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Learning to Love All Types of JewsONE NATION UNDER G-DWe all know already that the children of Yaakov were inMitzrayimfor two hundred and ten years and it was there that this small family of twelve brothers developed into one great nation. And because they didn\u2019t have any territory to divide among themselves; they were primarily in the area ofGoshenand couldn\u2019t spread out and settle into separate districts, we would have therefore expected that they should have lived together as one people, theAm Bnei Yisrael. L\u2019havdil, like they say in America, \u201cOne nation, under G-d.\u201d That\u2019s whatwewould have anticipated.And yet, what do we see? That the developing nation of the children of Yaakov remainedtwelve separateshevatim. For more than two centuries they maintained the boundaries; everybody knew hisshevetand identified primarily with his own tribe. Everyone knew where he belonged.For two hundred years they didn\u2019t give up their individual identity.Yehudah remained Yehudah, Reuven remained Reuven, and Shimon was Shimon. And that\u2019s a remarkable thing because it was inMitzrayimthat they were supposed to grow intooneunified nation. And therefore we should study that; it\u2019s a strange thing and it deserves a great deal of attention.THE GHETTO OF 1776Imagine that for two hundred and ten years Jews lived in America.Let\u2019s say, in 1776 some Jews came to America from Germany and others came from Spain. Some immigrated from England and the Turkish Jews also arrived on the shores of America. So by the time two hundred and ten years would pass, by the time 1986 would come,halevaithey should still remain Jews! But that they should remain segregated into strict boundaries, separate people, living separate lives?!Such a thing couldn\u2019t even be imagined! It\u2019s one nation and the different families and nationalities would all be amalgamated after a while. They would merge together and the boundaries would disappear.And why not? After all, we\u2019re all Jews, one tribe ofovdei Hashem. And yet we see that inMitzrayimit wasn\u2019t like that. Not only did they remain Jews, but they retained their status as separateshevatim.So you\u2019ll say maybe it was something temporary, something reserved for their stay inMitzrayim,when they were still a growing family of different brothers, and not yet a unified nation. But when they would come out ofMitzrayim, so now they\u2019re a full-fledged nation already, so who needs this segregation anymore?THE SPRINGS OF SEGREGATIONAnd yet surprisingly, what we find is that this was the permanent plan ofHashemfor theAmYisroel; it was His conspicuous policy to maintain the individual identity of each tribe. We see that Hakadosh Baruch Hu insisted there should be separateshevatimeven when they came out ofMitzrayim. We find that in ourparsha: \u05d5\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05d0\u05d5 \u05d0\u05d9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4 \u05d5\u05e9\u05dd \u05e9\u05ea\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05e9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05e2\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05ea \u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u2013 \u201cAnd they came to Eilim and there were twelve springs of water\u2026and they encamped there near the water\u201d (Beshalach 15:27).Now if the Torah goes out of its way to tell us the number of springs, then the number twelve is not superfluous. Twelve springs?!That wasn\u2019t an accident; that was Hashem\u2019s plan from the days ofma\u2019asehBereishis\u2013 they didn\u2019t dig the springs on their own. This was the hand of Hashem guiding His people in the way He wanted for them.So we\u2019ll understand that the springs of much needed fresh water in the parched desert was the preferred place for people to gather. Everyone needs water after all. And therefore there is no doubt that it was the plan of Hashem to have separate springs for each of the twelveshevatim.The plan of Hashem was segregation. TheReuveineeshould spent their time with theReuveinee, theShimoneewith theShimoneeand so on and so forth.And we\u2019re told about it; the separation is emphasized. More than emphasized; Hakodosh Boruch Hu made sure that it would remain that wayalways.ARE WE REALLY \u201cKE\u2019ISH ECHAD\u201d?Because when you learn Torah, if you pay attention to thepesukim, you\u2019ll note that this wasn\u2019t an isolated incident; it was no aberration.You see a very clear thing that this is how theAm Yisroelalways lived in the ancient times- as distinct and dividedshevatim.You remember when they came to receive theTorahatHar Sinai.Everyone knows what the Torah says: \u05d5\u05d9\u05d7\u05df \u05e9\u05dd \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05e0\u05d2\u05d3 \u05d4\u05d4\u05e8 \u2013 \u201cAnd the nation encamped there, opposite the mountain\u201d (Shemos 19:2). And Chazal are bothered by the wordvayichan\u2013 andheencamped, in the singular. And they say that the nation made camp \u05db\u05d0\u05d9\u05e9 \u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05d1\u05dc\u05d1 \u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u2013 \u201cLike one man, with one heart\u201d (Rashi, ibid.)However even there we find something very queer. They all encamped together \u201clike one man, with one heart,\u201d and yet Moshe Rabeinu,al pi Hashem,had different plans for them. When they were about to receive theTorah, it says (Shemos 24:4) that Moshe built twelvematzeivos,one for each one of the twelveshevatim.\u05d5\u05d9\u05d1\u05df \u05de\u05d6\u05d1\u05d7 \u05ea\u05d7\u05ea \u05d4\u05d4\u05e8 \u05d5\u05e9\u05ea\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05e9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05de\u05e6\u05d1\u05d4 \u05dc\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05e9\u05e8 \u05e9\u05d1\u05d8\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u2013 Moshe built \u2013 not onemizbei\u2019achat the foot of the mountain, but he builttwelvematzeivosfor each one of theshevatimseparately!That was what Hakodosh Boruch Hu insisted on atkabalas hatorah.Twelve separate \u201cstanding stones.\u201d Now that\u2019s very strange. Why was it necessary?They\u2019re all coming to receive theTorahtogether\u201clike one man, with one heart.\u201d What\u2019s the problem with that? Let them come together as one nation!I\u2019ll tell you something else that always bothered me. You know that thekohengadolcarried always on his chest thechoshen, the breastplate. And on the breastplate he had twelve precious stones, each one distinguished from the next; separate colors, set off from each other in separate settings. And on these twelve precious stones were engraved the names of the twelveshevatim.