Page 13 - HaMizrachi #28 Pesach USA 2021

MIZRACHI SCHOLARS-IN-RESIDENCE TORAT MIZRACHI

next year, free men. This year, here; next Protective Edge in Gaza, and the that our children
year, in Yerushalayim, in Tzion, in Israel.” struggle to return his body for burial to are bored little
Israel is not over. When Goldin was 17 tyrants,” he
Sharansky on Freedom | I once and a Bnei Akiva counselor, he wrote his says.
had the opportunity to interview students a short and powerful message
5Natan Sharansky. He recalled a before Pesach. He began by telling them “But sud-
unique and historical Seder Night as a that what is special about Pesach is the denly, at the
Prisoner of Zion in a Russian jail. There stories. Seder, between the jokes
was no matzah there, but he recounted about matzah and charoset
how the entire night he spoke to the “We all enjoy stories!” he wrote. Then and the complaints about family
other inmates about leaving bondage he turned to his students: “We have stuffiness, we reveal who we
and becoming free. But then he asked many stories in our own lives as well. truly are: the children of
the following question: “Imagine a Everyone has his own personal story, Avraham, Yitzchak and
man sitting in prison in Siberia and and all our stories are part of the greater Ya’akov, who long
a man leisurely walking the streets of story of our nation. In the beginning, most to bring our
Israel. Who is free and who is a slave?” there were our forefathers: Avraham, children into the
Surprisingly, Sharansky answered that Yitzchak, Ya’akov, David… and now us. secret of this eter-
it is easier to remain a free person in In this story, everyone can decide if he nal covenant into
prison. In such a situation, it’s clear who is the main character, the protagonist, or which our own
is good and who is evil, and it’s easy to if he is a supporting character whom the parents brought
cling to good. But in an open society like story passes by. Do you lead your own
our own, a person is faced with a surge story? Is your story good? Is your story us. We secretly
of challenges and distractions and it is connected to the story of Am Yisrael? shed a tear when
very difficult to make unbiased choices. Does it advance us? Do you allow others we remember our
The boundaries between good and evil to control your story? Are you truly free, late grandparents,
are blurred. It is easier to indulge in or are you a slave to others or to your and another one when
temptation. And above all, a person feels desires?” we dream of our future
he is free, and he isn’t even aware of his Hadar didn’t know what an important grandchildren.”
‘slavery.’ role he himself would play in our shared There’s a lot of chaos on this

“It is actually within the kind of soci- story. night, says Rav Navon, but first and
ety we have the opportunity of living in foremost, “it’s the Seder – it puts things
today that one feels he needs to work Putting Things Straight | Rabbi in order.”
hard to achieve real freedom,” said Chaim Navon says that Seder Night Sivan Rahav Meir and Yedidya Meir are pop-
Sharansky. 7teaches us that we are not what we ular Israeli media personalities and World
6 Our Personal Stories | Hadar us into thinking that we are addicted Mizrachi’s Scholars-in-Residence.
thought. “The age of rating has misled

media consumers, that we are new and
Goldin was killed in Operation
Members of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
mizrachi.org/speakers
cool, that we are restless innovators,

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