The X-Shikseh Files: 2007-01-21

Monday, January 22, 2007

Natan Sharansky is awarded the Medal of Freedom

In December, President Bush bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Natan Sharansky, whose book helped inspire the president's pro-democracy initiatives.

Labels: Medal of Freedom, Sharansky

From the time that G-d said to our father Abraham, "Go from your land..." and "Abraham went on, journeying southward", began the process of "birurim" -- of extracting the sparks of holiness that are scattered throughout the universe and buried within the material existence... By the decree of Divine providence, a person wanders about in his travels to those places where the sparks that are to be extracted by him await their redemption. The Cause of All Causes brings about the many circumstances and pretexts that bring a person to those places where his personal mission in life is to be acted out. — Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch (1860-1920)