\u05d5\u05d4\u05d0\u05d1\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05ea\u05d4\u05d9\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05dc \u05e9\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05d1\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05e9\u05ea\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05e9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05e2\u05dc \u05e9\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u05dd\u2026 \u05d0\u05d9\u05e9 \u05e2\u05dc \u05e9\u05de\u05d5 \u05ea\u05d4\u05d9\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e2\u05e9\u05e8 \u05e9\u05d1\u05d8 \u2013 \u201cThe stones should be according to the names of the Bnei Yisroel, twelve according to their names\u2026 each man by his name they should be, for the twelve tribes\u201d (Shemos 28:21). That\u2019s what Hashem wanted to see \u2013 that in theMishkaneachshevetshould remain separate.And it wasn\u2019t just the symbolicchoshenin theMishkan. It was actually how they lived their lives in themidbar! They lived in separate areas, under different colored flags, each one distinguished from the next. They lived and traveled for forty years segregated from one another \u2013 set boundaries, thisshevethere, this one here. There were no walls but there were always clearly defined boundaries.HASHEM WANTS STRONG BORDERSAnd a biggerkashah; even when they came toEretz Yisroel, they should have become one great nation. But no. There were twelve tribes, and each one got a separate territory.That\u2019s a queer thing. Throughout all the generations the fact that they lived apart, within separate boundaries, caused them to have separate lifestyles.They all kept the Torah but each one hadminhagimthat were different.Anshei Galilhad thisminhag, anshei Yehudaa differentminhag. There weredifferent traditions and separateminhagim,and in the course of time many things became very deeply ingrained in them.It was like twelve different nations within one people. And for me, that\u2019s really a very bigkasha \u2013why did there have to be separateshevatimwhen they settled down permanently inEretz Yisroel?Nowlehavdil elef havdaloswhen the English first came to America so they settled here and there; they settled in Massachusetts, and in Connecticut and Virginia. Not because of any reason that they wanted to remain separate; that\u2019s just how it came about. One colony settled here, one there. And after they settled, so in order to manage the collection of taxes, so the head government in England, divided them into states.In each state there was a tax collector, and they had separate offices for each state. But it was for the sake of convenience \u2013 not because there was any real difference between the states.They were all the same.All thegoyimare the same.Now it could be that in the course of time they developed certain dialects, certain differences, butlechatchilah, at the beginning they had no intention of being different people.Butlehavdil elef havdaloshere it wasal pi Hashem. The land was divided according to the command, the will, ofHakadosh Baruch Hu. He wanted His people to be separate.I don\u2019t know if it bothers you but it bothers me very much. Now why didn\u2019t they say we should all unite and be one people?Let\u2019s all be one people now.Why should we be broken up into twelve different tribes?Why did they need twelveshevatim? They came out ofMitzrayimand now they\u2019ream echad.They\u2019re one nation.Why keep separateshevatim?And to my little head, that\u2019s a very big question.Why couldn\u2019t it be one country?That\u2019s what we would do if it would have been our littleseichelmaking decisions.EVERYONE BRINGS SOMETHING TO THE TABLE!Now we have to understand; there are no accidents in this world.Hakadosh Baruch Hu has planned these things that way- and it\u2019s a puzzle. And so we\u2019ll try to understand why is that, what is the purpose of Hashem over here?And so we\u2019ll say as follows: It\u2019s clear to us that the purpose of maintaining the individual status of eachshevetis becauseeach tribe possessed its peculiar characteristics, which were its contribution to the general perfection of theAm Yisroel. And Hakodosh Boruch Hu insisted that eachshevetshould maintain its identity, and thereby contribute to the general perfection of theAm Yisroelas a whole.We get so many benefits from eachkehillah, because each group of frum Jews brings something else to the table, some benefit for theAm Yisroel. Our nation wouldn\u2019t be the perfect nation it is, if it wasn\u2019t for the variety of paths in the service of Hashem that make up our people. And that\u2019s exactly why Hakodosh Boruch Hu insisted on the twelve springs inEilim. Because those separate springs signified Hashem\u2019s plan to encourage each tribe to maintain its individuality. As they came to draw the much needed water, each tribe frequented its own well and was therefore able to avoid being swallowed up by the others. Each group retained their individual identity.Now you have to know that the differences among theshevatimwas a model for what would persist throughout the entire history of theAm Yisroel.Even when some theshevatimwent lost, or became diluted one among the other ingolus, we always remained a nation of different tribes; different ideals and attitudes, various preferences of paths in the service ofHashem.WHO NEEDS CHASSIDIM, MISNAGDIM AND SEFARDIM?I\u2019m frequently asked: What\u2019s the benefit of different types of servants of Hashem? Who needschassidimandmisnagdimandsefardim? Wouldn\u2019t it have been better if we all walked together on one path towards Hakodosh Boruch Hu?So I always say: Why is it that you\u2019ll find in the supermarket clover honey and orange blossom honey and buckwheat honey? There are at least ten varieties of honey! Who needs it?! And the answer is that it makes life more delectable! Variety is a pleasure! After all, Hakodosh Boruch Hu could have given us nothing but red delicious apples. Let\u2019s say you\u2019d pass a fruit stand and all you would see is bins and bins of red delicious apples. Now, red delicious apples are a treat; we can\u2019t complain about them, but how much more fun it is when we have ten different kinds of apples! And even better, to have tens and tens of varieties of fruit. It\u2019s much more fun when you can choose from a wide variety of good things.And therefore, there are all kinds of methods of serving Hashem, each one that has been cultivated by Hashem Himself, by the separation ofkehillos. Sometimes a person can choose one method and stick to it always. Or sometimes you can choose from the fruit store of the differentshevatim. Sometimes you\u2019ll choose something from theGerrer, another thing you\u2019ll take from Lakewood, something you\u2019ll pick from Lubavitch, something you\u2019ll take from Belz, and something else you\u2019ll nosh from Satmer. And so on. Everyshevethad something to contribute. You can be sure that there are a lot of delightful fruit in all of these various places that help theAmYisroelin itsavodas Hashem.Everybody is helping out! Somekehillosbrought to theAm Yisroelthe great benefits ofmussarto theAm Yisroel, while otherkehillosbroughtchassidus. From some communities we learn to bekanaaimfor the truth and others impress us with theirhasmadahinlimudhatorahorgemillas chasodim.I myself have learned from one group of Jews in Flatbush what it means to bemichabeid talmidei chachomim.Because there\u2019s no end to the variety of paths that theAm Yisroelwalk toward the One Hashem and there\u2019s what to learn from everyone.MAKING ENEMIES FOR RAV MILLERNow I\u2019m not going to tell you what\u2019s best. Someone asked me, what does Hakodosh Boruch Hu want from me? Am I supposed to bechassidish, orlitvishor what? Now that\u2019s some big order. He wants me to make enemies, the one who asked me that question.Hashem wants you to be the best that you can be. Some people can be their best if they\u2019rechassidish. Some people can be their best if they\u2019relitvish. Other people can be their best if they\u2019resefardi. It\u2019s like asking \u2013 \u201cWhat is the best diet for all of mankind?