EPISODE · Jul 3, 2026 · 17 MIN
The Promise That Still Defines America | 10@9 | 2026.07.03
from Mining The Riches Of The Parsha · host Rabbi Michael Whitman
America turns 250 this week. I love my country, and I worry about it. Like many Americans, I see division, anger, and a growing loss of trust. But I refuse to believe those problems tell the whole story. I love America enough to judge it by its highest ideals, not its lowest moments. This July 4, I reflect on the promise America was built upon - the revolutionary idea that "We the People" could govern ourselves while striving toward liberty and justice. That promise has never been perfectly fulfilled, but it has never stopped calling America to become better. Drawing on the words of President Barack Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the 19th-century minister Theodore Parker, I explore why hope is not the denial of our failures. Parker's famous image of the moral arc of the universe bending toward justice was born during one of America's darkest periods, reminding us that our greatest ideals matter most when reality falls furthest short of them. Hope is the courage to keep believing in those ideals - and to keep striving to live up to them. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.
What this episode covers
America turns 250 this week. I love my country, and I worry about it. Like many Americans, I see division, anger, and a growing loss of trust. But I refuse to believe those problems tell the whole story. I love America enough to judge it by its highest ideals, not its lowest moments. This July 4, I reflect on the promise America was built upon - the revolutionary idea that "We the People" could govern ourselves while striving toward liberty and justice. That promise has never been perfectly fulfilled, but it has never stopped calling America to become better. Drawing on the words of President Barack Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the 19th-century minister Theodore Parker, I explore why hope is not the denial of our failures. Parker's famous image of the moral arc of the universe bending toward justice was born during one of America's darkest periods, reminding us that our greatest ideals matter most when reality falls furthest short of them. Hope is the courage to keep believing in those ideals - and to keep striving to live up to them. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.
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The Promise That Still Defines America | 10@9 | 2026.07.03
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