“Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof.”— Leviticus 25:10 inscribed into the Liberty Bell
Friends,
This Shabbat is a big one. To celebrate, to commemorate, to grieve, to recommit. A 250-year anniversary is hard to grasp: smaller than the millennia of Jewish history, yet far beyond our own lifetimes. But there is nothing vague or abstract about where we find ourselves in 2026. This July 4th, Alan Lew’s book title really hits home: This is Real and You [We] are Completely Unprepared. Do you ever wonder if the American experiment will last another 250 years?
Dr. King exhorted us all to “Let Freedom Ring.” What does it mean to ring that bell now, to use our American power and privilege for good? To vote in every election, to organize, to protest? To commit to a democratic way of life? What are we doing to support the flourishing of all life within a just and sustainable society, and how do we do that without demonizing our neighbors, family, and friends who hold different beliefs than our own?
How do we create a national discourse that feels less like a venomous death match and more like the joyful din of a holy Beit Midrash house of learning? One where citizens debate passionately, but for the sake of heaven, aiming toward truth, wisdom, and peace.
At Adamah, we believe in sacred sustainable rhythms of rest, release, and reimagination. We believe that Shabbat gives us the strength and inspiration to act during the week, and that holidays do that for us throughout the year. And we believe in the revolutionary power of Shmita, the sabbatical year, to release the land and release debts, to practice social and ecological justice, strengthen our faith, and to remember what it means to depend on one another in community. Then, after seven cycles of seven years comes the 50th year, Yovel (Jubilee)—the Torah’s ultimate reset, when land, debt, and belonging are reimagined, and each family returns home.
Our tradition has long understood that some milestones are too large to feel in the moment: the yovel comes only once in a lifetime, precisely so that it forces us to stop, take stock, and remember who we are and what we believe. So, let’s bring Yovel energy into this July 4th and recommit to the vision that America’s best days still lie ahead. Let’s use this moment to reaffirm our responsibility to help fulfill the promise of this nation.
This is no ordinary Shabbat. It is a mega-Yovel for America, a grand Jubilee. Jewish tradition challenges us to capture moments like this not only in celebration, but also for profound social and ecological restoration. This is a time to disrupt our patterns, to listen to each other, to listen to the earth. To do things differently, as if our collective liberation depends on it.
Because it does.
Jakir Manela
CEO
Adamah’s Yovel Resource
Some anniversaries invite celebration; others invite reflection. Drawing together Torah, history, and environmental thought, “Land, Liberty, and Leviticus” offers timely perspectives on what liberty, community, and stewardship might ask of us today—and of the generations that follow.
Explore Land, Liberty, and Leviticus
Made possible with the generous support of A More Perfect Union (JewishDemocracy.org).