Rav Avigdor Miller on Loyalty to America
Q:
Should a person feel loyalty to America, and if yes, how should that loyalty be expressed?

A:
Should a person feel loyalty, let’s say, to a place where he stopped when it was raining and they gave him a roof over his head? Should you be loyal to the one who gives you that place to stay dry? Certainly! You have a place of refuge from the rain and you should be grateful for that.

Now, America is a place of refuge for us. We came here from the lands of persecution. Not only those who came as a result of Hitler, but even those who came earlier, from Czarist Russia and other European countries – they came to a land of equal opportunity. They were amazed at the friendliness here. Our fathers, when they came to America they were overjoyed. They kissed the earth in happiness.

The American flag is a sign of decency and compassion. That’s what it is. Of course, it’s only a symbol, but it’s a symbol of what Hakodosh Boruch Hu is doing to us. America is a great gift to us from Hakodosh Boruch Hu.

And therefore it’s not America that we have to love; we have to love Hashem who gave us America! And if Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives you Australia, then you have to love Hakodosh Boruch Hu who is giving you Australia.

Now, there’s a principle: בירא דשתית מיניה, if you drink from a well, לא תשדי היה קלא, don’t throw dirt into it (Bava Kama 92b). You have to preserve that well. And even though a well is an inanimate object, you should show gratitude to it. It’s a principle – you must show gratitude even to an inanimate object. That’s a principle of the gemara! A well from which you drank, don’t spit into it and don’t throw dirt into it. Show gratitude towards the well.

And so all of us should be grateful to America. But it’s not America – it’s Hashem who gave the gift to us. So let’s try to maintain that gift and make sure that the liberals don’t ruin it. Because they’re trying their best. They’re encouraging Russia to expand into South America. Dukakis says he sees nothing wrong with Russia having client states in Central and South America. You hear that? He sees nothing wrong with that! That’s a real rasha; Dukakis is a real meshugener. And taxes will go up if he gets in – they’ll go way up! You have no idea how big the taxes will be! He’s keeping quiet about it right now, but he already promised all the minorities that he’s going to raise taxes in order to give them our money. “A lot of money you’re going to get from me,” he promised them. He’s promising on the quiet – nobody should know about it however; it’s not good for elections.

And so certainly we have to be loyal and grateful to America. But America is only a symbol – who’s America after all? This goy or that goy? America is Hakodosh Boruch Hu’s gift to us and it’s our responsibility to appreciate that gift. And therefore we have to cooperate with America and try to preserve it.