The Founding Fathers of the US looked upon the creation of the US as their form of leaving Egypt. Jefferson wanted the symbol of the US to be the Jews in the wilderness being led by a pillar of fire.
🇺🇸 ✡️ A Nation of Covenant: The United States & Pesach
As we sit at the Seder and speak about freedom, we usually think only about Yetziat Mitzrayim—the Exodus from Egypt. But there is a fascinating and often overlooked parallel between Pesach and the founding of the United States.
🏛️ From Exodus to Constitution
When Bnei Yisrael left Egypt, they did not yet have a complete legal system. There were some mitzvot—but the full structure came later at Mount Sinai.
Similarly, when America declared independence in 1776, it was not yet fully structured. The Articles of Confederation came first—but only later did the United States Constitution solidify the nation.
👉 Both stories follow the same pattern:
Freedom first → Law afterward.
🔥 A Biblical Vision for America
Even the Founding Fathers saw this connection.
Thomas Jefferson proposed that the national seal depict the Israelites in the desert, guided by a pillar of fire—straight out of the Exodus narrative.
The message?
America, like Israel in the desert, is on a journey—not yet perfect, but striving toward a higher ideal.
🌍 A Linguistic Clue: ארצות הברית
There’s an incredible anomaly in language.
Most languages simply translate “United States” literally. But Hebrew calls it:
👉 ארצות הברית (Artzot HaBrit) — “Lands of the Covenant.”
This is not just translation—it’s interpretation.
- “Brit” means covenant
- It echoes the covenant between God and Israel
- It reflects a society bound not by ethnicity, but by shared law and commitment
Remarkably, this usage appears already in the 1790s, when Hebrew writers—mostly rabbis—recognized something unique about America.
⚖️ A Nation of Law
What did they see?
Both Judaism and America are built on the same radical idea:
👉 No one is above the law.
- In monarchies like England: “In the name of the king”
- In America: “In the name of the law”
- In Torah: even the king is subject to halacha
The prophets could rebuke kings. Law stood above power.
That was revolutionary in the ancient world—and it remains revolutionary today.
🍷 Seder Takeaway
At the Seder, we don’t just celebrate freedom—we celebrate purposeful freedom.
Freedom is not chaos.
Freedom leads to covenant.
Covenant leads to responsibility.
👉 Just as Bnei Yisrael moved from Egypt to Sinai,
👉 And America moved from independence to constitution,
So too each of us must move from:
being free → to living with meaning and commitment.
💡 Closing Line
At your Seder, you might say:
“We were not taken out of Egypt just to be free—we were taken out to enter a covenant. And perhaps that’s why the United States, uniquely, is called Artzot HaBrit—a nation שגם היא built on the idea that freedom must be guided by law.”
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