Freedom and liberty is so very precious and something for which I am eternally grateful and do not take for granted.

Yes, freedom can be “internal”. We all need to feel and experience this genuine liberation; yet, “external” freedom is no more unnecessary. It is this freedom — unfortunately, a rarity in the world in this day and age — that we celebrate and consecrate this Independence Day Holiday.

Every Moment is a Jubilee Moment

The Book of Leviticus describes the celebration of the jubilee year every 50 years. Property is returned and debts are forgiven.

We are told to “consecrate the 50th year and proclaim liberty in the land to all the go dwell there” (Leviticus 25:10). In the original Hebrew, the word for inhabitants is related to the same root for the words return, sit, and dwell.

How do we celebrate freedom? Like the practice of zazen (meditation), we return, we sit, and we dwell here and now in this moment, breath by breath.

Every moment is a jubilee moment!

Let Freedom Ring

In our national anthem, we proclaim, “Let freedom ring!” This same phrase was echoed in Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech I Have a Dream speech (1963) around the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Genuine freedom is not found exclusively in our minds. It is priceless, real, and consequential. It can be a life and death experience. Just ask anyone living without freedom!

Bodhidharma sat facing the wall. The second patriarch, standing in the snow, cut off his arm and said, "Your disciple's mind is not yet at peace. I beg you, Master, give it rest. Bodhidharma said, Bring your mind to me and I will put in to rest.

The patriarch said, "I have searched for the but have never been able to find it." Bodhidharma said, "I have finished putting it to rest for you."

(The Gateless Gate; Case 41; translation by Koun Yamada Roshi)

Can you search for freedom? Can you find freedom? Is freedom “internal”? Or “external”?

Let freedom ring! Let freedom ring!!

Next Steps

Feel free to learn more information abut the Yom Kippur Zen Mindfulness Jewish Meditation Retreat in Los Angeles on September 25, 2023. Registration is currently open here!

Save the date for our daylong Rosh Hashanah Zen Mindfulness Meditation Retreat. It will be held on Sunday, September 17, 2023 in the Bay Area, CA. Stay tuned for registration details!

As always, if you are interested in learning more about Jewish Mindfulness Meditation or how to create a more meaningful spiritual path for you and your loved ones, please make sure to sign up and click the “Stay Connected Now!” button below!

Mindful Judaism is pleased to offer daylong Jewish meditation and mindfulness retreats, shabbatons (weekend workshops), and other live and in person events throughout California and beyond.

If you are interested in bringing Mindful Judaism to your community, synagogue, or meditation group, please contact us at adam@mindfuljudaism.com for more information and to make arrangements.

Adam Fogel
www.mindfuljudaism.com