Religious Jews seem to know something that few people have understood.  For them, freedom can be earned only by great discipline. One needs to conquer it and work hard to maintain it every moment of one’s life.  Freedom is the will to be responsible. It is a mental state, not just a physical condition. Its primary requirement is to live for something that is worth dying for.  A life without a mission is not worth being born into. It is only through dignity that one becomes free, and “the dignity of a person stands in proportion to his/her obligations.” (Heschel, God in Search of Man, 216) (Jewish Law as Rebellion by Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo, 327)

What is your definition of freedom?  Many people see freedom as the ability to do what one wants  Judaism has a different understanding. It sees freedom not as freedom from something or someone, but rather freedom to become what I as an individual and as part of a people can become.  As Jews we were redeemed from Egypt so that we could become a holy nation, so we could become partners with God in bringing Godliness to the world.