Every year, the Fourth of July sneaks up on me.
Since making aliyah (moving to Israel) four years ago, I find myself surprised when the day rolls around. There are no fireworks advertised here, no store sales, no day off work. Of course, that makes sense. Americaās Independence Day is not a national holiday in Israel. But even without the sparklers and the red, white, and blue cupcakes, I still feel a tug of nostalgia.
I grew up with liberty. Not as an abstract word, but as a lived reality. I had the freedom to pray, to speak, to learn, and to live with dignity. And even while I am tremendously blessed to live in another free country, I never take for granted the blessings I was raised with as an American. So this week, I will pause. No flags. No firecrackers. Just a moment of gratitude to the God who grants true freedom. One way that I’m harnessing that gratitude is by rereading the Declaration of Independence. As I went through it, I realized something I hadnāt fully seen before: many of its core ideas come straight from the Bible. These were not new ideas in 1776. They were already written in the Torah. Here are six biblical truths that show up in Americaās founding document.
1. Bātzelem Elokim: All People Are Created Equal
The Declaration opens with the claim that all men are created equal. That idea was not invented by Thomas Jefferson. It was first stated in the Book of Genesis. Every human being is created bātzelem Elokim, in the image of God. Our dignity does not come from status, money, or class. It is built into who we are. And it is holy.
2. Rights Come from God, Not Government
The Declaration says we are all āendowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.ā The Bible says it first. God creates life, and because of that, no government has the right to strip a person of their basic freedom. From the very beginning, human beings are crafted by God. That means our rights are not given by politicians. They are built into creation itself.
3. Consent of the Governed Is a Biblical Model
The Declaration insists that governments get their power from the consent of the governed. The Torah teaches that too. Moses did not lead alone. When the burden became too great, his father-in-law told him to empower others, and the people helped choose their leaders. These leaders were not born into office. They were chosen for their character. Power comes with accountability. Leadership comes with responsibility.
4. Leadership Must Serve with Righteousness
The Declaration affirms that governments exist to protect life and liberty. When they fail to do so, the people may seek change. The Bible teaches a similar ideaābut with a critical difference. In Scripture, change is not led by mobs. It is led by God.
When the Israelites were suffering in Egypt, it was God who saw their pain and acted. This was not a revolt. It was a divine rescue mission.
The Bible holds leaders to a high standard. They are accountable to God. And when leadership becomes cruel or corrupt, the answer is not rebellion, but returnāto Godās justice, Godās law, and Godās will for a moral society.
5. Seeking Redress Is a Command, Not a Complaint
The Declaration includes a long list of grievances, but they are not just complaints. In the Bible, standing up for others is a basic moral duty. Tzedek ā justice ā is a central value in the Torah. We are not meant to stay silent when people are being mistreated. We are meant to speak up, defend the vulnerable, and act where we can to restore fairness and dignity.
6. Freedom Is a Sacred Calling
The Declarationās call for liberty did not begin in Philadelphia. It began at Sinai. In the Torah, freedom is not a political slogan. It is a command from God. The verse above ā inscribed on the Liberty Bell ā was originally spoken in the context of yovel, the Jubilee year. Every fifty years, slaves were released, debts were canceled, and land was returned. The message was clear: no human being should be permanently trapped or owned. Every person is ultimately Godās.
Biblical freedom is not about doing whatever we want. It is about living as people who are answerable to something higher. The Torah teaches us that liberty is holy ā not because it feels good, but because it aligns our lives with justice, dignity, and divine purpose.
Conclusion: Two Nations, One Shared Legacy
Today, America and Israel are both built on the belief that freedom matters. One is the worldās largest democracy. The other is the only democracy in the Middle East. Both are grounded in the idea that governments must serve their people and honor their Creator.
According to former Governor Mike Huckabee, nearly 70,000 Americans now live in Israel. It is the largest American expat community in the world. That number says something. It means that Americans see Israel not just as an ally, but as a place where shared values live on.
So this year, even without the fireworks, I will celebrate both nations. I will say a prayer for liberty, for justice, and for peace. And I will remember that before the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Torah had already spoken. Freedom is not a new idea. It is a biblical one.
