I’ve recently been corresponding with New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Kaplan. It came about after I read a scathing piece he wrote about Tucker Carlson, exposing his chameleon-like behavior in politics. Kaplan strongly identifies with his Jewish faith and has an unflinching love for Israel. In his book, Into the Unbounded Night, he explores first-century Rome when the Second Temple was destroyed. He references the infighting between different sects of Jews. This was documented by Josephus, who witnessed the Zealots (known as Sicarii) murdering other Jewish forces, which turned into an all-out civil war.
When I asked Kaplan if he thinks this is possible in today’s times, he responded, “I certainly hope not! But it's true that both sides hold each other in contempt. We have to work on building bridges."
This gave me a sense of optimism towards possible unification between all the sectors in Israel.
It’s not surprising that Jews are now experiencing infighting. Rebellion began from the first man, and conflict has continued throughout our history.
But the nation of Israel is one; what affects one person affects the whole. How then do we realize that inherent unity?
It comes in two ways: in gaining confidence in each of our own unique paths, which defeats jealousy and finding the inherent commonalities that exist within our nation.
We have seen unity in the nation through the tragedies of October 7th. All sectors of Judaism, together, prayed for the release of the hostages. There was unity because we are a people of peace, not violence. We believe in life and the future of our children, but not a world of conflict among the Jews themselves.
Though Israel and the Diaspora are celebrating the 250th anniversary of America, as Jews owe that country great gratitude, we know it’s only a rest stop for our nation. Ben Gurion, in 1948, declared Israel a safe haven for every Jew. This symbolizes our destiny attached to this land.
G-d awaits full and steadfast unity amongst His people, in order to dwell with them in the Third Temple, which will fill the world with unprecedented G-dliness. We are His Shivtei-Kah, and our pain is His pain. By uniting, we bring G-d great happiness, which will in turn shower blessings upon all of us.
Strife From Creation
Conflict begins from the first man with an expression that still plagues us today: “It’s not enough." This sentiment is confirmed by the Gemara (Chullin 139b) that notes Haman’s name is found in the Torah, when G-d asks (Bereishis 3:11), “Ha-min ha-eitz-Is it from this tree" that you ate? Haman, like Adam, had everything except Mordechai's honor. He needed that. What he had was not enough. And coming back to Adam, even after he partakes of the tree, the Midrash notes that he tells G-d I enjoyed it and I would do it again (see Bereishis Rabbah 19:12).
When one passes the doors of "enough", there's no quenching of one’s thirst anymore. This pronounces itself in the letters, dalet and yud, that spell dai, enough in Hebrew. The dalet and yud mimic each other in shape: only one is large and one is small, the message being that whether you have a little or a lot, the key is to be satisfied.
In the next stage, jealousy and hate take over, ending in the murder of one brother by the other. Kayin can't live with the knowledge that his brother's korban was accepted. Even with all of Kayin’s mistakes, he could have done a full teshuvah which never happened.
Hostility and animosity peaked with Yosef and his brothers. It had great consequences, such as causing the Asarah Harugei Malchut-Ten Martyrs, who were in place of the ten brothers, to be executed by the Roman government in torturous ways.
These examples point to the literal understanding of part of the famous Mishna in Avot (4:21) that “...jealousy takes one out of the world. “Out of this world" can be interpreted to mean that one is literally removed from the physical world through death. Hevel bled to death and was taken from this world. The brothers hated Yosef, and eventually the Ten Martyrs were removed from the world. The consequences of jealousy are fatal.
It’s true that we enjoyed a short respite of family harmony, with Menashe and Ephraim and Moshe and Aharon, who had equal love for each other, but eventually history left us with the Second Temple destroyed because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred.
But nothing in this world is free. We know that anything of value must come through hard work. This explains the gematria of the word chinam, one meaning of which is free, which is 98, a reference to the 98 curses found in parashat Ki Tavo, known as the tochacha. Failure to work on oneself and remove negative characteristics ends in monumental destruction.
Lessons From Crew and Sabotaging the Vessel
Rav Fishel Schachter tells an amazing story that speaks to the inherent bond that exists between us all. Rabbi Hillel Eisenberg, known to bring Jews closer to their faith at Princeton University, was having a regular get-together with the students. He brought chicken that day and noticed one student wasn’t partaking. He assured this student that it was kosher. The student answered that he doesn't eat kosher but he’s on the crew team, and if he weighs anything above his regular weight, he would be dismissed from the team.
