by Rabbi Simon Benzaquen
One of our greatest aspirations throughout our Jewish History as a Nation has been to achieve unity. That it is an aspiration in itself clearly indicates how difficult it has been to achieve! Our past is marked with intricate tangles of rifts and chasms, especially internal dissension, creating divisions and separations.
Our Hachamim (wise Rabbis), in their commentaries and interpretations of many incidents of the Torah did not waste an opportunity to emphasize the need for unity, while also shedding some light onto the negative aspects of disunity: the destruction of the Temple because of “causeless hatred” which led to internal dissension and disunity. They too emphasized the positive aspects of Unity, whether in the realm of an individual, the Family, The Nation, and even with inanimate objects.
Begin with our patriarch Jacob, just before he attained the great vision of the Ladder connecting heaven and Earth and the promise of G-ds protection to deliver him home safely. When he finds himself alone at night, fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau, Jacob lies down to rest, and sees not a nightmare of fear, but an epiphany:
He came to a certain place [vayifga bamakom], because the sun had set. Taking some of the stones there, he placed them at his head and lay down to sleep.
The great commentator Rashi quotes the Talmud [Chullin 91b]:
"and placed [them] at his head": He arranged them in the form of a drainpipe around his head because he feared the wild beasts. They [the stones] started quarreling with one another. One said, “Let the righteous man lay his head on me,” and another one said, “Let him lay [his head] on me.”
Immediately, the Holy One, blessed be He, made them into one stone. This is why it is stated (verse 18):“and he took the stone [in the singular] that he had placed at his head.” By G-d Making all the stones into one, then with unity the problem is solved.
Second scene: Jacob’s sons gather around their father's death bed to hear his final words to them. A most powerful vision of unity, it represents the ideal to which the Jewish nation has, throughout its history, aspired. Yet it was an ideal that was only accomplished through turmoil, deep introspection and pain, as we read the saga of Joseph and the brothers - a unity only achieved by actively working for it.
Another third example of a unified people comes from after the departure from Egypt (Kabbalat Hatorah Vayihan, Shemot/Exodus 19:1-2).
1 In the third month of the children of Israel's departure from Egypt, on this day they arrived in the desert of Sinai.
2 They journeyed from Rephidim, and they arrived in the desert of Sinai, and they encamped in the desert, and Israel encamped there opposite the mountain.
Rashi asks
Why did [Scripture] have to repeat and explain from where they had journeyed? Did it not already state (Exod. 17:1) that they were encamped in Rephidim? It is known that they journeyed from there.
But [it is repeated] to compare their journey from Rephidim to their arrival in the Sinai desert. Just as their arrival in the Sinai desert was with repentance, so was their journey from Rephidim with repentance. [from Midrash Mechilta].
and Israel encamped there in Hebrew, [the singular form vayichan, instead of the plural vayachanu] as one man with one heart, (i.e. United) but at all the other encampments they were [divided] with complaints and with strife. [from Midrash Mechilta]
As a final example look at the Dor Ha’pelaga, (The Generation of Dispersion, Bereshit/Genesis Ch 11.). Because they were united it gave them an advantage.
1 Now the entire earth was of one language and uniform words.
2 And it came to pass when they traveled from the east, that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
3 And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly"; so the bricks were to them for stones, and the clay was to them for mortar.
4 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered upon the face of the entire earth."
5 And the Lord descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built.
6 And the Lord said, "Lo! [they are] one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they have commenced to do. Now, will it not be withheld from them, all that they have planned to do?
7 Come, let us descend and confuse their language, so that one will not understand the language of his companion."
8 And the Lord scattered them from there upon the face of the entire earth, and they ceased building the city.
9 Therefore, He named it Babel, for there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth, and from there the Lord scattered them upon the face of the entire earth.
Rashi: and from there… scattered them: It teaches [us] that they have no share in the world to come (Mishnah Sanh. 107b). Now which [sins] were worse, those of the Generation of the Flood or those of the Generation of the Dispersion? The former did not stretch forth their hands against God, whereas the latter did stretch forth their hands against God to wage war against Him. Nevertheless, the former were drowned, while the latter did not perish from the world.
The reason being, because the Generation of the Flood were robbers, quarreled with each other, and there was constant strife between them, and therefore they were destroyed. While these, were united, they behaved with love and friendship among themselves, as it is said (verse 1): “one language and uniform words.” This demonstrates how hateful is dissension and discord, and how great is peace (and unity). — [from Gen. Rabbah 38:6]
One of our greatest aspirations throughout our Jewish History as a Nation has been to achieve unity. That it is an aspiration in itself clearly indicates how difficult it has been to achieve! Our past is marked with intricate tangles of rifts and chasms, especially internal dissension, creating divisions and separations.
