Comments on: What does Freedom Mean in 2011?

By: Poteaux

Poteaux — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:34:00 +0000

Hashem as All Mighty controls the balance of power. Amen, Amen.

By: Poteaux

Poteaux — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:10:00 +0000

I am glad that this question was posed because it has forced me to consider my liberties. I have been struggling with the idea of freedom and slavery for many years and for personal reasons.
Jimmie says that absolute freedom is not compatible with Hashem as All Mighty, and I agree. Today I was able to take a liberty. Possibly it’s that I was able to do what is mine to do.
This morning I stumped an arrogant big city judge on live public radio, and I did it with what I learned from Rabbi Adin’s teaching. I did not do it for egotistical reasons, they only heard my first name, I did it for truth as I understand it. The glory is Gods, the pleasure was mine.

By: Poteaux

Poteaux — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:19:00 +0000

Thank you Jimmie. Your writing helps me to remember that Hashem watches over us. Freedom, it seems, also presents the ability to learn from our mistakes.

By: Jimmie

Jimmie — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:40:00 +0000

Discovering the meaning of freedom in 2011 must depend for Torah conscious and committed people on what this always-up-to-date source reveals to us О НАС the ORIGIN of freedom and its consequences, most importantly at this season, the commemoration of the Exodus of Hashem’s people Israel from the slavery and oppression of Egypt by many signs, wonders, and miracles. For there would seem to be a profound connection between the BEGINNING of freedom in the Torah and the nature of it in the PRESENT 2011 year on the secular calendar. While the pertinent texts in Bereishit are variously interpreted, when man was created in the image of his Creator and received the Neshama he acquired self-awareness (i.e. intellect) and freewill, moral and ethical capacity, and emotional life. With freewill came freedom which is a situation or state in which we are not hindered, restricted, or constrained while attempting to exercise our freewill in making choices and decisions. True freedom according to the Torah involves freedom of mind and action (or doing); and man has throughout history possessed both. As the Torah states in Bereishit 11, “And now, should it not be withheld from them all they proposed (mind) to do (action)?” Further support for this view is shown in Bereishit 6 where Hashem declares, “every PRODUCT (action) of the THOUGHTS (mind) of his heart was but EVIL always.” This last word in the text appears early on in the 3rd Chapter as the opposite to the word GOOD, the primary adjective for the finished creation. The word “evil” appears more specifically in the mysterious phrase “The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”. In this same area of the text, Hashem states that Man has become highly unique in that he alone among the terrestrial creatures has the knowledge of good and evil. It is difficult to read the first 11 chapters of Bereishit and not reach the conclusion on the pshat level that “evil” and “The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” refer to thought and action choices that are OPPOSED to the fundamental principles of creation as originally given by the Creator. These “anti-creation” principles are available to us BECAUSE we are made in G-d’s image possessing freewill and therefore freedom of mind and action! HOWEVER, the NEGATIVE consequence of all this was man’s use of his freedom to pursue just that: principles and knowledge CONTRARY to those of the Creator which led to violence, robbery, perversion of the creation, and slavery, all of these as a means of acquiring what Bereishit 3 describes as ultimate wisdom, power, and wealth. Ironically then, it was the gift of freedom to all mankind in the first place that led to the necessity of the Exodus at Pesach by the Creator’s wonders and miracles! Moreover, the unique connection of the origin of freedom to the present time in 2011 is the fact that Man CONTINUES in an effort to acquire ultimate wisdom and knowledge (primarily О НАС the Universe) as well as POWER and WEALTH by using principles contrary to those of the Creator, the “Knowledge of Good and Evil” as it were. Clearly the teaching of the Torah is very up-to-date in this regard as it perfectly describes in its first few chapters the CURRENT 2011 objective of most nations in the global community! All of this, however, has lead to less freedom for everyone and in spite of the tendency toward democratization and free market principles in the world community, simply because our actions have had real and devastating consequences for stable societies and the biosphere that we depend on for our survival. Freedom in 2011 must it would seem involve the concept of Tikkun Olam, the repair of the world, by encouraging all peoples everywhere to return to at least the more basic principles of the creation that Hashem has allowed us to know in order to bring TRUE freedom that can only come from the application of his Wisdom as Master of Creation; from this standpoint the Torah is preeminent. In pursuing this approach to acquiring freedom we must truly embrace the fact that as created beings we can never achieve ABSOLUTE freedom for such an idea is incompatible with Hashem as Almighty and leads us down the path to idolatry.

By: David Schwed

David Schwed — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:54:00 +0000

Freedom is the knowledge that no matter our circumstances we have a choice as to the personal attitude we bring to our every day.

By: Gary Lee Parker

Gary Lee Parker — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 21:57:00 +0000

“To be free is to see new truths emerging in the chaos, to see the Spirit of God hovering over the chaos.”-Jean Vanier”Becoming Human”

By: Poteaux

Poteaux — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:09:00 +0000

Freedom of the mind is when you can’t be shamed into handing your children over to the sexual predators of the Catholic Church.
Cowardice is as cowardice does.

By: Poteaux

Poteaux — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 13:34:00 +0000

Freedom comes with the destruction of the Catholic wolves.
From a good tree, comes good fruit;
from a bad tree, comes bad fruit.
Cut the tree down, and save our children!

By: Br7mrg

Br7mrg — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:32:00 +0000

Margaretha FitzGerald: Freedom is global not just humans that are alive & well financially. Once you have achieved freedom of mind, body, & soul, freedom for me is getting up, taking care of whatever responsibilities there are to be dealt with. What is left of the day is freedom.

By: Poteaux

Poteaux — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:49:00 +0000

As with Jacob’s love for Rachel demanded such freedom of action, also so, does the return to his brother. And I find that comforting. Thanks.