True Freedom in Judaism – Why Mitzvot Liberate Rather Than Restrict

"You're probably becoming religious, or something like that, right?" That was the question a well-educated older woman asked me at the end of a lecture I had just given.

Now it was my turn to be surprised. It was the first time I had spoken before an audience that wasn’t observant. What? Is a religious Jew supposed to look and sound like the stereotype marketed to the general public? The reality is the exact opposite! 

"Yes, I’ve been this way since birth," I answered. She looked surprised… and then came the challenge: "Why are you people so narrow-minded? Everything is ‘do this’ or ‘don’t do that’? You limit freedom! That’s not real Judaism!"

Since I don’t believe in arguing just for the sake of arguing, especially when the question is not intended to truly seek understanding, but rather to release emotion and feel justified (and I’m not one of those who would proudly boast about ‘how I verbally crushed them’) — I chose to answer with empathy instead of going on the attack. I understood she was simply repeating what she had seen and heard about Judaism in general, and about religious Jews in particular. I also knew that counterattacking would not necessarily change her mind. So, I engaged her in a calm conversation with the goal of exploring together what true Judaism actually is.

"Let’s look at what the Sages teach us. We can agree that the Sages certainly reflect authentic Judaism. They say something fascinating — a completely opposite perspective: ‘And the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets; do not read ‘engraved’ (charut), but ‘freedom’ (cherut), for no one is truly free except the one who engages in Torah study.’ In fact, it is precisely the one who is involved in Torah who possesses true freedom. How can that be? Isn’t he bound by the ‘chains’ of do’s and don'ts? Doesn’t that ‘restrict his freedom’?"

"When we think about it more deeply, we realize that the Torah in fact frees us from the chains of our selfish tendencies. When a Jew fulfills positive commandments that may ‘limit his freedom’, such as acts of kindness, charity, loving others — or refrains from negative actions that ‘limit his freedom’, such as not taking revenge, not bearing grudges, not speaking gossip, essentially not giving free rein to destructive emotions — when he keeps commandments that safeguard family life specifically by ‘limiting freedom,’ he is in fact training himself to internalize a powerful message: Don’t be selfish! Be moral! Yes, the mitzvot limit wild, unrestrained freedom that is selfish and materialistic, but it is precisely that limitation which creates freedom: the ability to choose and act according to moral values."

"By nature, a person tends toward materialism, and therefore, toward self-centeredness. This often leads to unhappiness, because success is measured comparatively: ‘How do I measure up to others? What’s my status? What have I achieved or enjoyed?’ However, when a Jew invests deeply in Torah study, prayer, and mitzvot, he develops his spiritual side and becomes less selfish and less focused on comparison, because his sense of well-being comes from within. Of course, this isn’t true for everyone without exception, but the Torah’s influence in this direction is undeniable. Such a person is freer from the chains that prevent genuine happiness."

Indeed, mitzvot are a restraint against unbridled desires, and precisely because of that, they free us to follow our deeper and truer desires that bring real joy. Like a river with dams built across it to guide its flow in the right direction; the dam limits its ‘freedom,’ but directs it to a more productive and beneficial path. So it is with the Torah.