Please download the study booklet from here.
CHOFSHI: Free
Meditate: The Nature of Freedom
What does it mean to be “free”?
Is freedom public or private? Personal or collective? Nationally mandated, or spiritually, or legally, or individually? Who decides as to who is free?
Can you be free in some senses and un-free in others? Are there times when ‘freedom’ is negative for either individuals or societies?
Is freedom a right or a responsibility? What are the various costs of freedom? Are they usually worth it? Do these costs reflect or give insight into the true nature of freedom?
Debate: What Does Freedom Mean to You?
For Teens: Give me liberty or give me death – really?
Action Item:
Show this clip from Braveheart:
http://movieclips.com/TE7V-braveheart-movie-they-will-never-take-our-freedom/
Discussion points:
- In this clip, how does William Wallace define freedom?
- What is freedom worth to him?
- Do you agree with his definition?
- Do you agree with how much he values freedom?
For Families: My Freedom
Action Item:
Ask your children to think about what freedom means to them –
Discussion points:
- Name a situation in which you felt the most free. When did you feel constrained (un-free)?
- Do you ever feel “free” in a structured setting like your classroom? Have you ever been punished for being “free”?
- When you have too much “free time” or “freedom of decision” is it a burden or do you enjoy it?
- What is the opposite of freedom?
OR
Watch the video “Free to be You and Me”-
- What does it mean for children to be free?
- Is the freedom to be yourself a privilege or a responsibility?
For Adult Education:
Action Item: screen Richie Havens: Freedom
- What do you feel watching this video?
- What kind of freedom do you think Richie Havens is singing about?
- Are there are kinds of freedom?
Chag Haatzmaut 