As he prepares to depart this world, Moses gathers all the Israelites together for one last time. He addresses all the different classes of people assembled before him: "...Your tribal heads, your elders, your officers, your women and children; from your woodcutters to your water-drawers, every individual in Israel..."
The Midrash questions the need for the redundant "every individual in Israel." After all, just who was Moses referring to up to this point in specifying all the different classes of people if it wasn't "every individual in Israel?!"
The Midrash concludes that Moses is trying to let the people understand that even though they may make up different classes or categories of the population, each individual Jew is a guarantor for every other Jew! כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה (kol yisra-el areyvim zeh ba-zeh). The Midrash goes on to explain: "Even if there is only one righteous person tzaddik among you, you will all stand in his merit. And not only you, but even if there is one tzaddik among you, the entire universe (!) stands on account of his merit. As it states, 'The righteous person (tzaddik) is the foundation of the universe.' (צדיק יסוד עולם) (Proverbs 6:28)
"When one of you sins, the entire generation is stricken. As you find in the case of Achan (Joshua 22) 'Achan the son of Zerach misappropriated something forbidden, and there was Divine retribution directed at the community of Israel...'(Joshua 22:20).
"Now the (Divine) Quality of Retribution is minimal, yet that generation was trapped by it. How much more in the case of the (Divine) Quality of Goodness!
"And this is why it mentions 'every individual in Israel.'"
So... what's the point?
In a society that values the notion of "individualism", a person can get so caught up in the prevailing culture that they forget the fact that were it not for the existence of society, life itself would be impossible. This truth means that the needs of the society always take precedence over the needs of an individual. Yet another point is the realization as to just how much our lives are intertwined, how inter- and co-dependent we are on one another. Just think of how difficult life would be without the millions of people who take on all the different tasks to make life as pleasant as possible.
At the same time, there is still a sense of anonymity that most of us feel at some point or another: that in the grand scheme of things, we really don't count for very much compared to the "stars." (Which is, of course, why we call them "stars!") This Midrash comes to let us know just what a difference we are capable of making, just by the kind of person we are. We don't always have to be aware of this in a conscious way, just enough to lift our spirits and give us a deeper sense of purpose.
The point is...You Do Make a Difference! Just what kind of difference you make is up to you!
We have a very full weekend preceding the Yammim Nora'im (The Days of Awe). On Shabbat morning we will join the Baris family in celebrating the "2nd Bar Mitzvah" of Irl. Besides chanting the Haftarah, Irl still has in possession the original copy of his Bar Mitzvah speech written by hand by Rabbi Mazur. Irl will base his own speech on the one that was penned 70 years ago! Congratulations to Shirlene and the family; children: Judy and Keith Grosz, Robert, Mitch and Lynda, John and Melissa and grandchildren: Heather, Tory and Ashley, Lindsey and Megan, Justin and Alec, and Danny and Jacob, most of whom will be there to share in the celebration. Who would have thought when Irl was celebrating his original Bar Mitzvah that he would be a future president of BSKI!
On Saturday night following our concluding services for the Shabbat we will head out to B'nai Amoona Congregation to join them for this years Tri-Synagogue Slichot Service. The program will began with a discussion let by Rabbi Mike Comins on ways in which we can find prayer a deeply spiritual experience. After some Q and A, we will gather in the Sanctuary to share S'lichot Services together. For times and other details please check our BSKI website (www.e-bski.org)
Mazel Tov to Sheila and Al Rosenfeld on the marriage of their daughter Amy to Brian Harel. The couple met originally while studying for their professions in the library at Arizona State University, (medicine and law, respectively). They will be wed this coming Sunday at a ceremony to be held at the Four Seasons Hotel, downtown St. Louis. Best wishes, too, to Sol and Gail Harel, Brian's father and step-mother and a special mazel tov to Lena Dworkin, Amy's maternal grandmother. An interesting note: their Ketuba was designed by a family friend and neighbor Lorry Blath whom Amy has known since she was five years of age.
Susan, Sarah, Micah, Tina, Miles and I wish you and your families a year filled with joy, health and understanding.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Mordecai Miller
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