\u201d The best type of diet depends on each individual person. People are different. Some people are so different that their diets are radically different. So whatever it is that you choose, you should make it a principle in your life to always choose whatever it is that willgive you the most success in life\u2013 and success in this world means preparing for the Next World.EVERYONE IS WRONGEveryone is right. And everyone is wrong. Nobody is perfect in this world. And most important is to live with the principle of knowing that we ourselves are not altogether right.And we have to do our best to improve. Although we don\u2019t have to adopt what everybody else does, and everyone should follow the customs and manners of hiskehillain the very best manner, nevertheless, he should know that there are things to be learned everywhere.Even though you\u2019re achossid, when you walk into Telshe Yeshiva, you can learn good things there too. And if a Telshe bochur goes to Williamsburg, he can learn good things there, no question about it. Therefore, everyone should try to steal from others all the good things they can. Instead of going around and saying \u201cWell, I saw in thisshteibelthat they talk during davening so it\u2019s not so bad.\u201d Or, \u201cIn the other place they daven fast, so I can also daven fast.\u201d So this person goes around collecting all thewrongthingsfrom all the places. No! Go around collecting all the good things from everybody \u2013 that\u2019s what they\u2019re there for.BE JEALOUS AND STEALAnd that\u2019s the person who will succeed. That\u2019s what jealousy is for.Kinahmeans to bekoneh, to acquire, to be jealous of all the good things that you find. \u201cWhy is he saying a longshemonahesreiand not me?\u201d \u201cWhy does he treat his wife so nicely and I\u2019m so gruff?\u201d \u201cWhy does he go out to learn at night and I\u2019m still wasting away?\u201d And everybody should try to steal from everyone else all the good things that they find.That\u2019s our purpose \u2013 to acquire all the qualities that find favor in the eyes of Hashem. Because what Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants of us isshleimus\u2013 perfection.Shleimusin knowledge of the Torah, perfection in knowing His ways, perfection in recognizing Him in history and in nature. Perfection in character and self-control and perfection in kindliness to our fellow man. Every form of perfection that\u2019s possible for a person to emulate, to imitate, to steal from all sides, he should do that. And the various groups that make up theAm Yisroelhave all of those things to offer.And so whenever a person comes comes into contact with people different than himself, othershevatim, otherkehillos, whenever he sees anything good in the world, he should recognize that these differences are exactly what Hashem was cultivating in theAm Yisroelwhen He separated theshevatim. And therefore he should emulate whatever good he sees and decide that he wants to take it for himself.MADISON SQUARE GARDEN IS TOO SMALLHowever there is another subject altogether \u2013 maybe even more important \u2013 that is vital for understanding why Hashem insisted on the separation of theshevatim. And we\u2019ll begin this subject with the followinggemara. Thegemara(Brachos 58a) says that\u05d4\u05e8\u05d5\u05d0\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05db\u05dc\u05d5\u05e1\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc, if you see a big throng of Jews, you have to make a specialbrachah.What\u2019s calleduchlusei yisroel?600,000 Jews.It\u2019s azechiyah! We\u2019re talking here about Jews who areshomrei Torah.600,000shomrei Torahs! Ahh!It\u2019s an illumination of the mind,it\u2019s such asimchathat you\u2019re required to make abrachahon something like that.Now in thatbrachahyou mention a number of things.And among the things you say in thatbrachahis that \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d3\u05e2\u05ea\u05dd \u05d3\u05d5\u05de\u05d4 \u05d6\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d6\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05e4\u05e8\u05e6\u05d5\u05e4\u05d9\u05d4\u05df \u05d3\u05d5\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d6\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d6\u05d4 \u2013 In this big throng, no two of them have the same faces. It\u2019s a remarkable statement.The fact is that nobody has an exact replica of your face. Even twins are not exactly the same.And that\u2019s only thechitzoniyus. Because even more than that, no two people have the samedeios, the same minds. People have various characters. Eventzadikim; no twotzadikimare the same. They think differently. When it comes to \u05d3\u05e2\u05ea\u05dd, their ideas, their attitudes, it\u2019s a remarkable thing, that even twins who look so much alike, they\u2019re actually very different from one another.THE MOTHER WILL ALWAYS FIND SOMETHING ABOUT THE NOSEIt\u2019s a remarkable fact if you look at a family \u2013 let\u2019s say you visit your cousins or it could be your own family \u2013 it\u2019s remarkable how different the children are from each other.It\u2019s one of the surprisingnissim.From the same parents, and yet brothers are so different one from the other.Here you have one brother.He\u2019s handsome.He\u2019s graceful.He looks like a real Lord Fauntleroy.He\u2019s a beautiful boy, but a little bit sleepy, a little bit lazy.Now next to him is his brother; not good looking but a very good boy,full of energy.They look like two families, two different brothers entirely.They don\u2019t look alike at all! Maybe you\u2019ll find some resemblance in their nose \u2013 their mother will always find some resemblance \u2013 but otherwise they are entirely different. It\u2019s a remarkable fact.And sisters also, sisters are very different one from the other.Now, some people think maybe it\u2019s only their own family where this is a problem. He thinks that one of his brothers is too smart. And his little brother is too dull. One is akanoi, and the other one doesn\u2019t care about anything. Maybe in other families it\u2019s better. But the truth