Before the team goes into the boat, every member of the team is weighed. Any discrepancy in weight can force the boat to one side, leading to a loss. He said that one piece of chicken could tip the scales and he would be sabotaging the team.
Rav Schachter said the exact same principle applies to the Jewish nation. We have responsibility for every other Jew, and if that’s not carried out, our boat will sink. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 27b) phrases this as “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh-all Jewish people are guarantors for one another."
A Midrash highlights the concept in similar fashion as “crew." The Midrash (Vayikrah Rabbah 4:6) discusses people in a boat where…"one of them took a drill and began drilling a hole. His counterparts said to him: ‘What are you sitting and doing?’ He said to them: ‘Why do you care? Am I not drilling under myself?’ They said to him: ‘Because the water will rise and flood the ship we are on!" Again, one person's fall is a fall for the entire Jewish nation.
This concept is codified in halakha (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 589:2), where it says, "Even though he has already fulfilled [the obligation for himself], he can fulfill it [for others]." Therefore, if someone made Kiddush, he could say Kiddush again for every Jew in the entire world, because he's responsible for them. We're inherently connected, and therefore our own fulfillment of mitzvot wouldn't negate our responsibility to ensure that others fulfill theirs as well.
In an early chapter of sefer Peleh Yoetz, Rabbi Eliezer Papo reasons that because of this it’s advantageous to push your friend who is struggling. By helping him, he can perform more mitzvot, which then tilts the world, including all Jews, towards having more merits.
Two Elements Towards Unity
Besides unity with others, we need unity of self. Unity of self means that one is so confident in his uniqueness and individual mission that he never looks over his shoulder.
To uncover man's essence, one needs only read the title of Rabbi Twerski's classic, Let Us Build Man. The wording is very powerful. The purpose of man is to build himself up, and as Rabbi Twerski argues, to build oneself up with self-esteem and individual purpose.
This is personified in the Gemara (Berakhot 58a) that says, “One who sees a multitude of Israel says: “Blessed is the Knower of Secrets," for their minds are not similar to one another, and their faces are not similar to one another." Because no two people think alike and experience life in the same way, it proves that every man is unique.
But the real key in "differentiation leading to individualism" is in hashgacha, and Rav Fishel Schachter quotes an Ohr HaChaim that closes the door on any thought that one person is like another, thus eliminating the urge of jealousy. It is based on our unique divine experiences.
The Ohr HaChaim (Mishpatim 22:6, s.v. "El Re'ehu") enunciates “...she-ein lecha sha'ah ve-rega she-ein Hashem oseh pe'ulah im ha-adam, bein be-vchinat gufo bein be-vchinat zrachav-For there is no hour or moment that G-d is not actively performing an action, working with a person-whether regarding his physical body or regarding his daily needs..."
It's quite awesome that G-d is awaiting your next decision and is with you every moment. If you choose well, G-d is there, enjoying it. If you ask for something urgent, G-d is listening. He's there for you. This is all that's needed for man to recognize his greatness. He's carrying a moment-to-moment experience with G-d.
With this comes the triangular man, who is unified with himself, G-d, and others. Self is powerful, as it’s enjoying a continuous connection with G-d, and because of this strong relationship, jealousy doesn’t enter the equation, and he wants others to enjoy this precise hashgacha as well, to merge with G-d.
When finding commonalities with our brethren, inherent connections emerge. We are all called children of G-d, as the verse (Devarim 14:1) says, “You are children of the LORD your G-d." In Mishlei (10:1), Shlomo says, “…A wise son makes his father happy…" Wisdom has numerous definitions based on verses, Shas, and other places. However, one Mishna in Pirkei Avot and one statement in Mesechata Tamid directly ask what a wise person is. Such sources seem to target a definition, making the answer more concrete. In Avot (4:1), it’s someone who learns from someone else. In Tamid, it’s one who contemplates the future consequences.
