One of the last Jews I met in Moscow was a rabbinical scholar.  In comparing the present situation to that of the recent past, he quoted to me the commentary given by Rabbi Menachem Medel of Kotzk to a verse from Exodus, “And the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of their bondage.”  The question was raised: All the time Pharaod was alive the Jews labored and suffered; why, then, did they sigh at his death?  Rabbi Menachem Mendel answered that before Pharaoh died, even to sigh had been forbidden.  “Do you understand?” the scholar said. “Today we are permitted to sigh…although only when no one is listening.”

MERGER POEM

And then all that has divided us will merge
And then compassion will be wedded to power
And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind
And then both men and women will be gentle
And then both women and men will be strong
And then no person will be subject to another’s will
And then all will be rich and free and varied
And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many
And then all will share equally in the Earth's abundance
And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old
And then all will nourish the young
And then all will cherish life's creatures
And then all will live in harmony with each other and the Earth
And then everywhere will be called Eden once again.
© Judy Chicago, 1979

A word

Spiritual freedom does not come easily.  What steps can you take toward attaining spiritual freedom in your life?

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