July 3, 2026 – Pinchas

Thoughts for Our Nation’s Semiquincentenniaal: Mutual Dependency and the Value of Independence

Like parents of most American young people these days, I’ve listened to the soundtrack of “Hamilton” a lot. I’m not an expert, but I know this musical well enough to embarrass my twentysomething children whenever I try to sing it. A few years ago, I sat down with my daughter to write a parody based on the “Hamilton” song “You’ll Be Back” for the bar mitzvah of a family friend. Two students at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College made a “Hamilton”-themed Haggadah. Perhaps it had nothing to do with the “Hamilton” sensation, but a few summers ago, at my daughter’s musical theater camp, the director chose to do “1776,” which focuses on the days leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. With so many “revolutionary” musicals to enjoy, I’ve taken to musing about the value of the independence they dramatically explore.

Judaism certainly has things to say about independence. From Exodus to Deuteronomy, Torah tells us about the quest for national independence, the story of a people seeking freedom from slavery, a home of their own, and the freedom to formulate their own laws. Maimonides, writing in the Middle Ages, stressed the value of financial independence when he famously asserted that the highest form of charity is to make someone self-sufficient so they no longer depend on the generosity of others. In 1948, the State of Israel issued its own Declaration of Independence. Like its American predecessor, it serves as an aspirational document, a statement of purpose and commitment to values that form the core of a national identity.

Yet Judaism also emphasizes the notion that being dependent is part of our human condition. Torah repeatedly admonishes us to practice kindness, generosity and compassion toward any and all “dependents” in our lives, be they children, parents, employees, the poor, the hungry or the stranger. The Talmud teaches that “everyone is responsible for one another.” Mutual reliance and accountability bind us in a moral compact. The “I-It, I-Thou” concept of the modern Jewish philosopher Martin Buber argues that everything is relational and every part of life is rooted in relationships.

Abraham Joshua Heschel, a contemporary of Buber, didn’t title one of his books “The Insecurity of Freedom” for nothing. Freedom, as has often been noted, involves “freedom from” and “freedom to.” It is entirely possible that one could be forced into doing a good thing and freely choose to make a terrible mistake. Judaism strives to balance dependence and independence, just as each of us endeavors to do in our own lives. The independence we cherish is dependent on the dedication of others. As we approach the 250th anniversary of Independence Day and reflect on the meaning of what Jefferson defined as “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” let’s consider the rights and responsibilities that come from the blessing of living in a democracy where being dependent and independent are profoundly intertwined.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Wirtschafter