is that it was this way in the best family as well. Thegemara(Pesachim 56a) tells us when Yaakov Avinu was on his deathbed and his holy sons were standing around his bed, so he looked up at them, and he was very much worried.They were all different, remarkably different, and that concerned him as he was about to leave this world. After he would pass away, what would hold his children together? They\u2019re so different, and he wouldn\u2019t be around to hold them in place.YOUR HUSBAND\u2019S LONG NOSEAnd so we see that this peculiar fact, that \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d3\u05e2\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd \u05e9\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea and \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05e4\u05e8\u05e6\u05d5\u05e4\u05d9\u05d4\u05df \u05e9\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea is no accident. Hakadosh Baruch Hu intentionally made people different from each other. Nobody in the whole world has the same face.Their voices are not the same. Their thoughts are different, their ideas, their desires. It\u2019s a remarkable thing.And so here you have a man married to a woman, a fine woman, but he has a nose a little bit longer than she would like.She doesn\u2019t like such a long nose. And he doesn\u2019t like this or that. It gnaws at him. They don\u2019t like the same foods. And I\u2019m only mentioning some superficial things. There\u2019s much more than that, many more differences. I know all about it because my phone is constantly ringing.Don\u2019t ever expect when you get married that your wife will be like you.You will always discover that after all she is a woman and you are a man.\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05dd \u05d1\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e2\u05e6\u05de\u05dd, women are a different nation, thegemarasays (Shabbos 62a). Of course we shouldn\u2019t try to emphasize the diversity.Before you get married it\u2019s best to look for somebody who eats the same kind of food that you eat, someone who comes from the same background, as much as possible.Of course you should do that; there\u2019s no reason to make it more difficult.It\u2019s difficult enough as it is.But we have to know beforehand that no matter what, no matter what theshadchantells you, you\u2019re going to be surprised to find many more differences than you ever imagined.And so what we\u2019re seeing now is thatnotwo people are the same! One brother is different than the next, sisters can\u2019t agree on anything, husbands and wives are from different \u201cnations,\u201d every neighbor is different than the next \u2013 theAm Yisroelis a nation of variousshevatim.And so we have to wonder, why is that?Wouldn\u2019t it be so wonderful, so beautiful, if we all had the same noses. You\u2019d be in love with your husband\u2019s nose. And if we all thought alike?! Ahh, it would be a pleasure!Shalom al Yisroel!But no such luck. Nobody is the same. And so we see that there was some reason why Hakadosh Baruch Hu made all of us so different one from another. And we\u2019re going to learn now that the answer to this puzzle is actually one of the most vital opportunities for perfection in this world.IF YOU\u2019RE HERE, THERE\u2019S STILL HOPENow to try to answer this puzzle, we\u2019ll first study apossukin Koheles (9:4).We read there:\u05de\u05d9 \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d7\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d0\u05dc \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd \u05d9\u05e9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05d8\u05d7\u05d5\u05df \u2013 \u201cIf somebody is still connected to the living then there\u2019s still hope.\u201d Now that seems like such a simple and obvious statement that we\u2019re surprised that it\u2019s even made \u2013 that if you\u2019re still breathing, if you\u2019re still alive, then there\u2019s still hope for you to achieve something in this world.However, we\u2019ll note a superfluous word in thepossuk. It says, \u05d0\u05dc \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05d7\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd \u2013 \u201cHe\u2019s connected toallthe living.\u201d It could have said you\u2019re connected \u201cto the living.\u201d Why mentionallthe living?If you\u2019re among the living there\u2019s still some hope for you, that\u2019s all. If the person is already in the cemetery, it\u2019s too late.And if he\u2019s still with the living, if he\u2019s still breathing, he can still accomplish something with his life. Why mentionkolhachaim,allthe living?GET ALONG WITH HIS BLUE HATWhat we\u2019re beginning to see now is that all of these differences among ourselves that have been nurtured by Hashem throughout our history \u2013 the twelve springs inEilimare only one small example \u2013 are there in order to test us. By means of the wide variety of our fellow Jews, we are provided with the great opportunity of getting along with people who are different than we are.And that\u2019s whatKohelesis telling us \u2013 that the one who still wants to retain somebitachon, some hope of accomplishing perfection in this world, it\u2019s only if he understands that he must beyechubar el kol hachaim\u2013 attached toallthe living. Learning how to get along withallthe different types \u2013 the black hats and the blue hats, the long coats and the short coats, the Polish Jews and the Hungarians, the Syrian Jews and the Persians.El kol hachaim!Now of course if he\u2019s friendly to you, you\u2019ll like him.Or if he wears hispeyoslike you do, or he shakes during davening like you, so you\u2019ll like him. Why not? If he\u2019s your \u201ctype,\u201d if he\u2019s yourshevet, it\u2019s much easier.But what will you do with theAm Yisroelin its totality \u2013 with all of thefrumJews who are your brothers? Hakadosh Baruch Hu expects you to have a certain attitude of affection,of love, for theAm Yisroelon a whole. It\u2019s amitzvahmin hatorah.Veahavta l\u2019reiachahdoesn\u2019t mean this man right here who is a good friend of yours, who thinks like you do.Veahavtameans all of them. And that\u2019swhywe have people in the world.In order to test us whether we\u2019ll choose to overcome our natural tendencies to shun those different than ourselves, and instead train our minds toyechubar el kol hachaim, to feel connected to everyone.A LOVE FOR THE SEAWe are always being tested by the differences among people.The fact that some Jews saybureechand some saybaruchorboruch,is a test. You know that, don\u2019t you? Even theshevatimpronounced the words oflashon kodeshdifferently. We see that in theTanach(see Shoftim 12:6). And there\u2019s no question that they used idioms peculiar to themselves, ate different foods, dressed differentlyand thought differently. And it was the will of Hashem that the differentiation should persist. And itdidpersist! The distinctive physical features and characteristics of eachshevetbecame emphasized by the inbreeding, and to the untrained eye they appeared as different nations.Like thegemarasays inPesachim(4a) : \u05d4\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05d3\u05d4\u05d5\u05d4 \u05e7\u05d0 \u05d0\u05d6\u05d9\u05dc \u05d5\u05d0\u05de\u05e8 , a man used to go around and say \u05d0\u05db\u05d9\u05e3 \u05d9\u05de\u05d0 \u05d0\u05e1\u05d9\u05e1\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05e8\u05d0\u05ea\u05d0, he loved the seashore.He loved the seashore.