Taking these two elements into consideration, Shlomo is saying that G-d appreciates when his children learn from each other, an inherent wish for camaraderie and a give and take between others, as well as the ability to learn from others how to improve, or what to avoid. In the idea of seeing future consequences, this would bring pleasure to a father, as his children are deliberative and not working off instinct, considering the pains that occur with division and the joy that comes with unification.
Another direct connection we all have is that we are at Har Sinai together, as one person and one heart. The Gemara (Shabbat 146a) relates the consequence of this unity by noting, “When the Serpent came upon Eve, it infused in her a spiritual contamination [zuhama]. When Israel stood at Mount Sinai, the zuhama was removed." This togetherness brought us to a point of perfection, before Adam’s Sin. This was lost with the Egel Hazav. However, the question is how unity for accepting the Torah rectified Adam’s sin? We defined his sin as Adam feeling he didn’t have enough. He wasn't happy with his lot. When a people as a whole testify that they want a Torah that imposes restrictions, there is an automatic acceptance of aspects of “enough." Therefore, we continuously rectify the first sin of Adam when we are able to hold back and feel that I’m grateful for what I have, and I don't need more.
A last and defining commonality is that we are a nation with enemies, that even as foes, come together to war against us, as described in Tehillim 83. In parable fashion, this is captured in the Gemara (Sanhedrin 105a) that says, 'Two barking dogs who are constantly fighting, until a wolf attacks one of them. The other dog says, "If I don't help him, the wolf will kill him today and come for me tomorrow." Therefore, they join together and save the first dog.'" Keeping unity of heart and mind within our nation can be a deterrent to an onslaught from joined enemies.
Recent Events to Inspire Oneness
Though at the moment there exists quarreling between different sects, on October 7th our nation came together as never seen before. Everyone, no matter religious or secular, had their hearts tied to the plight of the hostages.
We saw mothers who lost children in the war, no matter what the level of religion, asking for one thing of the nation: unity. We owe it to them to remember and unite. These soldiers sacrificed for our country, enabling us to move forward.
The one verse (Devarim 33:5) in the Torah that captures the dream of full unification declares “Vayehi v'Yishurun gd od malchut melech, b'hit'asef roshei am, yichad shivtei Yisrael-And He was King in Jeshurun, whenever the sum total of the people were gathered, and the tribes of Israel were together."
The Sifrei (33:5) comments: “When Israel is gathered together in a unified group, and there is peace among them, God is their King-but not when there is strife among them."
The Da'at Zekenim adds, “When the Jewish people are truly united and relate to one another as true brothers, then G-d is truly King over them. When they quarrel among themselves, then G-d cannot truly be seen as being their King."
In short, we have a King amongst us when we’re united, but not when we are divided. If we want maximum capability in all our national endeavors, then unity can bring it.
The gematria of the word yachad, togetherness, is 22. There are 22 words in the alphabet. Based on kabbalah, it is with these letters that G-d constructed everything that exists. Therefore, ultimately everything in this world is held together in its fullest potential when we are unified. We will have a complete world to enjoy in such a state.
Celebrating 250 at the Last Station
Israel and the diaspora are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. We owe this country a lot of gratitude. They are a strong ally militarily and have given us the ability to live without religious persecution.
However, it is a temporary station. Israel is the final place where all Jews will settle upon Mashiach’s arrival, leading to the building of the Third Temple.
There’s a moving story about Reb Chaim of Volozhin. In the late 1700s, they found him crying profusely. When asked why, he said that one day the Jews will live in America, but what they will go through to be transplanted there would be dreadful and shocking. He was right. But he knew this was a temporary rest stop for a certain time for us to have somewhere to rebuild after the Holocaust. However, we yearn to return to our homeland.
Conclusion
In the beginning, we noted that the New York Times bestselling Author, Mitchell Kaplan, sees a way towards reconciliation and unity. This optimistic outlook calls for us to bridge the gaps between all the sects of Judaism. Though from creation, we have endured rebellion, jealousy, and hate, there are paths to move forward. With the power of the individual who sees moment-to-moment divine intervention and the commonality of a nation that experienced major events together, togetherness can become a reality. Oct 7th brought this nation together to heights never seen before, personifying the notion that we must all be a beyachad. The Third Temple can bring to the world knowledge never seen before, an aura of a G-dly presence and peace in the world. For this we yearn.