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I. The Paradox of the "Happy Slave"
The discourse begins by examining the juxtaposition of the revelation at Mount Sinai with Parshas Mishpatim, specifically the laws concerning the Eved Ivri (the Jewish indentured servant). The speaker outlines the Torah’s protocol: a thief who cannot pay restitution is sold into servitude for six years to work off his debt.
The speaker highlights that this servitude is not "slavery" in the draconian sense. The master is legally obligated to treat the servant with immense dignity—often better than he treats himself. The servant eats the same food, sleeps on the same quality mattress, and is even provided a non-Jewish wife (Shifcha Canaanis) with whom he can build a family.
The crisis arises at the end of the six years. If the servant declares, "I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go free," the Torah prescribes a humiliating ritual. He is brought to the doorpost, and his ear is bored through with an awl, marking him as a servant until the Jubilee year.
II. The Ear That Failed to Hear
The speaker poses the central question: Why is the Torah so critical of a man who simply wants to stay in a comfortable situation with his family? Why is the ear the target of the punishment?
Drawing on Rashi and the Sages (Chazal), the speaker explains that this is a metaphysical "hearing problem." The ear that stood at Mount Sinai and heard God declare, "For the Children of Israel are My servants," has now chosen to become a servant to a human being. By voluntarily extending his subjugation, the man rejects the direct relationship with the Divine established at Sinai in favor of human dependency.
III. Defining True Freedom
The speaker moves to a sophisticated definition of liberty. The Eved Ivri is materially comfortable—perhaps more so than a free man—but he lacks the essential component of humanity: Agency.
The distinction between a worker and a slave is the ability to quit. A free laborer can lay down his tools at any moment and walk away. The Eved who refuses to leave is surrendering his autonomy. He is choosing security and comfort over the terrifying but necessary responsibility of self-determination. The doorpost is chosen for the ritual because it represents the blood of the Passover lamb—the symbol of God taking the Jews out of Egypt to be free. By clinging to the master’s house, the servant effectively undoes the Exodus.
IV. The Modern "Slave"
Transitioning to contemporary life, the speaker argues that while legal slavery is abolished, psychological and emotional slavery is rampant. He suggests that everyone is an Eved to something, bound by "golden handcuffs" of their own making.
The speaker identifies several modern masters:
Technology: The inability to exist for five minutes without checking a cell phone is a form of servitude to a device.
Social Status: The desperate need for validation through grades, elite colleges, or career prestige turns a person into a slave of societal opinion.
Emotional Impulse: Being ruled by anger, depression, or desires ("Yeitzer Hara") is the ultimate loss of freedom. If a person says, "I am depressed, therefore I cannot function," they have enslaved their will to their mood.
Materialism: Contrasting the modern mindset with the Greek philosopher Diogenes (who sought freedom by needing nothing), the speaker notes that the more "needs" we acquire—specific foods, entertainment, comforts—the more vulnerable and enslaved we become.
V. The Torah as a Declaration of Independence
The conclusion of the speech reframes the purpose of the Torah. Rather than a set of restrictive rules, the Torah is presented as the ultimate tool for liberation.
Shabbat forces the Jew to disconnect from the "master" of commerce and technology, proving they are not slaves to the grind.
Kashrut dictates that the Jew is not a slave to their appetite.
Character Development demands that the Jew not be a slave to their temper or ego.
The speaker urges the audience to "think out of the box" and reject the default settings of society. True freedom, he argues, is the ability to determine one's own state of mind and actions regardless of external circumstances. By realizing that "I don't need anything except God," a person breaks the shackles of dependency.
The ultimate message is a call to reclaim personal sovereignty: to choose happiness, to choose values, and to serve God voluntarily—because serving the Ultimate Truth is the only way to escape servitude to the petty tyrants of the material world.
