Proclaim Liberty

When they said the phrase from this week's Torah portion, B'har/B'chukotai, "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," had a nice ring to it, they weren't kidding. A quick drive south from Or Chadash - 45 miles as the crow flies - will bring you to a grassy lawn in Center City Philadelphia. There you can gaze up at the historic State House known as Independence Hall. Directly across the street is The Liberty Bell Center, the home of the well known State House bell. A bit of info on that American symbol of freedom taken from its home page states:

"The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the Bell in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's original Constitution. It speaks of the rights and freedoms valued by people the world over. Particularly forward thinking were Penn's ideas on religious freedom, his liberal stance on Native American rights, and his inclusion of citizens in enacting laws. The Liberty Bell gained iconic importance when abolitionists in their efforts to put an end to slavery throughout America adopted it as a symbol. As the Bell was created to commemorate the golden anniversary of Penn's Charter, the quotation "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," from Leviticus 25:10, was particularly apt. For the line in the Bible immediately preceding "proclaim liberty" is, "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year." What better way to pay homage to Penn and hallow the 50th year than with a bell proclaiming liberty?"

This Shabbat I invite you to hear Dorian Richards recite those words as he reads them from our Torah scroll tomorrow morning as he becomes a bar mitzvah. If you happen to be in Philadelphia, though, make sure you get a little Torah reading in at the Liberty Bell Center. The bell is silent, but the words still ring true!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Joseph M. Forman