Micah<\/em> 4:4 \u2013 \u201cEvery man shall sit under his vine or fig tree, with none to make him afraid.\u201d (Martha Washington also quoted this Scripture!)<\/p>\nThe verse reflects the first president\u2019s love of farming \u2013 bespeaking its ideals of domestic tranquility, self-sufficiency, and simplicity. Washington was an Anglican vestryman and church warden; citing Micah may also reflect his own Christian faith. The Christian savior is referred to as \u201cthe true vine\u201d (John 15:1-5)\u2026 and the fig is the first fruit mentioned in the Torah (Genesis<\/em> 3:7) and the last mentioned in the New Testament (Revelation 6:13).<\/p>\nPrimarily, however, Micah<\/em> 4:4 expresses Washington\u2019s commitment to freedom of individual religious expression, independent of a state-sanctioned Church or official faith\u2026 independent of the preferences of the majority. In the United States, since its very founding, the Jew has been privileged to live a Jewish life and to honor Jewish tradition \u2013 \u201cwith none to make him afraid\u201d \u2013 as have the faithful of other religious minorities. As we celebrate the Fourth of July, Jews properly rededicate ourselves to upholding and defending Washington\u2019s expansive vision\u2026<\/p>\nAs should all who give a fig for independence.<\/p>\n
(Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser is the rabbi of Temple Emanuel of North Jersey and the National Chaplain of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting.)<\/em><\/p>\n
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