{"id":50380,"date":"2019-02-27T11:41:57","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T09:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=50380"},"modified":"2022-09-11T15:16:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T12:16:00","slug":"political-independence-and-inner-liberty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/political-independence-and-inner-liberty\/","title":{"rendered":"Political Independence And Inner Liberty"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Why, asks R. Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972), does God begin the Decalogue by reminding us that God \u201ctook us out from the land of Egypt, the house of bondage\u201d (Ex. 20:2; Deut. 5:6) and end by admonishing us not to covet? R. Heschel suggests that God wants us to learn something critical about freedom: Although God has liberated us from externally-imposed slavery, the task of liberating ourselves from internal slavery is given over to us. Heschel writes:<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing is as hard to suppress as the will to be a slave to one\u2019s own pettiness. Gallantly, ceaselessly, quietly, man must fight for inner liberty. Inner liberty depends upon being exempt from domination of things as well as from domination of people. There are many who have acquired a high degree of political and social liberty, but only very few are not enslaved to things. This is our constant problem\u2014how to live with people and remain free, how to live with things and remain independent.<\/span>
\n<\/span>In a moment of eternity, while the taste of redemption was still fresh to the former slaves, the people of Israel were given the Ten Words, the Ten Commandments. In its beginning and end, the Decalogue deals with the liberty of man. The first Word\u2014<\/span>I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the Land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage<\/span><\/em>\u2014 reminds him that his outer liberty was given to him by God, and the tenth Word\u2014<\/span>Thou shalt not covet!<\/span><\/i>\u2014reminds him that he himself must achieve his inner liberty\u201d (Heschel, <\/span>The Sabbath, <\/span><\/i>pp. 89-90)<\/span><\/p>\n

The words of the tenth commandment challenge us to purify our inner life, both for its own sake and in order that we not deprive others of what is rightfully theirs. We are taught not to pressure other people to let go of what they have, not to scheme to acquire their things, and not even to fantasize about possessing what they do. We are warned about the dangers of greed, especially when coupled with the power to inflict great harm. And we are reminded that real, deep freedom is not a one-time gift but a hard-won struggle. God gives us political freedom at least in part so that we can embark on achieving inner freedom as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

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