Are we one?

Being one united community is a blessing to the Jewish people. How about our individuality? Does each one of us get lost if part of a broader community?

In this week’s Torah portion of Behaalotecha, we read about Aaron’s kindling of the Menorah during the Tabernacle’s dedication. The commentators discuss a nuance: ?When it came to the mitzvah of kindling the Menorah, was the point of the dedication about the Menorah itself, or was it all about the light that came forth?

The difference between these two perspectives had to do with the design of the Menorah. The Menorah was made out of one piece of gold—yes, they needed divine intervention to accomplish that. However, one could only see this unique, unifying quality on the center branch. This quality was not evident looking at the other six branches that protruded from the sides. Even more so, because the oil cups were removable.

So we see that on the one hand the Menorah represented unity; on the hand, it clearly displayed seven unique flames.

Both of these qualities are important within the Jewish community. Yes, we need to stand united, but at the same time, we should not lose our unique voices.

We can conclude then, that the commentators were not arguing per se, as much as emphasizing different characteristics of the Menorah and likewise, the Jewish people.

Let me give this idea a spiritual twist: We have a collective mission in this world to Le’Tikkun Olam, to repair the world at large, as well as our individual worlds, by kindling our own lamps. At the same time, it is imperative to recognize that each of us has a soul that is connected to all of us, and this unifying factor is what drives us to not only make our personal world better, but to make the wider world greater.

Shabbat Shalom