I was pretty sure that I had a good understanding of what freedom is……and because I am a teenager, I naturally have felt like I have NO freedom at all. I am not allowed to go to school basketball games alone… I can’t watch scary movies… and my parents need to know where I am at ALL times.
My parents even have an app…...on their phone……that shows them where I am
at all times!
I have no freedom!
At least that’s what I thought before learning more about my Torah portion (Parashat Beshalach) and working on my mitzvah project. In my portion, the Israelites have been enslaved by the Pharaoh of Egypt. G-d spoke to Moses and he led them to the Red Sea. When they reach the Red Sea they feel trapped because the Egyptians are chasing them and the Sea is too big to cross. G-d helps the Israelites by slowing down Pharaoh’s army and asks Moses to trust that he will help them find freedom. G-d parts the Red Sea so that they can walk through on dry ground and Moses asks the people to trust him and walk through the Sea with walls of water on either side. The Israelites follow Moses on the path to freedom that he created and the Egyptian army drowns as the Sea closed behind them.
Before studying for my Bar Mitzvah, I thought of freedom as being allowed to ride your bike wherever you want, or going out with friends and not having a parent tag along. But I learned this past year, that it is a lot more complicated than that. My Torah portion comes at the same time we are recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King here in America. What Dr. King did to help end segregation, and create racial freedoms for African Americans, was like creating a path similar to what Moses did for the Israelites. Dr. King is an amazing modern example of creating freedoms for those in need. One man that approved of Dr. King’s ideas was Rabbi Abraham Heschel. Heschel was a well-known Polish-American Rabbi who marched with Dr. King in Selma, Alabama. He marched with him to show that he supported MLK’s beliefs. Someone asked Rabbi Heschel if he found much time to pray with Dr. King while in Selma. He answered by saying……. “I felt like my legs were praying.” To me this means that praying can happen with your actions, not just your words, and that sometimes the action prayers are even more impactful.
For my Mitzvah project, I wanted to do something related to gun violence, raising awareness, and raising money for preventing gun violence. I have been concerned about gun violence, school shootings, mass shootings, and random violence in the city where I live for many years. I told my mom that I wanted to have this be my mitzvah project back when I got my Bar Mitzvah date 2 years ago. I feel strongly about this and feel that violence is not the answer to anything, similar to how Dr. King felt. I also feel frustrated when people only send thoughts and prayers to the victims of gun violence and mass shootings. We need prayers but we also need action, which is what I did through my Mitzvah project. I studied the issues around gun violence and the problematic laws in America, and wrote blog posts to educate people my age and encourage them to take action. I wrote a post about the book “Never Again” that I read. It was written by survivors of the Parkland School shooting. I also wrote posts about the NRA, laws that are in the works to help ban assault weapons, my response to the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting, and others. I also raised money through the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence by asking friends and family to donate to my fundraising page. It is also terribly sad to know that Dr. Martin Luther King…..the man who preached about peace and fought so hard for freedom from racism and segregation…..was shot and killed with a gun.
Through this whole process, I learned a lot about what freedom really is. As a Caucasian male, living in a nice house, going to a good public school, I have more freedom and privilege than I ever realized. I am grateful for the freedom that I have here in America, and I am grateful for everyone in the past that has worked hard for these freedoms. I feel like it is a big responsibility we all have to find ways to create freedom for people in the future. I will still work hard to help people be free from gun violence. I would like to help make sure that my own children do not have to worry about school shootings. We can all find ways to make a difference and I am glad I learned what I did while studying for my Bar Mitzvah. Thank you to everyone who donated and who supported this project of mine!
Shabbat Shalom
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