You Are a Giant!

I recently had a conversation with a young American who wanted to understand my seemingly sudden fascination with the subject of the Jewish people’s mission among the nations. Since our discussion more or less encompassed the next installment of what I had intended to write I will present it as it took place.

I’m not convinced that you are aware of the fact that you are a giant. Indeed it’s true. As a Jew you are a being of mythical proportions and you have the absolute right to take profound pride in the fact that you are Jewish. Each and every one of us performs a tremendous service for all of humanity. By virtue of the mere fact that you live as a Jew who observes the Torah and its mitzvos you are constantly carrying out the mission of which we spoke previously when we described the sense of mission that must beat in the heart of every Jew wherever he is.

You look at the Gentile world and the history of our nation within that world throughout the generations through the lens of the fear suffering and affliction that have been our lot among the nations. In your eyes it is all one long — too long — period of darkness marked by an unending yearning for redemption so that we can be finished with the suffering once and for all. That is certainly a legitimate feeling and in fact you are correct. But only in part.

It’s Your Mission

The tribulations of our exile have prevented you from looking at the other side of the coin. You sometimes fail to perceive how your entire life both as part of our people’s history and on an individual level is one long mission in the service of Hashem modeled after the life of Avraham Avinu. Avraham Avinu was the first person to take on the mission of lech lecha of embarking on an eternal project among the nations of the world. And the purpose was to benefit all of humanity to change it for the better and above all to bring them all back to Hashem for the future.