Our Hachamim (wise Rabbis), in their commentaries and interpretations of many incidents of the Torah did not waste an opportunity to emphasize the need for unity, while also shedding some light onto the negative aspects of disunity: the destruction of the Temple because of “causeless hatred” which led to internal dissension and disunity. They too emphasized the positive aspects of Unity, whether in the realm of an individual, the Family, The Nation, and even with inanimate objects.
Begin with our patriarch Jacob, just before he attained the great vision of the Ladder connecting heaven and Earth and the promise of G-ds protection to deliver him home safely. When he finds himself alone at night, fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau, Jacob lies down to rest, and sees not a nightmare of fear, but an epiphany:
He came to a certain place [vayifga bamakom], because the sun had set. Taking some of the stones there, he placed them at his head and lay down to sleep.
The great commentator Rashi quotes the Talmud [Chullin 91b]:
"and placed [them] at his head": He arranged them in the form of a drainpipe around his head because he feared the wild beasts. They [the stones] started quarreling with one another. One said, “Let the righteous man lay his head on me,” and another one said, “Let him lay [his head] on me.”
Immediately, the Holy One, blessed be He, made them into one stone. This is why it is stated (verse 18):“and he took the stone [in the singular] that he had placed at his head.” By G-d Making all the stones into one, then with unity the problem is solved.
Second scene: Jacob’s sons gather around their father's death bed to hear his final words to them. A most powerful vision of unity, it represents the ideal to which the Jewish nation has, throughout its history, aspired. Yet it was an ideal that was only accomplished through turmoil, deep introspection and pain, as we read the saga of Joseph and the brothers - a unity only achieved by actively working for it.
Another third example of a unified people comes from after the departure from Egypt (Kabbalat Hatorah Vayihan, Shemot/Exodus 19:1-2).
1 In the third month of the children of Israel's departure from Egypt, on this day they arrived in the desert of Sinai.
2 They journeyed from Rephidim, and they arrived in the desert of Sinai, and they encamped in the desert, and Israel encamped there opposite the mountain.
Rashi asks
Why did [Scripture] have to repeat and explain from where they had journeyed? Did it not already state (Exod. 17:1) that they were encamped in Rephidim? It is known that they journeyed from there.
But [it is repeated] to compare their journey from Rephidim to their arrival in the Sinai desert. Just as their arrival in the Sinai desert was with repentance, so was their journey from Rephidim with repentance. [from Midrash Mechilta].
and Israel encamped there in Hebrew, [the singular form vayichan, instead of the plural vayachanu] as one man with one heart, (i.e. United) but at all the other encampments they were [divided] with complaints and with strife. [from Midrash Mechilta]
As a final example look at the Dor Ha’pelaga, (The Generation of Dispersion, Bereshit/Genesis Ch 11.). Because they were united it gave them an advantage.
1 Now the entire earth was of one language and uniform words.
2 And it came to pass when they traveled from the east, that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
3 And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly"; so the bricks were to them for stones, and the clay was to them for mortar.
4 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered upon the face of the entire earth."
5 And the Lord descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built.
6 And the Lord said, "Lo! [they are] one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they have commenced to do. Now, will it not be withheld from them, all that they have planned to do?
7 Come, let us descend and confuse their language, so that one will not understand the language of his companion."
8 And the Lord scattered them from there upon the face of the entire earth, and they ceased building the city.
9 Therefore, He named it Babel, for there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth, and from there the Lord scattered them upon the face of the entire earth.
Rashi: and from there… scattered them: It teaches [us] that they have no share in the world to come (Mishnah Sanh. 107b). Now which [sins] were worse, those of the Generation of the Flood or those of the Generation of the Dispersion? The former did not stretch forth their hands against God, whereas the latter did stretch forth their hands against God to wage war against Him. Nevertheless, the former were drowned, while the latter did not perish from the world.
The reason being, because the Generation of the Flood were robbers, quarreled with each other, and there was constant strife between them, and therefore they were destroyed. While these, were united, they behaved with love and friendship among themselves, as it is said (verse 1): “one language and uniform words.” This demonstrates how hateful is dissension and discord, and how great is peace (and unity). — [from Gen. Rabbah 38:6]
Four Types of Personalities
On the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, beginning this year September 28, 2015 and continuing for the following week, Jews bring into their homes four species of fruits and plants: the citrus fruit (Etrog), the palm branch (lulav), the willow (Two Willows (aravah) and the myrtle branch(Three Myrtles) (hadas). Each morning (except on Shabbat), they hold these four species close together, recite a blessing and give them a wave or a nice shake.
