(New Year card - courtesy of www.kobikalmanovitz.com)
On his 120th birthday, the day he would pass on, Moses addressed the Jewish nation (3,283 years ago). "All of you today stand before G-d … your leaders, elders, … including your water carriers. Each of you is to be inaugurated into a covenant with G-d …."
In his opening statement, he spoke first using the plural term "All of you" and then invoked the singular term "each of you". The switch from broad reference of the people to narrow focus on the individual was deliberate. He meant to convey the following message:
All Jews together constitute one body. The whole structure requires the inclusion of all its components, to the exclusion of none. Each Jew has something another Jew has not, or has more of it than another. Together Jews integrate to fulfill a mission that - at the same time - is both a collective, as well as an individual, mission.
It stands to reason every Jew's contribution must not be underrated or dismissed, not any more than a small bolt come loose in a complex mechanism can be cast into oblivion; Not any more than can the important, dominant brain remain undisturbed when a remote, insignificant toenail gets torn aside.
Every Jew is a precious diamond. Some shine; Others merely need undergo some polish. May we all be a beacon of light onto the nations and finally merit the ultimate purpose of creation as we cross the threshold into year 5771 and, hopefully, into the Final and Ultimate Era of Redemption with King Moshiach at the helm.
In his opening statement, he spoke first using the plural term "All of you" and then invoked the singular term "each of you". The switch from broad reference of the people to narrow focus on the individual was deliberate. He meant to convey the following message:
All Jews together constitute one body. The whole structure requires the inclusion of all its components, to the exclusion of none. Each Jew has something another Jew has not, or has more of it than another. Together Jews integrate to fulfill a mission that - at the same time - is both a collective, as well as an individual, mission.
It stands to reason every Jew's contribution must not be underrated or dismissed, not any more than a small bolt come loose in a complex mechanism can be cast into oblivion; Not any more than can the important, dominant brain remain undisturbed when a remote, insignificant toenail gets torn aside.
Every Jew is a precious diamond. Some shine; Others merely need undergo some polish. May we all be a beacon of light onto the nations and finally merit the ultimate purpose of creation as we cross the threshold into year 5771 and, hopefully, into the Final and Ultimate Era of Redemption with King Moshiach at the helm.
2 comments:
Amen! This piece reminds me of the importance of the O-rings to the Challenger. Each of us is vital to Hashem's project, and to each other's success.
May you have a sweet, successful, healthy and happy year.
amen
gmar chatima tova
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