This week Israel celebrates its national independence.  Each of us is also aware of our own independence as individual human beings.

Independence is a word that sounds obvious. But when you stop for a moment to ask what it really is, how clear it is to us – you discover layers of questions that lead to yet more questions. What makes a person independent? Is it the ability to support oneself? To make decisions alone? Not to be dependent on others? Or maybe independence is something quieter, more internal, that is not always visible from the outside? A person can live an orderly, functioning, stable life, but how free is he really within it? To what extent do his choices stem from him, and to what extent are they influenced by fears, habits, and expectations? So maybe independence is not just an external state, but also an internal movement? Is independence the ability to be true to yourself even when it is uncomfortable? Is it related to the ability to take responsibility for your life without blaming, without running away,...

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