07/02/2026
What blessings come out of the ashes of destruction?
Today two significant days overlap on the Jewish and American calendars. One is a commemoration of loss, while the other leads to great celebration. Parallels remain evident. In the loss of the First and Second Temple, Jews lost their national independence. In the United States, Jews have been citizens and part of the story of US independence from the very beginning. The story of our peoples have overlapped and created new blessings.
As we enter this time of memory on the Jewish calendar, I am struck by the blessings of 250 years of American independence. Our nation has grown tremendously in the last two and a half centuries, both physically and population. It has welcomed immigrants from around the world and brought them into citizenship and a shared society. The USA has been a beacon of possibility and democracy.
Today is the 17th of Tammuz, a “minor” fast which commemorates 69CE the Romans breaching the walls of Jerusalem, leading to the destruction of the Second Temple.
(Additionally, at the time, sacrifices had been ceased, a Torah was burned, an idol was eventually placed in the Temple and the Yerushalmi teaches that in 586BCE the Babylonians broke through the walls of Jerusalem leading to the destruction of the First Temple.)
While officially declared on July 4, 1776, the vote on independence actually occurred on July 2. Today was a vital day on the journey to American independence. Reading the Declaration, they speak directly to the King, seeing Parliament as irrelevant to them, as they have no representation there. I wonder how differently the world might have been had the colonies been granted more direct representation. At the same time, I am deeply grateful that our American experiment began without religious discrimination.
Overall, today I think of a phoenix, of rebirth from the ashes of destruction. The destruction of the Temples were the darkest moments of Jewish history AND they allowed for Jewish life throughout the world.
May we all find new possibilities in our darkest moments.
More information:
https://exploringjudaism.org/what-are-the-jewish-fast-days-what-do-we-do/
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-history
