Scripture That Made America
As America celebrates 250 years of Independence, rediscover the biblical inheritance at the heart of our national story with Rabbi Meir Soloveichik.
America 250
Featured Content
Jews & the American Story
"We Americans are the privileged heirs of a way of life that has offered the blessings of freedom and dignity to millions of people of all races, ethnicities, and religions."
-Leon Kass and Amy Kass
Jewish Ideas and the American Founding
Essay
The Jewish Story Is the American Story
George Washington expresses the enduring bond between Judaism and the American idea.
Observations
God’s American Israel
The influence of the Hebrew Bible on the Founding Fathers was as vast as the new country they were trying to create.
By Daniel L. Dreisbach
Speech
John Adams Survives: An Independence Day Message
On the Fourth of July, Rabbi Soloveichik speaks to the Tikvah community about preserving American history and values.
Course
Jewish Ideas and the American Founders
Rabbi Meir Soloveichik explores the Jewish ideas that inspired America’s founding generation.
By Rabbi Meir SoloveichikFaith in America
Episode 457·The Tikvah Podcast
Tevi Troy on America’s National Shabbat
Making sense of the presidential proclamation encouraging Jews to keep the Sabbath.
Essay
Who’s Afraid of Religious Liberty?
Seeking to prohibit every kind of "discrimination," activists in and out of government threaten the free practice of, among other faiths, Judaism.
Episode 81·The Tikvah Podcast
Wilfred McClay on America’s Civil Religion
Explore how civil religion shapes American unity, its historical roots, and its future in a secular age.
"Abraham Lincoln would call America an 'almost chosen nation.'
Because he believed that America had a providential role to play in history, inspired by the example of God's ancient covenant people."
-Rabbi Meir Soloveichik
Scripture and the American Imagination
Lesson 2·Jewish Ideas and the American Founders
America’s Passover: Franklin, Jefferson, and the Seal of the United States
The United States’ official seal and it's biblical orgins.
Essay
Marco Rubio in the City of David
The U.S. Secretary of State recognizes not just Israel's spiritual sublimity, but its shared covenantal nature with America.
Essay
‘Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land’
Rediscovering the biblical story of the Liberty Bell.
Essay
How the Bible Helped Smash the Crown
The American Revolution was a rejection of earthly kings—and a turn toward an even more radical idea.
"This is our country, sweet land of liberty, and of thee we do not sing enough."
-Ruth Wisse
American Icons
Lesson 2·Images of America: The Story of the United States in Five Works of Art
"Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze
What the painting’s famous inaccuracies reveal about America.
Lesson 7·The Rabbi’s Bookshelf
"Truman" by David McCullough
An epic work of biography that tells the story of an ordinary American who was providentially put in a place of power and achieved greatness.
Observations
Two Favorite Poems, and How they Define Israel and America
"The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus and "The Silver Platter" by Natan Alterman distill, reinforce, and hallow what makes each nation distinctive.
Episode 257·Jerusalem 365
July 4th, 1976
An Israeli rescue mission on America's bicentennial spreads liberty's message globally, echoing the spirit of the Liberty Bell.