years as we coalesced into a people.  I believe it is significant that we are starting this book today, on the 49^th day of the omer, the very day before Shavuot which commemorates the giving of the Torah. 

For the past 7 weeks we have been counting the Omer.  The omer is a period of time between the 2^nd day of Pesach and the harvesting of grain in the Land of Israel.  Yet, tomorrow when we are here we will not be gathering because we are conscious of Shavuot’s connection to nature, rather we will take note of its connection to the anniversary of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.  This counting is significant because it reminds us that the release from oppression we experienced was not complete until we acquired liberty at Sinai.  As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote, “Freedom begins with the exodus but it reaches fulfillment in the acceptance of a code of conduct, the Torah, freely offered by G-d, freely accepted by the people.”

Judaism reflects deeply on freedom.  Personal freedom in Judaism is not what is most important at all.  Judaism recognizes first and foremost that we are social beings, who need one another, depend on one another.  Torah reminds us that force is not the best way to nurture cooperation.  Trust is a much stronger way to have an individual consider another’s interests in the same way that he/she considers his or her own interest.  For us Jews, trust is cemented in a brit, a covenant with G-d, a pledge taken to agree to a code of duties to each other and to G-d as the sovereign power in the Universe.  In the words of Rabbi Sacks, “What an extraordinary idea of freedom this is.  It depends, for its success not on power, but on moral obligation.  Needless to say it places a greater burden on the educated conscience than any other political system, and therefore requires unique institutions.  It needs constant education.  The people must know the law; they must hand it on to their children.”

If you think about the establishment of this extra-ordinary covenant that was entered into at Sinai, it makes sense that it occurred in a desolate location in the wilderness.  Although the wilderness was empty, its emptiness was filled with meaning when the Torah was given to us.  In the emptiness of the wilderness we learned that freedom from tyranny was only the beginning.  Liberty depends on a “shared moral code, and on the education of new generations to internalize its values.”  That is what Shavuot is about, by acknowledging the giving of the Torah and committing ourselves to accepting it in our own generation.

Shabbat shalom. Please join us tomorrow morning once again when we will celebrate Shavuot by reading the 10 commandments, eat a special dairy lunch, and engage in a study session with members of South Street Temple who will be joining us.  I truly hope we will acknowledge the importance of Shavuot together.