\u05d1\u05d3\u05e7\u05d5, they began to investigate.Why are you talking so much about the seashore?And they found out he came fromZevulun.\u05d6\u05d1\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5\u05df \u05dc\u05d7\u05d5\u05e3 \u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d9\u05e9\u05db\u05d5\u05df,Zevulunlived near the seashore and they loved it.It\u2019s a remarkable thing.Hakadosh Baruch Hu put intoZevuluna love for the sea, and therefore they were a seafaring nation.They were sailors with boats and they loved the sea.SOME KIDS OBEY RULESAnother man used to go around saying \u05d3\u05d5\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d3\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cJudge my dispute.\u201dThat means whenever there was some case between him and a fellow man, he didn\u2019t want to arbitrate.He didn\u2019t want to make apesharah.\u201cNo, let\u2019s go to the judge and let\u2019s hear what the judge says.\u201dNow he said it so many times \u05d3\u05d5\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d3\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9, \u05d3\u05d5\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d3\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 it was suspicious to people. So \u05d1\u05d3\u05e7\u05d5 \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9\u05d5, they searched after his pedigree, and they found that he came fromDan. You remember what it says byDan, \u05d3\u05df \u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05de\u05d5.Danwas a strict fellow.He followed only the strict line of the law.There are people like that who are very strict with laws.They keep rules.Even little children sometimes are born that way. Some children are like that. They keep rules; it\u2019s their nature. Other children, not so much.Now, all of these character traits were planted in our nation by Hashem \u2013 after all,Dandidn\u2019t follow the strict line of the law because he went to a university of law and read the law journals. It was a trait that Hashem gifted him with. AndZevulunwasn\u2019t reading Boat Fishing Monthly or whatever magazine it is, and teaching himself to like the sea; no, it was a characteristic that Hashem placed in his heart. And by maintaining its own territory and its own identity, each tribe tended to marry among themselves, and thereby maintain the characteristics that Hashem gifted them with. The character traits were planted by Hashem, and they therefore deserved to be cultivated.And therefore they remained different. Reuven was very different than Dan and Zevulun. Naftali, Levi, Shimon; they all looked different.They even made sure theirbegadimwere different, and they spoke a different language oflashon hakodesh.Their dialect was different.They lived separately, and they had different expressions. Eachshevetdeveloped different kinds ofmelitzosand language, differentmalbushimandminhagim.DON\u2019T GET BOGGED DOWN BY THE DIFFERENCESSo we see that Hakadosh Baruch Hu put in theshevatimdifferent qualities andthe purpose was in order that they should all get together despite their differences. And when they would come up three times a year to Yerushalayim, it was supposed to be\u05d7\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05db\u05dc \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc, they\u2019re all together as one family, despite everything that made them different. They were expected to achieve the perfection ofyechubar el kol hachaim, despite the difficulties involved.But it wasn\u2019t an easy task. So when a person fromDanwas passing by and a boy fromYehudahsaw him, he might have ayetzer harato ridicule and say \u201cTatty, look at that man. Look at his funny clothing.\u201d So the father scolded his son, \u2018Oh no, don\u2019t laugh at him.He\u2019s our brother from the holyshevetof Dan.Have respect.Everyshevetiskadosh.\u201d And when a boy ofshevet Reuvensaid, \u201cLook Abba! Isn\u2019t that strange how this person fromEfraimis speaking a queer language \u2013 he can\u2019t pronounce the words,\u201d so the father said, \u201cShh, we don\u2019t talk that way.Shevet Efraimis holy.It\u2019s a very holy tribe,\u201d he said.\u201cThey\u2019re our people, our brothers.\u201d And theAm Yisroellearned to overcome theyetzer haraof factionism, ofmachlokes, of partisanship. They learned to respect each other\u2019s customs and idiosyncrasies and trained themselves to refrain from mocking or ridiculing the language, the clothing and the manners of their brother tribes. They knew that Hashem favored these differences and that they were all \u201ctribes of Hashem\u201d (Tehillim 122:4).OPPOSITES: ATTRACT!And so we\u2019re expected to learn from that, the lesson of how important it is to be connected to all of theKlal Yisrael.Because the many differences are there just for that \u2013 to give us the opportunity to train ourselves to respect each other\u2019s idiosyncrasies.These have this way of talking and that way of dressing. And evenminhagim, as mentioned, inGallilthey had certainminhagim, while inYehudahthey did the opposite \u2013 otherminhagim.And theAm Yisroelhad to get used to respecting the differentminhagimof their fellow Jews.Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants to give us the great opportunity of perfection \u2013 the perfection ofyechubar el kol hachaim. Hashem wants us to struggle to beyechubarto all those who are living,el kol hachaim, to feel an affection for all the different types. We are expected to overcome the tendency to break up into factionsin our minds\u2013 that\u2019s ayetzer hara, to actually feel that we are different factions. Now that\u2019sa very bignisayonby the way, to retain the individuality that Hashem wants, and yet to feel attached with an actual affection to every frum Jew \u2013 it\u2019s a very big test.BUMS IN THE BAR MAKE PEACENow, of course there will always be dissension because each one has his own mind. Each one is working toward a principle \u2013 when a principle is involved you can\u2019t just yield. You know when bums get together in a bar and they have a dissension, so they could make peace more readily. They could unite with ease because what are they fighting about already? It\u2019s nothing after all.Whereas people who have principles can\u2019t unite. That\u2019s why you findLubavitchergo their way and theSatmerertheir way. And theLakewooderand the otherlitvishehyeshivosdon\u2019t go on either of those ways. Thelitvishehgo their own way and thesefardimwalk a different path. Andchasv\u2019shalomthat they should become united in their principles!Chasv\u2019shalom! Because if so, all principles would die out. Each one tries to serve Hashem according to the way he understands best \u2013 and each one respects and loves the other onejust because of that.YOU BETTER ARGUE!You know when Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai argued, nobody ever said, \u201cCome on boys, let\u2019s just settle down and come to an agreement. What\u2019s the use of arguing over nothing?