Tikvah
Editors’ Pick

June 26, 2026

The Liberation of the Israelites and the Liberation of America

Moses’ sin, freedom, and the birth of the “kingdom of kindness.”

In the Diaspora tomorrow, synagogues will read the story of Moses’ sin, which led to God’s decision to forbid him from entering the Promised Land. The precise nature of that sin, however, is not self-evident, and is the subject of much rabbinic debate. An analysis of this debate leads Daniel Z. Feldman to reflect on the Israelites’ transition from slavery to freedom—the theme of the books of Exodus and Numbers—and its relationship to the transition to freedom Americans will celebrate in the coming week:

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