Our Gift and Purpose

We did not arrive alone.  That would have been impossible.  No one person could have made this trek.  The journey was made conceivable because of a spirit that set their souls on fire.  Once aflame nothing would stand in their way.

They came through the cauldron of the Holocaust.  They pushed past the pogroms that decimated Asia.  They persevered through the ghettos of Europe and the Inquisition of Iberia.  These same souls witnessed the snaking vile course of the Crusades and the Destruction of the Temples.

Throughout the epochs they carried Shabbat candles, tallit, tefillin, siddur and a Godly vision that kept them inspired. 

Samuel Beckett wrote, “We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment.  How many people can boast as much?” 

The same can be said for us.  We have not forgotten our destiny.  Otherwise, we would not be.

We are here because our ancestors refused to give up.  They maintained their fidelity, their allegiance to the God of Abraham and Sarah.  From one generation to the next the covenant has been passed down.   In our hands it now rests.

Abraham Joshua Heschel, visionary, scholar, theologian, wrote, “ Every seventh day a miracle comes to pass, the resurrection of the soul, of the soul of man and the soul of all things.  A medieval sage declared: The world which was created in six days was a world without a soul.  This is why it is said: ‘and on the seventh day He rested, vayinnafash’ (Exodus 31:17): nefesh means a soul.”

Our essential destiny is to infuse the world with a soul, to give an unruly world meaning and purpose.  Without our essence, our nefesh, the world would be chaotic and meaningless.  The purpose of life is not mere survival or conquest, it is much more lofty.  We render meaning because of our actions.

Yet, there is no reason to assume that we have arrived at our destination.  Sure, we have made significant inroads.  The world is largely monotheistic.  Most people realize the values of democracy, equality, and goodness.  These are among a few of the gifts of the Jews.  But our mission is far from complete.

I cannot tell you what our ultimate destiny will look like, or yield.  All I know is that the candlesticks, siddur, tallit, tefillin and vision are still needed.  Our inner core still yearns for completion; the wholeness that comes from living a life of purpose.

All those forbears that pushed through seemingly impenetrable barriers left us a package.  It is our inheritance.  Each week we open the package and read from it.  It is the Torah from Sinai that brings us light, hope, soul, and purpose.  But it is only yours if you claim it.