\u201d No, it\u2019snotnothing. It\u2019s everything! It\u2019s the most important thing to argue about \u2013 there is nothing else worth arguing about except how to serve Hashem. And each one sought to serve Hashem in the best way. And Hakodosh Boruch Hu intended that \u2013 it was no accident. From the beginning it was all planned \u2013 eachshevet, eachkehillahwith its own ways, because of the great opportunities for perfection it affords us. Because that\u2019s what Hakodosh Boruch Hu wantsfrom us, theshleimusof learning to get along with those who are different from you.A grandson once showed him a picture in the newspaper depicting an apparent conflict between Jewish groups. \u201cIt\u2019s trick photography,\u201d said Rav Miller. \u201cThe media loves to drum up conflicts even where none exist. These Jews really love each other and so we love both groups.\u201d \u201cBut they seem to be really fighting,\u201d his grandson persisted. \u201cI\u2019ll explain,\u201d Rav Miller replied. \u201cThe army has many divisions: the marines, the navy, the air force, etc. Each one is convinced that they are the best, and naturally they feel animosity toward the other branches. Yet, as far as the rest of the nation is concerned, they are one unified army supporting its country. And that is how everyone must look at them, for that is all that concerns them. Every soldier must know where he belongs and stay there \u2013 and so should you.\u201d The grandson asked, \u201cWho should I side with?\u201d \u201cYou just have to know that you are in the army of Hashem,\u201d Rav Miller answered. \u201cand continue doing whatever service you are performing, keeping your own position. You don\u2019t have to be concerned with the issues of others.\u201d (Rav Avigdor Miller \u2013 His Life and His Revolution p. 292)You know, when Hakodosh Boruch Hu brought theLubavitcher Rebbe, the previous one,zichrono l\u2019vracha, to America, it wasn\u2019t an accident. Now, we think that he came here in order to bring back people toyiddishkeit. And it\u2019s true \u2013 he wasmachzirb\u2019teshuvaa lot of people. But that\u2019s not the whole truth.And when Hakodosh Boruch Hu brought theSatmerer Rav,zichrono l\u2019vracha,to America, people think it was for the purpose of helping rebuildchassidusin Williamsburg. They were theud mutzal m\u2019eish; people who went through concentration camps, dejected people, broken families, ruined men and women. And he encouraged them to marry again and have children, and he almost single-handedly built up a bigkehillah. So people saw that he was sent by Hakodosh Boruch Hu to bematzila very greatkehillah. And he did! We can\u2019t thank theSatmerer Ravenough for what he did for America. But that\u2019s not the whole truth.THE LUBAVITCHERS ARE LITVAKSWe have to realize something that we don\u2019t like to realize. There was another great benefit that Hashem wanted by bringing variouskehillostogether. And that\u2019s the fact that theLubavitcherRebbecame to America to help theSatmererkehillah! And theSatmererRavcame to America to help theLubavitcherkehillah! You understand that it\u2019s two separatekehillos. They can\u2019t even talk together \u2013 their language is different. It\u2019s hard to understand what theSatmererare saying if you\u2019re not accustomed to their language. And they have differentminhagim. I\u2019m not talking only about Torahminhagim\u2013 they have differentminhagimeven in eating \u2013 how they eat, what they eat. Many things are different about them. These arelitvakers\u2013 theLubavitcher chassidimare mostlylitvakers. They speak alitvisheh Yiddish, and theSatmerercome from Hungary and places like that \u2013 it\u2019s a different language.So what did Hakodosh Boruch Hu do? He said, \u201cI can\u2019t let them remain that way. To be so separate that they never see each other, and never learn to get along despite their differences, that\u2019s a failure. I want them to get ashleimus. So I\u2019ll bring them to America. I\u2019ll bring the Bobover and the Litvakers together, and the Syrians and the Persians too. I\u2019ll bring them to one place so that they should continue to stand strong in their principlesSo that they should see the differences between them, and retain those differences,and yet at the same time they should get along with each other and love one another. Themachlokesis a great benefit for them, a great opportunity for perfection.RAV MILLER PREDICTS THE FUTUREBecause no matter how important are the principles that they stand for \u2013 and theymuststand their ground \u2013 but all of them have the same Hakodosh Boruch Hu and the same Torah. And the end will be that maybe they\u2019ll intermarry too. They\u2019ll dance together at weddings! It might take some time, a generation or two generations, but the perfection of being loyal to their principles at the same time as feeling a deep affection for one another, will come. At the end you\u2019ll see that they\u2019ll live together. And each one will gain a perfection that he could never have gotten otherwise.If you would sit inSatmarin Europe all your life and you would stew in your own juice \u2013 you\u2019d never have any opposition, you\u2019d never see people with differentminhagim\u2013 so you\u2019re not being testedand you\u2019re not being perfected. It\u2019s the opposition that makes you great. When you\u2019re sitting in your ownbeismedrashbut you come into contact with someone who has a differentRebbe, and different ways, that\u2019s your opportunity for greatness.A BENT-DOWN HAT MAKES ME ANGRY!And sometimes it\u2019s not even important things \u2013 it\u2019s little things that bother you. Hisyarmulkehis this way and youryarmulkehis a different way. Maybe your hat is round and his hat is bent over. You don\u2019t like that! A bent down hat you can\u2019t stand; you\u2019re angry at it! And when he sees your round hat, he thinks you look like aba\u2019al ga\u2019avah.\u201cWhat does he think he is? Arebbeh?!\u201d And so there\u2019s friction. It\u2019s \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u201c\u05db\u05d5\u05d1\u05e2\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd\u201d \u05d5\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05d3\u05e2\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd \u05e9\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u2013 their hats are different, their faces are different and their ideals are also different.And with all that, they overcome those petty things like hats andyarmulkehsand coats, and they say \u201cI choose to beyechubar el kolhachaim, to all of the various frum Jews, becauseit\u2019s all just a test. And I\u2019m going to pass that test and make myself more and more perfect every day.