BS”D
"כאיש אחד בלב אחד"
“Like one man, as one heart”
With those words chazal describe
the incredible unity that was demonstrated by the Jewish nation at Har Sinai. The
Shem MiShmuel offers an insight into this famous analogy which will help us
actualize our feelings of unity.
The Jewish people are also
considered to be represented by the letters of the Torah. The Zohar teaches us
that there are 600,000 letters in the Torah parallel to the number of Jews who
were present at Har Sinai. If the letters in the Torah are spaced too far apart
– they are unable to be read as one and the Torah is passul. However, if
they are mashed together, they are equally illegible. The balance is to have
the letters individually defined, yet read as one.
Similarly, we are described as
being one body. If our limbs were separated from each other we would surely
perish, but to facilitate proper health our body’s functions must be clearly
defined – with one limb yielding to another. The arm will not perform the task
of the leg and so on.
It is with this analogy that
chazal describe our unity. We aren’t all identical, nor do we all serve the
same purpose. Yet, in our differences, we create a harmonious whole.
As a Jew, I love my fellow Jews
both because of our similarity (as we are all part of one whole) and our diversity,
which allows us to create, together, a rich and textured canvas.
Gut Yom Tov !
