I was a slave...now I am free - column for the Temple Beth-El Las Cruces April 2019 Adelante Newsletter

On an ARZA Rabbinic Trip in January, 1966

   I was a slave. 

   Now I am free.

    What am I going to do with that freedom?

    I am going to choose work that I like to do, which will, in some way, bring me satisfaction, fulfillment and even joy.

I will wake up and look at the sun shining, or, if there is no sun, observe the clouds in all of their shapes and sizes.

I will try to make it possible to watch the sunset, and to marvel at the colors painted onto the sky as darkness begins to arrive.

I will read what I want to read, works that educate me, edify me, challenge me, and inspire me.

I will listen to music that I enjoy, but I will try to learn about music that moves other people as well.

I will sing what I want to sing, and, if I am given the gift, create music, perhaps with lyrics, that speaks to the essence of my soul.

I will consider how I was treated as a slave, and resolve to treat no one like that for any reason, be it a sense of renewed privilege, or a desire for revenge through exercising power over others.

I will remember how I helped my fellow slaves:  how I and others assisted all those who were unable to fulfill their assigned tasks, whether they were young, old, injured or in poor health due to the work conditions foisted upon them.

I will remember how the taskmasters looked at me with contempt and disdain, shouting at me words of derision, threatening me with punishment if I did not complete my quota for the day, declaring to me that I was nothing, and no one, undeserving of consideration.

I will remember how I viewed my taskmasters:  with anger and defiance, both touched with sadness that anyone could be so indoctrinated and brainwashed into thinking that I wasn’t human.

I will look around my community where I now live and ask myself:

How can I show consideration to my fellow human beings in any given situation?

How can I help and stand up for people whose life experiences have put them in dire straits?

How can I lift up people whose souls have been destroyed by others for the sake of power, greed, or bigotry?

How can I show appreciation to people who serve me in their work, giving them a momentary gift of gratitude that will enable them to make it through their day with a good feeling about themselves?

How can I join with others to create a world without exploitation and inequality?

How can I further mutual understanding and respect among people of different backgrounds?

How can I act with kindness and compassion, where doors too often close on opportunities to achieve personal well-being?

How can I learn from the times when I have been the object of bigotry, oppression, discrimination to assure that other people never have to face those obstacles to a safe and secure place in society?

   In every generation, says the Passover Haggadah, we should view ourselves as if WE went free from Egypt. 

   Once we were slaves; now we are free.

   We should never forget that for a moment.