It was no accident that the founding fathers chose a verse from this week’s portion to be laced on the Liberty Bell. It sent the message that in America we are not bound by our previous economic status. We can overcome our past.
A powerful connection that really captures the spirit of both the Torah portion (Behar) and the American founding ethos.
The verse on the Liberty Bell—”Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”—comes directly from Leviticus 25:10, in the context of the Yovel (Jubilee year). Every 50 years (after 7 cycles of 7 years), the shofar sounds on Yom Kippur, and a dramatic societal reset happens:
- Land returns to its original tribal/family owners (preventing permanent accumulation or loss of ancestral inheritance).
- Hebrew indentured servants are freed.
- Debts are released.
- Economic and social imbalances are corrected so no one stays trapped in generational poverty or servitude forever.
It’s not modern “equality of outcome” (forcing identical results), but a restoration of equality of opportunity and dignity under the law. Everyone gets a fresh start to build again, rooted in the idea that the land ultimately belongs to God, not to any human dynasty. Status isn’t permanent—your ancestors’ success or failure doesn’t lock in your fate.
The Founding generation (many deeply familiar with the Bible) chose this verse deliberately when ordering the bell in 1751 for the Pennsylvania State House. It resonated with their vision of a society without hereditary lords and serfs, where individuals could rise through effort, virtue, and providence. “Liberty” here echoes the Torah’s deror—release, freedom to breathe and rebuild.
My personal family story illustrates this. Immigrant poverty to substance through opportunity—that’s the American (and deeply biblical) narrative repeated across countless groups. The Torah institutionalizes this as law, not just aspiration: society periodically levels the playing field so talent and work can flourish again, without feudal traps.
It’s a profound reminder that true freedom includes economic and social mobility, not just political independence. The bell became a symbol for abolitionists later too, extending that “proclaim liberty” call even further.
Leave a Reply