| “Thus says the God of Israel, let my people go!” – Exodus 5:1
This year, on Shabbat on the weekend when we remember and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Jewish world begins reading Shemot, the book of Exodus. Moses tells Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” Those words have echoed down the centuries. In his work, the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides writes, “There is no greater mitzvah than the liberation of prisoners.” As I write these words for the bulletin, Syrians jailed by the Assad regime are being freed, and there is even some hopeful news that the surviving hostages taken into captivity in Gaza on October 7, 2023 may finally be released. I hope that when you read these words, they have been restored to their families.
American civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer said, “nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” Dr. King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
May our voices ring out for freedom on the Shabbat when we honor Dr. King, and may we continue to work for justice, freedom and peace for all. |
