our secret to success

My last semester as a graduate school student studying counseling at the Johns Hopkins University proved to be an interesting experience. I was enrolled in a course entitled “Multi-Cultural Counseling”. The objective of the course was to increase an awareness of the unique sensitivities of our future clients who may be from a different ethnicity than our own.
Our Professor had an interesting and unique personality. He was a member of a minority group and suffered much as a victim of racism. He constantly shared with the class his great desire to unite his people. He felt that before they can combat racism they have to first become unified amongst themselves.
One day after class my professor approached me and asked to speak with me privately. Naturally, I was filled with anxiety because we all know teachers usually do not ask for a private audience to tell you “you are the greatest thing to happen since sliced bread.”
As I entered his office, my teacher looked at me and said “Avrohom, I am jealous of your people” (as these words came out of his mouth I thought he must be crazy. Why would he envy the Jews? Is he not familiar with the persecution we have endured for thousands of years? Is he jealous of the fact that we are the “chosen people” and he is hurt and feels slighted by G-d? Perhaps the yarmulke on my head and the beard is not a dead give away that I am Jewish; maybe he thinks I am Amish and appreciates the simplicity of their life style). “You Jews are spread throughout the entire world. You may not always see eye to eye with one another, you may even fight with one another, you may not even always enjoy each others company, yet you all know you are part of the same group. Every one of you understands that you are a Jew. When there is a crisis in Israel it becomes a crisis for every Jew in the world. If G-d forbid there is a violent act of anti-Semitism in Texas the Jews in New York mourn as if they lost a member of their own immediate community. Do me a favor; please tell me what is your secret? How is it possible that the Jews have survived thousands of years of persecution and have not withered away? My people may look the same on the outside but unfortunately we are all different on the inside. Please tell me your secret of survival, and what is the glue that keeps you together despite all your differences?”


Question for the Shabbos Table: What answer would you give to my Professor? What is the secret of the Jewish people? What is the force behind the unique bond that the Jewish people share? It has to be deeper than persecution, because many religions, tribes and countries have faced persecution and are not united like the Jewish people. It cannot be the State of Israel because we had this bond for thousands of years without having a Jewish state. Furthermore, we do not even have the benefit of a common language (most Jews are not fluent in Hebrew) or culture because we are spread throughout the world. What is our secret?


My thoughts: Almost 4000 years ago the Jewish people reached an unprecedented level of unification. The Sages tell us that the Jewish people were united as one nation with one heart. It was at that very moment of great unification that every single Jewish man, woman and child was privileged to witness G-d’s revelation at Sinai. G-d then bestowed upon us His holy Torah. The very experience of receiving the Torah as a unified people forever bound us to G-d and to each other. The Torah is our secret!