King was able to revolutionize an entire country because he knew how to go back to the biblical text and find there the eternal message that demands action and commitment. In this sense, it is not by chance that this man struck up a deep friendship with Abraham Joshua Heschel, the memorable rabbi of Hassidic origins, who escaped the Shoah inferno in Europe so as to take his place in the future of American history. Both Heschel and King shared a deep love for the Torah, and recognized in the prophets paradigms worthy of being emulated, daring to raise their voice of denunciation and taking compromised stances, notwithstanding the discontent they could generate in those holding power. The famous picture of the Selma march, in March 1965, rises as symbol of this shared spirit.

And this is why I deem it appropriate to return to all these contemporary movements, speeches and words throughout these weeks, when we will read Moses’ requests before Pharaoh in Egypt. Moses, the greatest prophet of all, had to learn to stand before the Egyptian king and rightfully demand: Shalach et ami…, “Let my people go” (Ex. 9.1). Moses had to gain consensus among the members of the children of Israel so as to achieve the unity that made them strong, building a national identity that allowed them to abandon slavery and venture into the difficult challenge of embracing freedom. A freedom that could not hold based on the oppression of differences among them. A freedom that could not be dimmed by the silence of dissident positions. And this was not easy, for as the text of our parashah recounts: “And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel; but they hearkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit, and for cruel bondage” (Ex. 6:9).

Both then and now, there are many times when the narrow-mindedness of spirit prevents us from acting wisely. The excuses we make up or the pretexts we turn to so as not to do what we know is demanded of us, are many. Too often, the times seem to foretell dark futures with uncertain results. And even then, when the night represented by Egypt once more becomes a real threat, it is worth remembering King’s words, who when asked to what age he would have liked to live if he had the chance to choose, knew to say:

"Strangely, I would turn to the Almighty and I would say to Him: ‘If you allow me to live for some years during the second half of the 20th century, I will be happy.’ Now, this can seem a strange request, since the world is presently convulsed. The nation is sick. Problems lash the earth. Confusion is everywhere. It is, therefore, a strange request. But I know, somehow, that only in the dark can the stars be seen. And I see God working in this period of the 20th century in a way which men, oddly, are answering… something is happening in our world. The masses are rising. And everywhere they meet […] the cry is the same: ‘We want freedom.’"