Is Religion Enslaving? (adapted from Rabbi Y. Goldman)
Free at last. This is the week when we read of the great Exodus. "Let my people go that they may serve Me", was the Divine call transmitted by Moses to Pharaoh. Now, if the purpose of leaving Egypt and Pharaoh's whip was to be able to serve G‑d, where is the freedom? We are still slaves, only now we are servants of the Almighty!
Indeed, countless individuals continue to question the merits of religion in general. Who wants to submit to the rigors of religion when we can be free spirits? Religion, they argue, stifles the imagination and stunts our creative style. Thou Shalt do this and Thou Shalt better not do that, or else! Do's and don'ts, rules and regulations are the hallmark of our religion; but why conform to a system? Why not just be "me"?
After all, keeping kosher is a serious inconvenience, Shabbat really gets in the way of my weekend, and Passover has got to be the biggest headache of the year! Is all this religious observance inhibiting or liberating?
BBC once interviewed Malcolm Muggeridge, the former editor of Punch, the satirical British magazine. Punch magazine was arguably England's most irreverent publication. It mocked and ridiculed the royal family (long before they did it to themselves). In his latter years, Malcolm became religious and the interviewer was questioning how the sultan of satire could make such a radical transformation and become religious? How could he stifle such a magnificent free spirit as his?
Malcolm gave the following response: He said he had a friend who was a famous yachtsman, an accomplished navigator of the high seas. A lesson he once gave him in sailing would provide the answer to the reporter's question. The yachtsman taught him that if you want to enjoy the freedom of the high seas, you must first become a slave to the compass.
A young novice might challenge the experienced professional's advice. But why should I follow that little gadget? Why can't I go where I please? It's my yacht! But every intelligent person understands that without the navigational fix provided by the compass we will flounder and sail in circles. Only by following the lead of the compass will the wind catch our sails so we can experience the ecstasy and exhilaration of the high seas. If you want to enjoy the freedom of the high seas you must first become a slave to the compass.
The Torah is our compass of life. It provides our navigational fix so we know where to go and how to get there. Without the Torah's guidance and direction we would be lost in the often stormy seas of confusion. Without a spiritual guidance system we flounder about, wandering aimlessly through life. Just look at children on vacation from school and "free" from the disciplines of the educational system. Unless they have a program of some kind to keep them busy they become very frustrated in their "freedom."
If we truly wish to unleash our inner spirit then let’s try to follow life’s compass. Indeed, our Rabbi’s teach "there are none as free as they who are occupied with Torah".
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick
