IT’S ONLY BY BEING FAITHFUL AND TRUE TO
WHO WE ARE THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY ENJOY THE
RESPECT AND GOODWILL OF OUR NEIGHBOURS.
non’s iconic peace song, “Imagine”, where
there are no more religions, no more borders, and therefore, no more wars, is not
only impractical and anarchic, it’s a denial
of truth. We don’t all have to be the same
to get along.
Within our own people, some are Kohanim, others Levi’im, while most of us belong to the rest of the tribes of Israel.
There are doctors and lawyers, priests and
prophets. Our challenge is to keep the distinctions from disintegrating into divisiveness. Different denominations and
one’s chosen path in life, or what many
today call their derech, should not form
barriers between us.
The Kotzker Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem
Mendel Morgenstern, 1787-1859) was a
very wise man famous for his astute,
pithy statements. One of his most profound speaks to our theme: “If I am I because I am I, and you are you because you
are you, then I am I and you are you. But
if I am I because you are you and you are
you because I am I, then I am not I and