\u201dEASIER SAID THAN DONENow all this is easier said than done. But once we begin to understand how important thisavodahis, so we begin to realize that this is one subject on which it pays to concentrate. Because it\u2019s easyto say, \u201cGet along with people,\u201d but it\u2019s not always easyto do. You have to have some motivation and that\u2019s an important subject on which we should concentrate for a few minutes.So the question is how do you start working on that in order to fulfill thismitzvahfrom theTorah?Veahavtais aklal gadol betorah, it\u2019s a very great rule of the Torah that you should have a feeling of love, of actual affection, for your fellow Jews. But how do we do it? How can we learn to love our fellow Jews?FELLOW JEW MEANSOBSERVANTJEWNotice that I\u2019m not saying your fellowman.Forget about fellowman.Your fellowJew! Fellow Jew means only your fellowobservantJew.Thereshaimwe leave out.Achicha, reiacha, means people who areshomer mitzvoslike you are; the\u05e2\u05d1\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d0\u05dc\u05e7\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05da \u2013 all the servants of Hashem, that\u2019s theAm Yisroel.And I\u2019m stressing that point because that is the answer to our question! I\u2019ll explain that.I mentioned to you before about Yaakov Avinu\u2019s worries as he lay on his deathbed. He saw children who were so different from one another, and he was concerned, \u201cHow could these children become one big unified nation?\u201d So the sons understood their father\u2019s worry and they consoled their father. Now listen to what they said because it\u2019s what we have to always be saying if we want to overcome this problem and succeed atyechubar el kol hachaim, to be connected with all the living. They told Yaakov Avinu, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to worry about: \u05e9\u05de\u05e2 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc, \u201cListen our father, Yisroel, \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc\u05e7\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5, Hashem is our G-d, \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05d7\u05d3, all of us have one G-d.\u201d We might wear different hats and pronounce words differently. And we\u2019ll even argue sometimes. But we\u2019re all together \u201cone nation under one G-d.\u201d He\u2019ll keep us together; He\u2019s the \u201cglue\u2019\u2019 that keeps us together. We\u2019re all \u05e2\u05d1\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d0\u05dc\u05e7\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05da \u2013 despite our differences, we\u2019re all the servants of Hashem together.\u201dAnd when Yaakov heard that, he said: \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05da \u05e9\u05dd \u05db\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3 \u05de\u05dc\u05db\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05dc\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d5\u05e2\u05d3.\u201cIf, notwithstanding all your differences you\u2019ll be together forever, theAm Echaddedicated toHashem Echad, that will be a glory for Hashem, and I can go to the Next World in peace.\u201dHASHEM ECHADIS THE ANSWERAnd so we\u2019re learning now that the solution to our differences is the overriding knowledge that we\u2019re theAm Echadserving theHashem Echad. We\u2019re all one people and that\u2019s something we have to not just say, but to feel.It\u2019s very important for us to learn that, to love every part of theolam shomrei Torah, theAm Hashem,with all of our hearts.Now don\u2019t just say, \u201cI know that; I do that,\u201d because youdon\u2019tdo it. It takes work; it takes thinking and talking. You have to think about this whenever you see a fellow Jew who is different than you. He dresses different. He talks different. He davens different. You\u2019re almost sure he\u2019s from a differentshevet. So you have to begin planting thoughts in your head. Think about the fact that he\u2019s ashomer mitzvoslike you are.He\u2019s a brother in arms.We\u2019re all fighting together to maintain theAmYisroel.We have a big army against us, enemies all around us.Thefrei yiddenare all enemies with us.The irreligious Jews hate us very much.You should know that.\u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05e9\u05e0\u05d0\u05d4 \u05e9\u05e9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05de\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05ea\u05dc\u05de\u05d9\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d7\u05db\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d9\u05d5\u05ea\u05e8 \u05de\u05de\u05d4 \u05e9\u05e9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05d0\u05ea \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc, \u201cThe irreligious people hate the frum Jews more than the gentiles hate the Jews\u201d (Pesachim 49b).It\u2019s a fact.We have to fight for our people and be the best of friends among ourselves because we\u2019re surrounded by enemies on all sides.\u05d1\u05db\u05dc \u05d3\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d5\u05d3\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e2\u05d5\u05de\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05dc\u05db\u05dc\u05d5\u05ea\u05e0\u05d5, everybody wants to overcome us.And therefore when we feel that we\u2019re all fighting together for one cause, forHashem Echad, we\u2019re all marching together in the same regiment against the same enemies, so it\u2019s easier to have a love for your fellow Jew.BE PROUD OF EACH OTHER!And so now we have learned the necessity of identifying with theAm Yisraelof today. But you have to identify.If you\u2019re ashamed of your people \u2013 of any of thefrummeh\u2013 then you\u2019re not identifying.You have to be proud of all of your people.That\u2019s important.And who are your people?All of us, all the good Jews.Not the liberals.They don\u2019t belong to us.Not the reformers, no.They\u2019re not proud of us, and we\u2019re not proud of them. They want to be like gentiles and they\u2019renichras mei\u2019amav.They\u2019re all cut offnebach.Pity on them.It\u2019s a tragedy.What can we do?But we don\u2019t want to identify with them.We don\u2019t identify with Ben Gurion, and not with Herzl. And not with anybody like them. \u05e2\u05de\u05da means \u05e2\u05d5\u05e9\u05d9 \u05de\u05e2\u05e9\u05d4 \u05e2\u05de\u05da, those who do the deeds of your people.That\u2019s what theAm Yisroelmeans.All the \u201cheroes\u201d that were not loyal to the Torah don\u2019t exist for us. We limit our love to thosewho serve Hashem, those who love Hashem, because that is the only glue that binds theAmYisroeltogether despite our differences.We identify with all observant Jews, whether they\u2019re Jews inTeimanor in Lakewood or inLubavitchor Bnei Brak or in Boro Park or Baltimore.Wherever they are, we identify with them.Whether they\u2019re Sephardi Jews, whether they\u2019re Syrian Jews, whether they\u2019re Egyptian Jews.All Jews that are loyal to the Torah, that\u2019s our people.That\u2019s theAm Echad, and we have to identify with them.It\u2019s important.You can\u2019t feel like he\u2019s a stranger.A Galicianer can\u2019t think, \u201cI\u2019m a stranger to a Hungarian Jew.