Hukat 577 - LSS Shabbat Lunch n' Learn (July 4th Lecture)

7/18/2019 Hukat 577 - LSS Shabbat Lunch n' Learn (July 4th Lecture)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/hukat-577-lss-shabbat-lunch-n-learn-july-4th-lecture 1/8

ב"ה

ה

"תשע

חקת

פרשת

ק

"שב

"Life, Liberty, & Pursuit of Happiness”:

Understanding Independence as a Jewish ValueA July 4th Shiur

I. The Jewish Roots of the American Revolution

1. Frank H. Ridgeley, Jewish Ethical Idealism (Boston: Gorham Press, 1918), p. 88

__________________________________________________________________________

fig. 1

- The first design for the seal of the United States of America, drawn up by Franklin, Jefferson, &

Adams; the committee appointed immediately after the reading of the Declaration ofIndependence, July 4th 1776

_______________________________________________________________________

“The country was in peril; he was jeopardizing his traditional rights of freedom and

independence by daring to exercise them.”

- Joseph Heller, Catch-22

1



2. John Locke (1632-1704), Second Treatise of Government

a. Perfect (Natural) Freedom (§4)TO understand political power right, and derive it from its original, we must consider, what state all men are

naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and

persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of

any other man.

A state also of equality, wherein all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal, no one having more than another; there

being nothing more evident, than that creatures of the same species and rank, promiscuously born to all the same

advantages of nature, and the use of the same faculties, should also be equal one amongst another without

subordination or subjection, unless the lord and master of them all should, by any manifest declaration of his will,

set one above another, and confer on him, by an evident and clear appointment, an undoubted right to dominion

and sovereignty.

b. Liberty & License (§6, §7)But though this be a state of liberty, yet it is not a state of licence: though man in that state have an uncontroulable

liberty to dispose of his person or possessions, yet he has not liberty to destroy himself, or so much as any creature in

his possession, but where some nobler use than its bare preservation calls for it. The state of nature has a law of

nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult

it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions: for

men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent, and infinitely wise maker; all the servants of one sovereign

master, sent into the world by his order, and about his business; they are his property, whose workmanship they are,

made to last during his, not one another’s pleasure: And that all men may be restrained from invading others rights, and from doing hurt to one another, and the law of

nature be observed, which willeth the peace and preservation of all mankind, the execution of the law of nature is, in

that state, put into every man’s hands...

3. Jonathan Sarna, “The Mystical World of Colonial American Jews” in Mediating

Modernity: Essays in Honor of Michael A. Meyer , Eds. Lauren B. Strauss and

Michael Brenner (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2008) 185-94

…

2



…

________________________________________________________________________

fig. 2 - A sample from the early colonial legislation for the colony of Massachusetts. Note the firm

biblical foundations for each law.

_________________________________________________________________________

“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Elective Affinities

3



4. Abraham I. Katsch, The Biblical Heritage of American Democracy (New York:

K’tav Publishing House, 1977)

a) p. 159 [Peter Folger, Looking Glass of the Times]

b) p. 159

c) pp. 42-43

4



5. Shalom Goldman, “Two American Hebrew Orations, 1799 & 1800”; Hebrew Annual

Review 13 (1991): 33-44 [Sampson Simson, Columbia Commencement of 1800]

“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.”

- Henry David Thoreau

5



__________________________________________________________________________________

"The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for giving to

Mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy. For happily the Government of the

United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance , requires only

that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens. May the

Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the

good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit under his own vine and fig tree,

and there shall be none to make him afraid."

- Speech of President George Washington delivered to the Newport Hebrew Congregation (Touro

Synagogue), 17 August 1790

______________________________________________________________________

6. R. Moshe Feinstein, Resp. Iggerot Moshe; CM 2:29

7. R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Rebbe of Lubavitch), Sihot Kodesh [Shevat

5735/1974, al pi ha-shemu’a]

וכפי ו, ל ו כ ם ל ו ע ה ל כ ל ע ה ע פ ש ה ת ל ע ב א י ה ש ,הר י ד א ה נ י ד מ ם ו י כ א י ה ת י ר ב ה ת ו צ ר א

ף ק ו ת ב ו ז ה ע ד ם י א ט ב מ ק ר ם א ) ה ת ע ד ם ע ם י ב ש ח ת מ ם ל ו ע ה ל כ ב ש ל ע ו פ ב ם י א ו ר ש

אמנם בדרכי נועם ובדרכי שלום). אמיתי,

ם, י נ י מ א מ ם י ש נ א י ד י ל ע ה ד ס ו נ ו ז ה נ י ד מ י ר ה ו …ת י ט ר פ ה ח ג ש ה ב א ו ה י ר ה ר ב ד ל כ

נה ו מ א לא א

,י ע י ב ש ה ע י ק ר ב ב ש ו י ש ם י ק ו ל א ב ת ט ש פ ו מ ה נ ו מ א א ל ו

,ים קו לאב ו ני מאהש

6



'ה י ד ס ח ל ע ה ד ו ת ת נ י ת נ ל ש ם ו י ו ע ב ק ם א ו ב ם ע ד י מ ש ע ו ד י כ ו

.ו י ט ר פ ל כ ל ע ם ל ו ע ה א ר ו ב ב

ן ו ר קעה על וסדת י מ ות י הל כה י ר צ נה י ד מה נהגת ה המשך גם ש,הזמו ן. אכ ל צלחה יעם ג הש

של השגחה פרטית...

8. ha-Pardes Journal (ed. R. Simcha Elberg), vol. 38, no. 3 (December 1963)

9. Hodesh b’Hodsho (Newsletter of Munkaczer Hasidim), 24:3 (Nissan 5756)

_______________________________________________________________________

fig. 3 - Seals for American Universities, reflecting Hebraic and Old Testament influences

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7



ח רין עצמ ת, חיר ת, ח פש, .II

1. Leviticus 25:55

להיכם

הה א י, א ם: ר

אשר-הוצאתי אותם מארץ מצ עבדים--עבדי הם, ראל,

ש י-

כי-לי ב

For unto Me the children of Israel are servants; they are My servants whom I brought forth outof the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

2. Psalms 113:1

ם הה ש-תא לו,

הל י הה; ד

עב לו,

הל

Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

3. Mishna Avot 6:2

אין לך בן חורין אלא מי שעוסק בתלמוד תורה

No one is freer than he/she who studies [and keeps] the Torah

4. b. Niddah 61b

ולא יעשנו מרדעת בגד שעבד בו כלאים- הרי זה לא ימכרנו לעובד כוכבים, תנו רבנן:

אבל עושה ממנו תכריכין למת. לחמור.

.לבא

לעתיד

בטלות

מצות

-אומרת

זאת

:יוסף

רב

אמר

אלא לספדו, - והא אמר רבי מני אמר רבי ינאי לא שנו אמר ליה אביי ואי תימא רב דימי:

ורבי יוחנן אמר רבי יוחנן אפילו לקוברו? לאו איתמר עלה, אמר ליה: - אסור! אבל לקוברו

- כיון שמת אדם ש, ו) במתים חפ (תהלים פח, מאי דכתיב דאמר רבי יוחנן: לטעמיה,נעשה חפשי מן המצות

5. Clive Hamilton, The Freedom Paradox: Towards a Post-Secular Ethics (Sydney:

Allen & Unwin, 2011)

8

Documents

Hukat 577 - LSS Shabbat Lunch n' Learn (July 4th Lecture)