Monday, April 09, 2012

Freedom

The word for freedom in Hebrew is חרות.

There is an interesting teaching that says that חרות is an acronym for the Four Sons that are mentioned in the Pessach seder.

ח is for חכם, the smart son
ר is for רשע, the evil son
ו is for וזה שאינו יודע לשאול, the son who doesn't know how to ask
ת is for תם, the timid son.

One way of looking at this is that all four sons are viewed as a composite. We are all deeper than we may first appear, and judging a person based on one conversation, or meeting, may leave us with misconceptions and stereotypes. Perhaps freedom is when one adjusts his ability to judge the book on more than just the cover ... I se'ed djuzgan a todo ombre a parte beuna (Judge every person favorably, Pirkei Avot א:ו).
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