On August 31, Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, the Deputy Director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, and Dr. Shaina Trapedo, Resident Scholar and Recruitment Officer, joined Dr. Mark David Hall to lecture online with Regent University for a discussion exploring the Jewish roots of American liberty. The program brought together scholars to examine the enduring influence of biblical ideas on America's political and cultural development.
Dr. Halpern delivered a presentation on the remarkable role that King David has played in the American imagination. Tracing David's presence from the Revolutionary era to the present day, Rabbi Dr. Halpern demonstrated how Americans have repeatedly turned to the biblical king as a model for leadership, courage, repentance, and national purpose.
Drawing on a wide range of historical examples, Rabbi Dr. Halpern highlighted references to David and other biblical narratives in presidential speeches across generations. John F. Kennedy invoked the story of David and Goliath when arguing that youth is not a barrier to effective leadership while Dwight D. Eisenhower, at his inauguration, had Bibles open to a verse ascribed to David and another to Solomon. In a 1988 address supporting the establishment of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Reagan employed extended biblical imagery, envisioning the messianic future, in which "we will rejoice with David and receive advice from Solomon."
Rabbi Dr. Halpern also pointed to more recent examples of David's enduring relevance in American public life. During the Clinton presidency, commentators drew comparisons to David's repentance and redemption in discussing leadership and forgiveness. Former Vice President Mike Pence referenced the death of Abner from the Book of Samuel while eulogizing President George H.W. Bush: “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day?” (2 Samuel 3:38). Today, the biblical king continues to capture public attention, including through the popular Amazon Prime series House of David.
As Rabbi Dr. Halpern concluded, David's appeal transcends time and circumstance: “A slayer of giants whose faith stirred generals to battle, a prophet whose words empowered patriots, a monarch who inspired mercy, David had long served as the shepherd of Americans' courage that, against all odds, God would grant [Americans] victory.” His lecture demonstrated that the story of King David remains deeply woven into the fabric of American political rhetoric and public culture, revealing the lasting impact of the Hebrew Bible on the nation's understanding of liberty, leadership, and moral responsibility.
Dr. Mark David Hall, professor in Regent University's Robertson School of Government and a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Religion, then examined the place of religious liberty in early America, noting that while the Jewish population was relatively small during the nation's founding era, the Hebrew Bible nevertheless exerted an outsized influence on the American political imagination. Hall highlighted the enduring power of the biblical tradition and gave a nod to Rabbi Dr. Halpern's Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land, which explores these themes in depth. He also reflected on George Washington's famous 1790 letter to the Jewish congregation of Newport's Touro Synagogue, observing that despite the community's limited size and political influence, Washington took care to affirm their equal place in American society. For Hall, this commitment to protecting the religious freedom of minority faiths reflected the Founders' broader vision of religious liberty, a principle that remains central to the American experiment.
Dr. Shaina Trapedo examined the unique place of the Book of Psalms in American history, arguing that its influence extends far beyond the realm of religious devotion. She observed that while collectors and scholars often focus on political texts such as constitutions, declarations, and bills of rights, literary works are less frequently recognized for their role in shaping a nation's character. Yet one notable exception is the Bay Psalm Book, which set a record when it sold for more than $14 million, demonstrating the enduring significance of the Psalms in the American story. Trapedo suggested that the popularity of the Psalms stems in part from their message of divine faithfulness and assurance that God does not abandon His people, a theme that resonated deeply with generations of Americans.
Turning to colonial New England, Dr. Trapedo explored the origins of the Bay Psalm Book in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Seeking a translation that more accurately reflected the Hebrew text, colonial ministers produced a version designed for congregational use, prioritizing fidelity and functionality over literary beauty as a response to the adaptations made in England prior. The result was a work intended not as a masterpiece of poetry, but as a practical tool for worship. Drawing on Percy Bysshe Shelley's observation that “poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world,” Dr. Trapedo argued that biblical poetry has profoundly shaped American culture and identity. As she professed, “The imprint of the Hebrew Bible is found on the strands of rhyme across American shores.”
Taken together, the presentations showed that the Hebrew Bible has served not merely as a religious text for Americans, but as a source of language, ideals, and inspiration that has shaped the nation's understanding of leadership, freedom, and communal purpose. By tracing these influences across politics, religious liberty, and literature, the program highlighted the enduring relevance of the Jewish roots of American liberty.
