Portions of this kavanah originally appeared on MyJewishLearning.com.
Whether you heard it in Spaceballs or learned it in Hebrew school, “Let My people go” has been the catchphrase of the Exodus story for a long time, the ultimate demand for freedom. It has drama—the small Moses facing the big Pharaoh. It has impact—the strong imperative. And it has brevity—it is clear and to-the-point.
There’s only one problem: Moses never says “Let My people go,” because that’s not what God asks him to say. Instead, God instructs Moses to tell Pharaoh: “The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say, ‘Let my people go that they may worship me in the wilderness.’” (Exodus 7:16). Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
Learned in the wilderness, given in our Torah and centuries of interpretations, our Jewish conception of freedom is not a wild one. It is not an unbounded, do-whatever-you-want kind of place. Rather, the Exodus from Egypt defines for us a different sort of freedom. Let my people go that they may serve me, God says. Let them serve higher ideals and a prophetic vision. Let them serve humanity and better the reality of the world. Let them serve their best selves, and something far beyond themselves. Let US.
This week, we prepare for an American celebration of freedom. This year, for many reasons, it too may feel bounded. May this celebration too be guided by higher ideals, and a vision for a better future.
— Rabbi Sari Laufer