Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose," sang Janis Joplin and others in "Me and Bobby McGee." Not true. Freedom is not a vacuum. It is a vibrant, positive force that has spawned some of the world’s greatest achievements. And throughout the years it has remained the gold standard of dreams. Tyrannized people all over the world still yearn to reach our shores, making fresh in each generation the words on the Statue of Liberty. In Judaism, freedom even has its own holiday — Passover — during which we celebrate the liberation of the Jewish people from Egypt.

Still, freedom has limits, and carries with it some heavy responsibilities. As a people, we were not given our freedom by God and told, "Now go do what you want." Instead, we were given a Torah, mitzvot, and a mission. And while as Americans we enjoy (and cherish) freedom of speech, for example, we do not have the right to use that speech to cause harm.

Sadly, many of us enjoy our rights but think less frequently of our obligations.

The Jewish Women’s Archive offers an online lesson plan for high school students entitled "Freedom, Rights, and Responsibilities" that offers excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, the Ten Commandments, and an article by Ruth Messinger, president and executive director of the American Jewish World Service, suggesting how Jews can remind their fellow citizens of the need to actively preserve freedom — for all.

Messinger writes, "Observing mitzvot — that is, acting on our obligations and responsibilities — means remembering the Exodus from Egypt, respecting the ‘other,’ and treating the stranger as we expect to be treated, with dignity and rights. It means expanding the fields of justice and peace by actively engaging with the poor and the most vulnerable in our American society and in the world. It means interpreting Jewish tradition in the framework of an interconnected world where famine, war, disease, and poverty anywhere on the globe affect us all. It means acting out of our Jewish value framework to set an example for others, acting on our responsibilities, and so enhancing the possibility that others will enjoy their rights. And it means urging America and Americans to assume responsibility to work for these rights for more people, rather than assume that they will simply happen eventually."

Wise words.

We wish all our readers a happy Fourth of July weekend.