Floating Freedom

Imagine a mile-long stretch of 25-story-tall buildings floating on water. Do you know what you have just pictured?

It is called,
"Freedom Ship." Yes, 2.7 million tons of freedom, floating across the ocean blue. It can hold 50,000 residents, 20,000 visitors and 15,000 crew members. On board you will find a world class casino, ferryboat transportation system, $200 million hospital, school system offering kindergarten through college education, international trade center, 200 open acres for recreation, marina for residents' yachts, golf driving range, bicycle paths, large shopping mall, and a landing strip for aircraft. This floating city will circle the world every three years. Real estate prices aboard the ship range from $180,000 to $44 million.

"Freedom ship" is an ironic name for what this ship represents. The makers of this ship are telling us that if we had all these luxuries we would be free. The question is... "what exactly do we become free to do?" Freedom described in the Torah is always connected to meaning. What is freedom without a purpose to it? The real freedom ship is a ship with a map and destination. We need a map to know how to navigate through this complex world and we need to have a reason why we are traveling. With these tools we will arrive at our final stop having lead a meaningful and productive journey.