麻豆社

Good morning.

The first ever prosecution of a former President of the United States, brings the deep political polarisation across America into sharp focus.

For some, today provides evidence of the purposeful politicisation of the country鈥檚 criminal justice system, directly violating the principles of democratic freedom and the rule of law, while others argue just the opposite - the prosecution of a former President is evidence that no person is above the law 鈥� a cornerstone of any free and democratic society. Whatever one鈥檚 political persuasion, it is a sad day, indeed, when the land of the free cannot reach consensus on how freedom is best served.

Freedom is the primary theme of Passover, which commences tomorrow evening, when Jewish families will recount the Biblical exodus of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.

In this context, Jewish tradition differentiates between two types of freedom, chofesh and cherut.

Chofesh is what the philosopher Isaiah Berlin described as negative liberty: freedom from the control of others and the ability to act as one pleases.

Cherut, however, comes from the same root as the Hebrew word meaning 鈥榚ngraved鈥�, used in the Bible to describe how the Ten Commandments appeared on two tablets of stone, teaching us that true freedom relies upon adherence to the rule of law.

When Moses famously brought God鈥檚 words to King Pharaoh, he did not only cry out, 鈥淟et my people go!鈥� He immediately followed up with, 鈥渟o that they shall serve me鈥�. The Israelites were not only to be freed from slavery. They were also to be obliged to use that freedom responsibly.

Freedom without responsibility means slavery to one鈥檚 basest desires. True freedom, however, connects us instead of isolating us; it enables us to coexist in a society that stands on the pillars of peace and justice. Genuine freedom is therefore a delicate balance between my freedom and yours; between the lifting of constraints and the willingness to work towards a goal beyond myself; a collective endeavour, to provide purpose and preserve justice. Every single person, whoever he or she might be, must therefore recognise that their own freedom is inextricably linked to the freedom of others.

An old sailor鈥檚 proverb states, 鈥淭he slave to the compass has the freedom of the seas. The rest must sail close to the shore.鈥� A powerful lesson of the Exodus from Egypt is that unchecked freedom is no freedom at all, because without a moral compass to guide us, we will forever be lost at sea.

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