From Where I Stand

By Rabbi Yossy Goldman

שלח עמי ויעבדוני

“Let My people go, that they may serve Me.”

–Sh’mos 10:3

The words ring out again and again. Moses demands of Pharaoh that he finally relent and grant the Jewish people their freedom: “Shalach ami v’yaavduni”–Let My people go that they may serve Me–are the precise words that G‑d told Moses to convey to the stubborn monarch.

It is quite interesting to see how some expressions and phrases become popular, forever memorable, and attract a huge following while others just don’t seem to catch on. Let My People Go became the theme song for the story of Egypt and the Exodus way beyond our own community. It has been used as a catchphrase for a variety of political causes. Sadly, the last Hebrew word of the very same phrase somehow got lost in the shuffle. V’yaavduni–that they may serve Me–never quite made it to the top of the charts. The call to freedom excites the human spirit. The challenge of service and commitment, however, doesn’t seem to elicit as much enthusiasm. We must never forget that the purpose of leaving Egypt was to go to Sinai, receive G‑d’s Torah, and fulfill Jewish destiny.

I remember when, back in the early ’70s, Jews the world over were demonstrating for their oppressed brethren in the Soviet Union, demanding of the Russian government to allow Jews the freedom to leave if they wanted to. The rallying cry was “Let My people go.” Sadly, they left out the v’yaavduni–“that they may serve Me.” We were so concerned about political liberties that we forgot a primary purpose of being free, namely to enjoy religious freedom and live fulfilled Jewish lives.

Indeed, for so many of our Russian brethren, obtaining their exit visas and acquiring freedom of movement did little to help them in the service of G‑d. Seventy years of organized atheism behind the Iron Curtain left its toll. We are delighted that they could live in Israel (or Brighton Beach), but while many organizations dedicated themselves to helping Russian Jews spiritually, the fact remains that far too many are still outside of the Jewish community and its spiritual orbit.

In my own backyard, here in South Africa, this idea has become blatantly obvious. We have now had a democratically elected government since 1994. We have free and fair elections in which all citizens have the opportunity to cast their ballots. It was a long, hard struggle, but political freedom has been achieved. And yet, while confidence levels in our country’s future are much improved, millions of people living here are still suffering from the very same hardships they endured under apartheid–ignorance, poverty, and poor health. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu even castigated the country’s black leaders for allowing a situation where a small number of well-connected blacks have become enriched while the masses remain impoverished. HIV/AIDS is still public enemy number one, and even the sons of some of the most high-profile political figures have succumbed to the deadly disease.

It is clear: political freedom minus spiritual purpose equals disillusionment. Leaving Egypt without the vision of Sinai would be getting all dressed up with nowhere to go. It is not enough to let our people go. We have to take them somewhere. That they may serve Me means that we need to use our political freedom to experience the freedom and fulfillment of faith and a life of spiritual purpose dedicated to Hashem’s service.

Rabbi Yossy Goldman was born in Brooklyn and was sent in 1976 by the Lubavitcher Rebbe as an emissary to serve the Jewish community of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is Senior Rabbi of the Sydenham Shul and president of the South African Rabbinical Association. His sefer “From Where I Stand: Life Messages from the Weekly Torah Reading” was published by Ktav and is available at Jewish book shops or online at www.ktav.com.

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