Rabbi & Rebbetzin Corner

 Shalom Mishpocah,

        July is here!  Why does this month, nestled comfortably in the middle of the year, attract so much attention and festivity? July has a unique blend of searing heat, patriotic fervor, and a dash of ancient Roman legacy, July offers more than just a mid-year break. It's a celebration of summer's peak [EC1] with a long list of reasons to enjoy the outdoors.

July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honor of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., being the month of his birth. Before then it was called Quintilis, being the fifth month of the calendar that started with March. July on average is the warmest month in most of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is the second month of summer!

It’s common in our culture to call these July summer days the "lazy days of summer," and now, there's evidence to back this up, it's a real thing. Psychologists say it's a biological phenomenon! Studies show that when it's nice outside, our thoughts tend to focus more on what we'd rather be doing instead of the task at hand. We tend to get a little lazy regarding work and daydream of vacations, the beach, or just about anything outside!

        The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (M.J.A.A) annual “Messiah Conference” begins Sunday June 28th through Saturday, July 4th, 2026, at Messiah College in Grantham PA.

        Saturday, July 4, 2026, marks the Semiquincentennial of the United States, celebrating 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The 250th anniversary commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, when the United States began its journey as a sovereign nation. This milestone offers Americans a chance to reflect on the nation’s founding values, pivotal historical moments, and contributions from diverse communities across the country. Historic Reenactments and Exhibitions include events at Colonial Williamsburg, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, and the National Archives in Washington, D.C., including a special 250th anniversary exhibition.

The 4th of July Independence Day holiday has become a time associated with fireworks, picnics, and a long weekend yet few know what this day is truly about.  The Continental Congress comprised of 56 representatives from the 13 Colonies met under duress to discuss their current moral and ethical situation in the Americas. They were suffering grievances, injustice, and wickedness from their own Government.  Those 56 representatives were Godly, righteous, upright men who knew the Holy Scriptures very well, most of them had intimate relationships with God.
 
The 4th of July holiday commemorates the initiative, the drive, the boldness, and the character of those founding fathers. Suffering grave infringements upon their liberty, freedom, happiness, and prosperity these righteous men composed and wrote a letter of grievances to the King of England explaining their heart and what their issues were because the very foundation of their beliefs and livelihood were being revoked and attacked.
 
Psalms 11:3. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
 
What do the righteous do?  They take action! Here is what they wrote 250
 years ago and signed in unity on the 4th of July 1776:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
 
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
 
America is not a perfect nation, in fact we are rife with issues, but our founding documents remain as truthful, powerful, and liberating today as they were then! As you celebrate the 250th anniversary of 4th of July this year let us remember what this day truly represents!

Abba Father, as we commemorate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we pause in gratitude. I thank You for sustaining this nation through triumphs and trials. Forgive us where we have fallen short. Heal our divisions. Strengthen our families. Guide our leaders with wisdom and humility. Let justice and mercy flourish together. May America walk in integrity, compassion, and reverence for You. May America once again serve You in Spirit and Truth! We entrust the future of this nation into Your hands, in Yeshua’s name I pray, Amen.

Blessings and Shalom,

Rabbi & Rebbetzin Carlson