Freedom from Egypt, Freedom from Gaza

Agam Berger on the helicopter as she was being freed from Gaza.See below for her message to the Jewish people.

The IDF is once again fighting in Gaza to free the hostages taken by Hamas. We have been praying for their freedom, and much of the civilized world is appalled that they are still being held by terrorists after 550 days (as of Tuesday). The universal right to freedom. We take this right for granted.  But after Israel's national trauma, which we are still living through as our cousins are still locked up like animals, we can have a greater appreciation of  freedom. We realize that freedom is a privilege. The Torah, through the narrative of the the Passover story, tells us that freedom is also a choice. Let's look at the Passover story as a model for the choice of freedom, and then we will turn to the story of one of the hostages, Agam Berger, to see how she chose to be free even while in captivity.

One of the central texts that speaks of the journey to freedom of the Jewish people in the Passover story is found when the Almighty sent Moshe to promise the Hebrew enslaved people that they would be brought out of bondage (Exodus 6:6-7). He relays that the Almighty promised that the Jewish people will go through 4 stages of freedom:

1. Freedom from servitude -after the third plague, the Hebrews were no longer compelled to work 2. Release from incarceration -when they left Egypt 3. Be saved from their oppressors -when the Egyptian army was destroyed at the Sea of Reeds 4. Become a people of G-d -adopt a new vision by connecting to the Almighty when we receive the Torah at Mount Sinai. 

The Haggadah tells us that we should see ourselves each year as if we had left Egypt. Why do we need to be freed if we live in a free society? We will see that true freedom is not just physical release from oppression but it can also be achieving  our own internal personal spiritual freedom. The Seder is a four-step program that leads us toward individual liberty, and the four cups of wine correspond to each stage. Let's unpack the messages embedded in the story and the Seder.

The Hebrew word for Egypt is Mitzrayim, which comes from the word metzarim, a constricted place. We all have our self-induced limitations and weaknesses. Pharoh is Peh Rah, the bad voice, the negative voices and narratives we tell ourselves, and the feeling that we cannot free ourselves from our constraints. Let's look at how the four stages of the Israelites' release from Egyptian bondage correspond to the four steps of personal freedom.

 1.  Freedom from servitude. Let go of the negativity, don't be a slave to our digital devices, distance ourselves from unhealthy relationships, and stop the bad habits or addictions.

 2. Release from incarceration. Get out of the rut. Inculcate new thoughts, behaviors, and habits within ourselves. Seek out tools to achieve this goal.

  3. Salvation from our oppressors. Uproot the sources of the behavior so we do not slip back. This is the most challenging stage in exploring why we have thought and acted this way. This might take some difficult self-reflection or a good therapist

 4. Become a people of G-d. Create a new self-identity based on a new set of values, ideals, and goals. Freedom is not just breaking free from old constraints; it is channeling our energy into new constructive outlets. The Rabbis teach us that Torah study and observance are powerful paths and tools to achieve this goal.

The Talmud tells us that the four cups of wine which we drink over the course of the Seder correspond to the four stages of freedom. (Jerusalem Talmud, Pesachim 10:1) The four cups are 1. Kiddush  2. The Haggadah Story (Magid) 3.  The meal and the blessing after the meal (birchat hamazon). 4. Opening the door for Elijah and the end of the Haggadah. After four cups of wine, we will also be free to sleep. (you may substitute grape juice for wine).  

As the hostages have been released, we are learning about the power of freedom of the spirit from those who maintained their spiritual autonomy even as they were physically enslaved.  This is a message that can teach us about how to live our Passover freedom. We first heard the story of Agam Berger’s captivity in Gaza  when her mother Merav Berger spoke for Tribe Tel Aviv last summer. The Berger family had been moving towards a greater engagement in Torah life since the passing of their grandmother eight months before October 7th. Meirav told us that Agam drew strength from her Torah observance in captivity.

After Agam's release, we heard the whole story. Agam maintained her freedom of the spirit even as she was physically imprisoned. She refused to cook for her captors on the Shabbat, and she would not eat non-kosher meat despite being on a deprived diet. She even fasted on Tisha B'Av. As other captives who were with Agam were freed, they expressed how she had been a source of strength for them. Another remarkable story that emerged when she Agam asked for a Hebrew prayer book from her captors, and they laughed at her request. Then, one day, the captors told her your G-d must really like you because I found a Hebrew prayer book that a soldier must have left behind. Shockingly, they gave it to her! 

As Agam was being taken by helicopter after her release, she was given a whiteboard to communicate in the noisy helicopter. Instead of just communicating with her parents, who were sitting next to her, she chose to communicate with the entire Jewish people. She wrote, partly quoting from the book of Psalms' Baderech Emunah bacharti, ubaderech emuah shavti.' The path of faith I chose (Psalms 119: 30) and on the path of faith I returned.' She told us that her path to freedom came from her choice to root herself in the path of the spirit, the path of emuna, and faith in the Almighty. She then thanked the entire Jewish people and the brave soldiers of the IDF (see picture.)

Agam's story touched Jews around the globe and has given enormous strength to a nation still fighting for its survival. The Torah tells us that we fix the world around us by first fixing ourselves. For this Passover, let's take Agam's example and inspiration to use the Seder and the holiday as a vehicle to pursue our own personal freedom of the spirit. Through this path of personal strength, may our nation see the communal fortitude to be victorious over evil, as the Israelites from the Exodus story were, and to finally live in peace and tranquility with those with the same vision for the world.