* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
I’d like to share one of my favorite stories:
In a small village lived ten Jewish families. And since there was one man per family, there were only ten Jewish men in the village. For this reason, each man was vigilant to attend minyan every morning regardless of outside conditions or his own personal challenges. Nothing could keep him away, because he knew that everyone else was depending on him.
One day, the Jews heard that another Jewish family was moving into their village. Overjoyed, they organized a welcome party for the eleventh family and the entire community attended the joyous celebration. But the next morning, for the first time in the history of the village, there was no minyan for Morning Prayers. Why? Because each man thought to himself: “Now that there are ten other men for the minyan, I’m not needed anymore.”
This week’s parsha, Parashat Bamidbar, opens with a detailed census of Bnei Yisrael in which each family and each tribe is assigned a particular task. The lesson we can learn from this story is that in large groups, and even in a great nation, each person has his or her unique role to play. Each person is infinitely important and precious. Just like in that small village, the world depends on each one of us to contribute his or her special part.
May we always feel the significance of our own unique and sacred mission.
Shabbat Shalom.
You can listen to Sivan’s latest podcast episode on Parshat Bamidbar here: https://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/sivan-says/sivan-says-bamidbar
