I was taught that every Jew is a good Jew. Yes, some are better than others, but every Jew has a neshama—a soul inside him or her. For some, it may take something extraordinary and life-changing to jolt them out of their lethargy and ignite the soul lying dormant in the recesses of their inner core. For others, it is already a bright, burning flame that is alive and vibrant, and acted upon daily, even constantly.
How often do we see Jews of all ages who never identified that much with the Jewish community or Israel, and then suddenly embraced their faith with enthusiasm and incredible passion? We’ve all witnessed it in recent times with some of the Israeli hostages in Gaza these past two years, as well as members of the Israel Defense Forces who have been spiritually awakened and transformed by traumatic experiences.
During the plague of darkness in Egypt, read from the Torah portion Bo, in the book of Exodus, which says there was pitch darkness in Egypt, so thick that no one could even move … “But to the Children of Israel, there was light in their dwellings” (Exodus 10:23).
The great 19th-century Chassidic master, Rabbi Israel Friedman of Ruzhin, commented that “every Jew is like a ray of light. It only depends on their dwellings, their environment.”
Sometimes, a Jew finds an environment inconducive to living a Jewish life and may become somewhat estranged from his or her roots. But basically, and innately, every Jew is a ray of light.
The story is told of Rabbi Sholom Ber of Lubavitch (1860-1920) that he paid special attention to the simple folk—tailors, cobblers, merchants—who were not necessarily learned or Torah scholars. One day, he was visited by a scholarly, wealthy diamond merchant, who used the opportunity to question the learned man’s unusual interest in such ordinary, unlettered people.
Rabbi Sholom Ber didn’t reply immediately but asked the diamond merchant if he had any stones with him, as he was actually interested in purchasing a diamond. The merchant did indeed have a pouch of them and laid out a selection of diamonds on the Rebbe’s table.
The Rebbe perused all the stones carefully, and then said, “I like this one here.”
Very respectfully, the merchant said, “Rebbe, may I show you something better and more valuable?”
The Rebbe said, “No, I like this stone.”
Whereupon the merchant, somewhat condescendingly, stated: “Rebbe, with respect, on a diamond one has to be a mayven, a connoisseur, an expert.”
At which point, the Rebbe replied: “My dear man, on a Jew one also must be a mayven, an expert.”
One requires the eye of an expert—a connoisseur’s look to appreciate the inherent worth of every Jew. Some may not shine as brightly as others, but the true mayven will see the preciousness of even an ordinary Jew. Then again, no Jew is ordinary.
We are not Egyptians. We can raise ourselves out of the darkness. We can shine brightly even when everything around us is dark and corrupt.
So many of us have the best intentions: We intended to go to synagogue; we intended to study Torah regularly; we intended to join that volunteer group to help the elderly. But, somehow, we just didn’t “get around to it.” Like the fellow who said, “I intended to procrastinate, but I never got around to it.”
We are all “rays of light,” but we need to consciously put ourselves in the right environment, mix with the right people, and develop circles of friends who can be supportive of our good intentions, and not ridicule them, God forbid.
Now, if we’re already good Jews, then why must we make any changes in our lives?
My beloved Zayde would often say, “If good is good, is better not better?” No matter how good we may be (or believe ourselves to be), there is always room for an upgrade and further positive development.
In a recent discussion group, I asked the attendees for their definition of a “good Jew.” There was a wide array of answers, with everyone offering what was most important to them personally—from the religious, to the humanitarian, to the practical. Finally, one person gave the answer I myself had in mind: “A good Jew is one who is trying to be a better Jew.”
We are all good. And we can all be better yet.
Let us find the right dwelling and environment to grow, develop and flourish as Jews. Then, indeed, we can say, “And to the Children of Israel, there was light in their dwellings.”
