Romi Morales
Parashat Bo relates the events that take place around the last three plagues, before Bnei Israel leave Egypt. Despite the great importance of this foundational moment in the history of our people, it was only experienced (according to different interpreters) by 20% of Am Israel. But what happened to the remaining 80%? Why did they choose slavery over freedom? What messages does this leave us who wish to educate future generations to choose to be free? We will now talk about the challenge of being willing to pay the high price of freedom. Let’s begin!
Paying the price of facing uncertainty
Many argue that a large part of Am Israel did not believe that freeing themselves from the Egyptians was really possible. Even the most optimistic wondered if they would be able to survive in the desert after overcoming this first obstacle. Unfortunately, for many of them, the slavery was mainly mental rather than physical. The popular phrase: ‘It’s better the devil you know than the devil you don’t’, thus summarises the behaviour of 80 per cent of the Hebrews of the time. Resignation and hopelessness presented itself as more profitable than facing the uncertainty of what a better future might be like. It’s just that freeing ourselves from the fears that bind us to the past is, of course, not easy. It means paying the price of stepping out into the unknown, into the zone where fears are many, but opportunities for growth are even more so, even when we cannot yet visualise them.
And here it is worth asking ourselves: What differentiates the 20% who do embrace uncertainty from the 80% who do not? How can we ensure that, in situations of oppression, our children and young people act with the 20%? From this we learn that education plays a crucial role. Through education, it is possible to offer tools so that people can choose and gain access to a life of and in freedom. To do this, however, we must ensure that we incorporate into our educational practices elements that foster and reinforce self-confidence, bravery and courage, among others. For these elements to be profoundly effective and relevant, they must not be presented merely in a discursive manner, but must be anchored in a deep and authentic feeling of personal competence, based on the real acquisition of these elements.
This is why structures such as youth movements are so important. The fact that, from an early age, Tnuot offer young people the opportunity to take on roles, responsibilities and tasks of the ‘adult world’, is what allows them to prove themselves, develop and explore their potential in areas such as decision-making and skills to overcome obstacles. Likewise, it is also essential to develop skills such as critical thinking, the right to doubt and the tendency to dialogue, in order to generate in them the habit of questioning paradigms and dogmas that are presented to them as the only and ultimate truth. These abilities and skills are what will give our children and young people the freedom to dream of various possible realities, even when these seem distant or unreal.
Paying the price of feeling uncomfortable
The last three plagues demanded that Am Israel abandon a passive stance and adopt a much more proactive behaviour. Until then, the plagues mainly affected the Egyptians and this did not demand any concrete action on the part of the Hebrews to guarantee that the process of liberation would be effective. Wanting to access freedom is not enough. It is necessary to act in pursuit of it. It is true that, sometimes, external forces can offer to accompany us on the road to freedom, but the truth is that the process of liberation must be done and travelled by each person personally. What motivates some to want to carry out this process and others to divert their attention and adapt to the conditions? Nothing more or less than the feeling of discomfort. Only when this is perceived do people feel the urgency to change their situation. Perhaps this explains why only 20 per cent of Am Israel actually chose to leave Egypt, while the remaining 80 per cent did not.
In educational terms we can ask ourselves: What can we offer our young people so that, faced with the possible uncomfortable situations they will encounter in their lives, they manage to transform the energies this generates to move towards a better situation and not remain prisoners of the reality they find themselves in?
In my humble opinion, I believe that some of the elements that should be present in our educational organisations are: openness to learning, development of creativity and a tendency towards innovation. When we talk about openness to learning, we are referring to the development of an attitude of constant curiosity, a desire to acquire new knowledge that allows us to broaden our horizons and the ability to recognise that each experience is an opportunity to grow. Openness to learning is what will ultimately allow the pressure generated by discomfort to be transformed into motivation to continue growing. For this to happen, it is important to foster creativity and innovation in our educational practice. By finding original ways to overcome barriers to freedom, both internal and external, the chances of wanting to face discomfort in order to be free will be much higher.
Paying the price of leadership
The process that takes place between the first plague and the last, as some wise men explain, lasts at least 12 months. At this stage, Moshe and Aaron agree to pay the price of leading the process of helping Am Israel to abandon the mentality of slavery and to accompany them in visualising a new reality full of freedom. However, for this to be possible, they first had to understand that freedom is not only a right, but also a commitment to oneself and to the society to which one belongs. It is by understanding that freedom is not an isolated act, but part of a collective construction, that it is possible to act in the interest of the common good and the rights of others, even when the price is extremely high.
Some essential elements that we can educate about so that future generations are willing to pay the price of leading the way to freedom are: solidarity, empathy and sensitivity. Developing the recognition and appreciation of the diversity of experiences and perspectives on the road to freedom and acting with compassion towards those who face obstacles to exercising their own, are fundamental for our young people to want to be people who foster and ensure the search for spaces where there is enjoyment of total freedom and a clear denunciation when this is not guaranteed. These values, among others, are at the core of our Tnuati DNA and, therefore, at the core of our educational endeavours.
Final reflection
Freedom is as much a choice as it is a daily construction. Educating for freedom not only involves teaching technical skills, but also cultivating character, values and the vision of a better world. A person who desires to be free needs to feel able to choose and to have the confidence that, even in the face of adversity, they can overcome challenges with resilience and purpose.
In the current context, where Israeli society is asking itself what price we are willing to pay to free our brothers and sisters kidnapped in Gaza, this Parashat offers food for thought. In the face of those who are afraid to make decisions for fear of what might happen, in the face of those who expect others to take the lead, and in the face of those who evade responsibility for decisions and their consequences, our vision of leadership based on humanity, Judaism, Zionism and chalutziut is raised. In the face of these positions, strength in the body and courage in the heart emerge in our philosophical conception of education. All these premises on which we educate lead us to be willing to pay the high price of freedom, understanding that true freedom is only possible when it is collective: no member of Am Israel can be authentically free if this freedom is not shared and enjoyed by each and every one of us.
Dedicated to all the people who, sadly, are still being held hostage, to their families and loved ones who wait in deep pain, hoping that soon, finally, everyone will return to their homes.
