Embracing Eternal Values: The Key to Jewish Immortality

Human beings have a natural desire to live harmoniously with others, which facilitates the flow of positive energy and allows for the optimal performance of our faculties.

Yet at the same time, as is evident to everyone, our relationships are plagued by friction, often leading to animosity and conflict.

The cause is obvious. As our sages say “No two minds are alike, just as no two faces are alike”. Each person perceives things in a unique way, making consensus on any subject challenging. 

Furthermore, as humans, our most basic instinct is self-preservation. This creates an inherent selfish bias that clashes with others who are naturally biased towards.

What, then, is the secret to ensuring a cohesive and harmonious way of living in the face of such a wide range of opinions and inherent selfish biases?

In the verse describing the arrival of the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, it states, "Israel encamped before the mountain" (Exodus 19:2). Rashi comments on the fact that the narrative is written in the singular form, it is teaching us that the Jewish people were in a state of being "as one man with one heart."

The secret to this unique achievement is in the second part of the verse, "before the mountain (Sinai)."The lesson is clear: only by submitting to the Torah, an objective truth that transcends the wide range of opinions and natural biases that humans possess, can we achieve alignment.

The enduring vitality of the Jewish people lies within their steadfast commitment to the timeless values of our Torah, revealed to us at Mount Sinai.

Without this steadfast devotion to eternal truths, we risk following the same trajectory as the empires of history, flourishing briefly only to fade into obscurity.

As we commemorate our arrival at Mount Sinai on this first day of the month of Sivan, let us recommit ourselves to these timeless values, fostering peace and harmony among us. By doing so, we invite the blessings that the Jewish people undeniably deserve.

Yosef Vogel