Pop star Madonna, a.k.a. "Esther", kicked off her world peace tour last week, and somehow the Jewish State "merited" that she should start it right here in the Holy Land.
In the midst of all the fun, she stopped to "lecture" her audience about how to go about achieving peace. If you are not for peace - you are not my fan, she said, like… OMG, how can I not be her fan?!
She went on to "tell" us how we are all one people, all equal, with no need for borders and religion to get in the way.
Our parsha paints a different picture: "You shall stand the Levites before Aharon and before his sons and wave them as a wave service for Hashem. You shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel and the Levites shall be mine."
Today it might not be politically correct to teach this, but we learn in the Midrash: "G-d created many things and selected one of each. He created seven days and chose the Shabbat: "G-d blessed the seventh day and declared it holy".
He created years and selected one of them: "The Land must be given a rest period, a Sabbath to the L-rd".
He created seven-year cycles and selected one of them: "You shall sanctify the fiftieth year."
He created lands and selected one of them, the Land of Israel: "It is a land constantly under the L-rd your G-d's scrutiny".
G-d likewise called it His own land, as it says: "They have divided My land."
He created firmaments and selected one of them; this is the firmament of Arevot, as in: "Extol Him that rides upon Arevot".
He created nations and selected one of them, Israel, as it says: "G-d has chosen you to be His own special nation."
He created tribes and selected one of them - the tribe of Levi, as it says: "He chose him out of all the tribes of Israel".
G-d also distinguished between different animals: "You must separate the clean animals from the unclean". Similarly, you must separate the Levi'im from the rest of Israel, and then He separated the Kohanim from among the Levi'im: "Aharon was separated so that he should be sanctified as most holy."
He separated between the Holy and the Holy of Holies: "The curtain will divide between the Holy and the Holy of Holies."
Ms. Madonna, we are NOT all alike, as you lecture us to be!
Yes, Ms. Madonna, the Creator of this world had quite a different plan for His world. There are rocks and hills, flowers and trees, some with fruits and some without. There are also different types of animals, each separate and different from one another.
There is also a difference between the nations, with G-d choosing the people of Israel to be a Priestly Nation, a light unto the rest of the world.
No, Ms. Madonna, we are NOT all alike, as you lecture us! The Midrash teaches us: G-d said: "In this world I loathed all the nations because they are of the seed of impurity, and I chose you, Israel, because you are the seed of truth. In the future as well, I shall choose you alone, for you are the seed of holiness blessed by G-d, as it says: 'They shall not labor in vain, nor rear children in disaster, for they are the seed blessed by the L-rd."
We all have a job to do in this world. Israel's job is to bring the Heavenly light to the rest of the nations, something that we have been doing for the past 4000 years. We must not be embarrassed by our task, and we have to apologize to no one, for this is the will of the G-d of Israel.
As for me, Ms. Madonna - I am definitely NOT a fan!