Wednesday, July 07, 2010

July 4/17 Tamuz

A guest post by LeftWingPharisee

It's always bothered me that July 4th, 1776 was 17 Tammuz. This is haMalchus shel Chesed, a place where we are and have been basically free of persecution. The anti-Semitism here really has been minimal (though certainly not zero), especially compared to Europe. I was just in Texas for a few months on business, and the religious Christians there almost stood up for me because I was wearing a yomike. A Christian leader, John Hagee, like him or not, basically renounced converting Jews! What more could you ask for from non-Jews?

That said, there's still this nagging issue of 7/4/1776 = 17 Tammuz 5536. Why? What message did Hashem send us?

A thought came to me that could be an answer: in the US, we are solely responsible for our own transgressions. We will no longer have the excuse of goyish oppression. That "get out of jail free" card is not available any more. When we come before the Heavenly Court, we will stand alone.

DB's two cents: Why must the coincidence of the date mean something? I'm not sure I get or agree with the assumption underlining your post.  


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