From Freedom to Slavery

The Torah doesn't celebrate freedom. It teaches dependence. Parashat Mishpatim opens with a shock: the Torah's great civil code begins with laws of slavery—spoken to a nation freshly freed from slavery. In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz ask why the Torah doesn't give an "Emancipation Proclamation," and what freedom even means in a world built on mutual dependence. From Thoreau's Walden myth to Bob Dylan's "You've got to serve somebody," and Yeshayahu Leibowitz's insistence that the Exodus is about serving God, we explore a radical reframing: freedom in the Torah isn't the absence of dependence—it's learning how to depend justly. Key Takeaways Freedom in the Torah is not independence. Mishpatim isn't about preserving slavery — it's about dismantling it. The Torah meets society where it is — and pushes it forward. Timestamps [00:00] Introduction: The Illusion of Absolute Freedom [00:17] Thoreau's Shack and the Reality of Independence [00:40] The Torah's Perspective on Slavery and Freedom [01:35] Welcome to Malik: Exploring Jewish Texts [01:57] The Paradox of Emancipation and Slavery in the Torah [02:56] Analyzing the Laws of Slavery in Exodus [05:18] Rabbinic Interpretations and Commentaries [09:28] Modern Reflections on Slavery and Freedom [29:19] Conclusion: The Interdependence of Society Links & Learnings Sign up for free and get more from our weekly newsletter Sefaria Source Sheet: Transcript here:

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From Freedom to Slavery is an episode from Madlik Podcast – Torah Thoughts on Judaism From a Post-Orthodox Jew by Geoffrey Stern.

This episode is 33:09 long.

This episode was published on Feb 12, 2026.

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