As we have discussed in the past few posts, each one of us is unique, we are all part of a bigger picture and we are all unified with and through God and Judaism. Today, I want us to actualize this concept.
A big part of understanding being unified and being awesome is realizing that when we act as one we are one, one of our great ancestral teachers Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi) teaches us, “ויחן שם ישראל: כאיש אחד בלב אחד – and the Jews camped next to the mountain, this means that they were one person, with one heart” That heart is God and Judaism, it beats and supplies all the parts of the body with life. All of us are like the organs in the body, each piece fulfilling his/her unique mission or goal as a part of that whole. We must realize that each of us brings something special to the table and each one of us is unified through our heart.
There is a story told about Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, it is said that he never had money in his pocket, he was always poor, how is this possible? He toured the world giving concerts and getting paid for it…but he would always give all his money away. When his students asked him, “Rebbe, didn’t you teach us that it is forbidden to give away more money than one needs to survive?” he answered, “But I am not giving anything away, it is like taking the money from one pocket and putting it in another, we are all one person with one heart…” This is an extremely high level, and I don’t think any of us could live this way, but the key is to internalize the message and the attitude Rav Shlomo had, “we are all one person with one heart”.
Today, your Jewish mission is to find a team and play a role in that team, whether is be a pickup football game in the park, helping out in a theater or organizing a game of capture the flag or paint ball, become part of a team and play your special role as a member of that group. Feel like an organ in the body of the Jewish people, all unified by our one heart…