Liberty, Freedom and Jerusalem: Lincoln's 150th yahrtzeit

This week's essay dealing with Liberty, Freedom and Jerusalem, is dedicated to the 150th yahrtzeit of Abraham Lincoln, on the 19th of Nissan, the 5th day of Pesach.

In a recent essay, "The Challenge of Freedom," Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo discussed the true value of what defines freedom:

"Nothing is more dangerous to the well-being of the human species than the mistaken notion of freedom. Today, freedom is defined as the ability to do whatever one wants. Entire generations have been thrown into a life of meaninglessness, passivity and boredom in the name of this artificial freedom. It wreaks havoc on many fine souls who no longer have a sense of what they are living for. After all, a life with no mission and commitment is not worth living.

“Even in the religious community we find many youngsters who observe the commandments by rote because of social pressure or fear of punishment. They dream of freedom, of liberating themselves from their many obligations. Yet, they are unaware that these very obligations are the manifestations of genuine freedom, and a life with no boundaries is a life of confinement."

In his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln begins with mention of the word "liberty" and ends with the word "freedom.” To Lincoln, these two words had real, not abstract meaning. His passing on Pesach, the festival that celebrates liberty and freedom, serves to us as an emblematic message of faith and a symbolic lesson of the practical yet deeply meaningful value that these two words should continue to mean to us for all time.

Rabbi Beinish Ginsburg in his commentary on the Haggadah, "The March of Centuries,” teaches us the following about cheirus:

"A major theme of the Exodus and the night of the seder is cheirus, freedom from bondage and slavery. This theme is developed at length by the Sefer HaChinuch, who notes that many of the various mitzvos associated with the Korban Pesach all reflect the idea of cheirus. G-d wants us to act like aristocrats while preparing and eating the Korban Pesach so that we will absorb the message that we became the chosen nation. We used to be slaves, but now we're a free, important nation, a nation of priests and holy nation."