Freedom Defined - Monthly Gedolim Story
As this years Pesach slips into the forever-impacting pages of our past with all its new memories of another great year, we remember that Pesach is a time for happiness and celebrations. Together with our family, friends and guests at our sedarim, we make it known, not only to ourselves, but to our children, that G-d took us out of Egypt, with an outstretched arm and strong hand, alongside the many great wonders. We celebrate our freedom from that land and our uniqueness as G-ds nation.
The following story, which appears in many of Rabbi Paysach Krohns' book gives us a new insight into what it really means to be free, never mind physically, but mentally, too.
I hope you enjoy the story,
Yitzy Schweitzer
Freedom Defined - Monthly Gedolim Story
Rabbi Aryeh Levin zt'l was known for his incredible compassion and concern for every Jew. In the 1930s and 40s, when Jews were imprisoned by the British authorities who ruled Palestine, Reb Aryeh was one of the rare individuals granted permission to visit his Jewish brethren. He was deeply loved and revered by the prisoners, who looked forward to each visit, knowing someone out there, a great gadol hador, in fact, cared deeply about them all.
One Chol HaMoed Pesach Reb Aryeh came to visit them. During the conversation he asked, "How was your seder?"
One of the prisoners quipped "Holy Rebbe, everything was fine, we were able to fulfill almost all the halachic requirements of the seder, except one. You see, when we came to the part of שפך חמתך, pour your anger, the prison guards would not let us open the door,"
Reb Aryeh, smiling at his fellow Yidden, told them something they would never forget, "You are mistaken" he said. "You have the key to freedom, that being the key to your heart which can give you spiritual freedom." He continued, "We are prisoners in our own bodies, but we can be free of the bondage to our materialist desires. By opening our hearts, thereby, allowing ourselves to gain self-control we can become truly free."
Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, called the jail that he spent eight years in, merely "a place called prison". Throughout those difficult and challenging years, he instilled within himself and Am Yisrael, the knowledge of "Aleph Beis Gimmel, - Emunah un Bitachun (Aleph and Beis brengt deh Geulah (Gimmel)."
If we now know where our own key to freedom lies, let us all internalize its message and become truly free, indeed.
One Chol HaMoed Pesach Reb Aryeh came to visit them. During the conversation he asked, "How was your seder?"
One of the prisoners quipped "Holy Rebbe, everything was fine, we were able to fulfill almost all the halachic requirements of the seder, except one. You see, when we came to the part of שפך חמתך, pour your anger, the prison guards would not let us open the door,"
Reb Aryeh, smiling at his fellow Yidden, told them something they would never forget, "You are mistaken" he said. "You have the key to freedom, that being the key to your heart which can give you spiritual freedom." He continued, "We are prisoners in our own bodies, but we can be free of the bondage to our materialist desires. By opening our hearts, thereby, allowing ourselves to gain self-control we can become truly free."
Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, called the jail that he spent eight years in, merely "a place called prison". Throughout those difficult and challenging years, he instilled within himself and Am Yisrael, the knowledge of "Aleph Beis Gimmel, - Emunah un Bitachun (Aleph and Beis brengt deh Geulah (Gimmel)."
If we now know where our own key to freedom lies, let us all internalize its message and become truly free, indeed.
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