On October 6, 2023, Israel was divided. On October 7, the whole country united as one.
How did that happen?
We know the why—Israel was attacked and each and every person was on the same page. But how we maintain this unity is the question.
The adage goes that when you ask two Jews a question, you get three opinions. Since each of us thinks differently, we respond differently to our emotions, and perhaps each is also influenced by our surroundings.
The Torah encourages us to think for ourselves and get in touch with the way we feel.
This idea of being in touch with who we are and what makes us tick is important as we try to understand what the Torah is teaching us. And as a result, we will have a difference of opinions.
However, we see that when it comes to soldiers in the field, or to observance of the Mitzvot, we follow the Code of Jewish Law. True, the Talmud is known for the debates between the scholarly rabbis, but after going back and forth, it is the majority that rules. Same is with politics and the way the war on Hamas is going. There is no question that in the Knesset there are differences of opinion, but in the end, all come together with a battle plan.
Yet, the question is, what do we do about the minority opinion? Did that opinion converge into the majority rule or was it ignored? If it was ignored, then how did it make that person feel? How can we expect to put that person’s feelings aside?
When searching for the truth, we are not looking for what works for us, but rather for the actual truth. Yes, we look through our own lens, but we are still searching for the truth. If the conclusion is not to our liking, we still have to accept that the truth is different than what we anticipated it to be.
This is what happened at Mount Sinai. In this week’s Torah portion of Yitro, we learn how the Jews stood united as one. They stood together knowing very well that although they each thought differently and they all felt differently, when it came to practicing the commandments and keeping the Torah’s laws, they would all be on the same page.
The same is true about Israel today. The soldiers know what their mission is. Every Israeli knows what has to get done. There is a sense of unity in the air.
May we, too, learn to put our differences aside and look for the truth, and bring unity to this world.
Shabbat Shalom