The origin of this tradition is in the Torah and dates back more than 3,300 years. "You shall take for yourselves on the first day," instructs the Torah (Vayikra/Leviticus 23:40), "the fruit of the goodly citron trees, branches of palm-trees, the thickly leafed sprigs of the myrtle, and willows that grow by a brook".
What is the significance of this mitzvah? Why do we take these four species, and why do we need to wave or shake them?
The Midrash Rabah (Vayikra 30:12) observes that these four kinds possess distinct characteristics. The citron has both a delicious taste and a delightful fragrance. The palm branch generates taste (dates) but no smell; the myrtle branch professes a delightful aroma but lacks any taste, while the willow is both scentless and tasteless.
On a deep level, the Midrash suggests, the citron represents the individual who is both knowledgeable in Torah and spiritual wisdom (taste) and replete with good and noble deeds (aroma). The date palm personifies the learned but deed-deficient individual -- the scholar who devotes his life to the pursuit of wisdom (taste) but shuns the active sphere (aroma). The myrtle embodies the active but unlearned Jew. Finally, the willow represents the Jew who lacks all outward expression of his Jewishness.
When you look into your own spiritual mirror, you can identify whether you are a citron, a palm branch, a myrtle or a willow.
Yet on Sukkot, the Torah instructs us to bind the palm frond, myrtle, willow and citron and join them together to perform a single mitzvah. The four distinct and even paradoxical categories of people must unite.
The entire message of Sukkot is The Unity of the Jewish People under all circumstances. Under one roof.
On the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, beginning this year September 28, 2015 and continuing for the following week, Jews bring into their homes four species of fruits and plants: the citrus fruit (Etrog), the palm branch (lulav), the willow (Two Willows (aravah) and the myrtle branch(Three Myrtles) (hadas). Each morning (except on Shabbat), they hold these four species close together, recite a blessing and give them a wave or a nice shake.
The origin of this tradition is in the Torah and dates back more than 3,300 years. "You shall take for yourselves on the first day," instructs the Torah (Vayikra/Leviticus 23:40), "the fruit of the goodly citron trees, branches of palm-trees, the thickly leafed sprigs of the myrtle, and willows that grow by a brook".
What is the significance of this mitzvah? Why do we take these four species, and why do we need to wave or shake them?
The Midrash Rabah (Vayikra 30:12) observes that these four kinds possess distinct characteristics. The citron has both a delicious taste and a delightful fragrance. The palm branch generates taste (dates) but no smell; the myrtle branch professes a delightful aroma but lacks any taste, while the willow is both scentless and tasteless.
On a deep level, the Midrash suggests, the citron represents the individual who is both knowledgeable in Torah and spiritual wisdom (taste) and replete with good and noble deeds (aroma). The date palm personifies the learned but deed-deficient individual -- the scholar who devotes his life to the pursuit of wisdom (taste) but shuns the active sphere (aroma). The myrtle embodies the active but unlearned Jew. Finally, the willow represents the Jew who lacks all outward expression of his Jewishness.
When you look into your own spiritual mirror, you can identify whether you are a citron, a palm branch, a myrtle or a willow.
Yet on Sukkot, the Torah instructs us to bind the palm frond, myrtle, willow and citron and join them together to perform a single mitzvah. The four distinct and even paradoxical categories of people must unite.
The entire message of Sukkot is The Unity of the Jewish People under all circumstances. Under one roof.
These are just a few examples of how our Rabbis never lost an opportunity to unravel or inject the historical accounts and incidents in the Torah, with the values of unity, coexistence, and peace, and to shun disunity, dissension and discord.
We may have different points of views in different matters, but like the organs of the body, or like the different instruments of an orchestra, each one of them have a different function, but they have a unity of purpose -
Every Jew, every one of us, has a task and a purpose. We are called upon to play a part to keep our People “Am Israel” functioning as a “Light unto the Nations”.
And every one is important no matter what level of observance they ascribe to. Each one is precious and vital for the others to fulfill their Mitzvah and destiny.
There is no better time than these days of owe when we are, and we want to be together and United.
Tizku Le’Shanim Rabbot
Rabbi S. Benzaquen
We may have different points of views in different matters, but like the organs of the body, or like the different instruments of an orchestra, each one of them have a different function, but they have a unity of purpose -
- The organs make sure the body keeps functioning and stays healthy, fulfilling its goal and purpose
- the orchestra, comes together to create music that is pleasant to the ear.
Every Jew, every one of us, has a task and a purpose. We are called upon to play a part to keep our People “Am Israel” functioning as a “Light unto the Nations”.
And every one is important no matter what level of observance they ascribe to. Each one is precious and vital for the others to fulfill their Mitzvah and destiny.
There is no better time than these days of owe when we are, and we want to be together and United.
Tizku Le’Shanim Rabbot
Rabbi S. Benzaquen
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