Let Freedom Ring
This month’s spiritual column
by
Rabbi MORLEY T. FEINSTEIN
June 30, 2008
This summer is a great time to celebrate being an American. And no greater holiday than July 4 to remember our independence and our freedom.
The Liberty Bell, rung to announce the Declaration of Independence, was cast with the words of Leviticus, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Neither in the Bible nor in the new United States was this a mere slogan, but a mighty vision of how to conduct our lives. A replica of the Liberty Bell adorns the Bell Garden Park in Jerusalem.
In 1835 the bell cracked and remains so to this day. The very bell that rang out for liberty is a reminder that we continue to strive to create a better nation tomorrow than we have today. Our task is to bring healing and hope to anyone who has something broken in their own lives.
One Rabbi explained the Hebrew word for liberty, “Dror,” is also the name of a bird. The Dror sings as long as it is free, but the moment it is caught and loses its freedom, it stops singing and deliberately starves to death. Liberty may be the most precious commodity of all, and without it, human life can shrivel away.
Our nation’s founders promised every American “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Let us continue to strive for a land where all its citizens are able to sing their songs of freedom.
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