Rabbis For Human Rights - North America

Divrei Torah

“A certain non-Jew came before Shammai and said to him, ‘I will convert to Judaism, on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.’ Shammai chased him away... He came before Hillel and said to him, ‘Convert me.’ Hillel said to him, ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary; go and learn it.” (Shabbat 31A)

Reversals on the Path to Freedom

A D'Var Torah for Parshat Beshallah 2012/5772 by Rabbi Ron Aigen

 

At the climax of the Exodus story we find the theme of reversals introduced as both a positive and negative feature of the path to freedom. Pharaoh has a change of heart (vayehefah levav) about having let the Israelites go: “What is this we have done, releasing Israel from our service?” Ordering his army to pursue them, he sets the stage for the miraculous splitting of the Sea through which the Israelites will pass “on dry ground” while Pharaoh and his army are drowned.

Pharaoh’s fatal reversal comes about when he learns that the Israelites also had a change of heart. Rather than go on the three-day journey to worship their God, they instead set out on what will be a much longer journey “lest they change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” According to the Torah, this longer route is a preventive measure in case the people don’t have the courage or strength of conviction to withstand the hardships of battle that freedom entails.

According to the Rambam, this longer route does more than prevent the Israelites from running back to Egypt; it is also a positive didactic measure that allows them sufficient time to develop the inner strength of character that they did not yet have as newly freed slaves. This reversal on the part of the Israelites takes them on a longer, more difficult path to freedom than they had initially planned. This is not the quick fix of miraculous promises, and wishful thinking, but rather the hard-earned human freedom that comes from inner struggle and growth.

Pharaoh’s reversal, on the other hand, seeks to cut short that quest for freedom and growth. He is concerned with maintaining the status quo and with law and order. He is not interested in promoting the possibility of real human freedom.

In Canadian society today, the government is seeking to pass an omnibus crime bill, C-10, titled Safe Streets and Communities Act. Despite its well-intentioned name—who doesn’t want safe streets and communities?—this bill seeks to pass nine separate amendments from bills that failed to pass in previous sessions of parliament. Bill C-10 would make fundamental changes to almost every aspect of Canada’s criminal justice system, including:
•    New criminal offences
•    New and increased mandatory minimum sentences
•    Harsher sentencing principles for young offenders
•    Amendments to Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
•    Reversal of the long-gun registry

“Overall, says the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, “the direction  these changes set out for the Canadian criminal justice system –jail more often, for longer periods, with more lasting consequences—is a dangerous route that is unsupported by the social science evidence and has already failed in other countries.”

What kinds of reversals are we seeking for ourselves and our society today? Contact your M.P. or write to the Senate to make your voice heard. The proposed legislation in Bill C-10 creates reversals to our criminal justice system that will not lead to greater freedom for all. Learn more about this bill from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.


Rabbi Ron Aigen is spiritual leader of Congregation Dorshei Emet in Montreal and author of the forthcoming Wellsprings of Freedom: The Renew Our Days Haggadah.  www.wellspringshaggadah.com