\u201d No, we\u2019re not strangers to anybody if they\u2019re loyal Jews.It\u2019s very important for us to learn that.DO YOU WEAR A TOP HAT FOR YONTIF?So now theTeimanimcome with their robes and their turbans and the Jews come let\u2019s say from Canada with black hats.Some would come in with top hats yet.Some still wear top hats onyontif,silk hats.A man wearing a top silk hat and another man wearing a turban look at each other with the greatest respect.That\u2019s my brother.Anothershevet,allshivtei Kah,holy people.Ohhh, now we\u2019re talking! Because even though we all have our differences and our own lives, there always remains this glue of service of Hashem that binds us together in this kinship of brotherhood. It\u2019s much more than a blood line; it\u2019s a real bond, a bond of the mind, something that actually ties us together.We\u2019re not merely connected to each other by blood, by DNA.A fellow Jew is a brother who is \u05e2\u05de\u05d9\u05ea\u05da, he\u2019s \u05e2\u05de\u05da \u05d1\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d1\u05de\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea. Chazal tell us that \u05d0\u05d7\u05d9\u05da means \u05d0\u05d7\u05d9\u05da \u05d1\u05de\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea, \u201cyour brother in mitzvos.\u201d It\u2019s not merely a brother of the same ancestor; it\u2019s a brother of the same mind! With the same ideals and attitudes; he\u2019s your \u201cbrother in arms.\u201d Among ourselves, we have to be the best of friends. Because no matter where you are; you could be Jew in Australia, aSatmererin Williamsburg, or a Jew in Tel-Aviv, we\u2019re all in this world for one purpose, to serve Hakodosh Boruch Hu. When we feel that we\u2019re all fighting together for one cause, to serve Hashem, we\u2019re all marching together in the same regiment, so it\u2019s much easier to have a love for your fellow men. How much of an affection are you supposed to feel for brothers who are of one mind with you!MODEH B\u2019MIKTZASIS STILL SOMETHINGAll thekehillos, even the Modern Orthodox who are far away from what we consider the great ideals ofavodas Hashem, are our brothers. Absolutely! If a Jew is ashomermitzvos, he tries to keep themitzvos, then even though he doesn\u2019t exactly do everything the way we do it, he\u2019s still a brother. If he doesn\u2019t doaveiros, I don\u2019t care what kind ofyarmulkehhe wears. If he wears a knittedyarmulkehor if he wears something else, he\u2019s still my brother. Even a small littleyarmulkeh,so he\u2019s \u201camodeh b\u2019miktzas,\u201dbut he\u2019s still one of ours. A person who keepstaharashamishpacha, he eats kosher, he sends his children toyeshivaand not public school, he\u2019s ashomer Shabbos, he hasmezuzoson his doors \u2013 so a person like that is our brother, and don\u2019t make any mistake about it. And you love him like any other Jew.Now, don\u2019t misquote me; I\u2019m not saying that the modern orthodox man has to be your brother in the sense that you\u2019ll move into the same house as him. It doesn\u2019t mean that you should associate with him if you don\u2019t have to.That\u2019s something else altogether. If your brother has the flu, you don\u2019t want to be too close to him because it\u2019s contagious. But you still love him, no less. Over here, in this place, we say that we want to associate only with the best onesbecause we want to be the best.But when you see another frum Jew on the street, any frum Jew, he\u2019syour brotherin the most literal sense of the word. And you have amitzvahof \u05d5\u05d0\u05d4\u05d1\u05ea \u05dc\u05e8\u05e2\u05da \u05db\u05de\u05d5\u05da \u2013 you have amitzvahto love him. That\u2019s how to think about your fellow Jew. And even though he follows a different rebbe, or a different set of political objectives, nevertheless, don\u2019t lose sight of the fact that fundamentally he belongs to your people and that therefore you\u2019re obligated, to think well of him, to recognize him as your brother, and to love him.TRY TO SEE FROM HIS VIEWPOINTThat\u2019s what it means \u05dc\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05dd \u05ea\u05d4\u05d0 \u05d3\u05e2\u05ea\u05d5 \u05e9\u05dc \u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u05de\u05e2\u05d5\u05e8\u05d1\u05ea \u05e2\u05dd \u05d4\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u2013 A person\u2019s mind always should be united \u2013mi\u2019urevesmeans joined \u2013 with the minds of other people (Kesubos 17a). Now this I mentioned here more than once that it doesn\u2019t mean you have to yield when somebody is doing something wrong; it doesn\u2019t mean you should stand down when someone is doing sins. But when you happen to like one thing and somebody else is enthusiastic about something else, and you have no interest in that thing, don\u2019t belittle it. Try to agree with people. Always try to see things from the other man\u2019s side.Your mind is different \u2013 and Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants you to keep your mind. And his mind is different \u2013 and Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants him to keep his mind. But Hashem brought you together now just for the purpose of benefiting the both of you. That\u2019s theshleimusof both of you.So if you walk in the streets and you see Jewish boys with yarmulkes and black hats coming out of theyeshivasor buses carrying children toyeshivos,so your heart should overflow with happiness.You\u2019re looking at your people! Or you see a group offrumgirls dressedb\u2019tzniuscoming out of the Bais Yaakov schools, walking with decency, and wearing long skirts. It\u2019s a pleasure to see!Your heart is full of happiness to see theAm Hashem.You walk through blocks and blocks and see fathers with children going to thebeis hakenesesand you love to see it.Your heart swells with pride and happiness.You love your people.Hashem wants that.Some people are so happy when they see Jews.They just weep with joy when they see the Jewish people.My people,ami.THAT BOY WAS RUNNING TOWARDS HASHEMI\u2019ll tell you a little story.There was a boy in Chicago.A true story \u2013 I won\u2019t say his name but today he\u2019s an important personality. He lived in a gentile neighborhood. He was a young boy and his heart yearned for his people so one day he got up, took a long walk to the east side of Chicago, to the Jewish neighborhood. And as he saw a Jewish child walking in the street, he burst into tears. This boy burst into tears.He was so emotionally happy.\u2018Ahh!My people.\u201d He felt connected to his people.A boy like that is headed towards not just people.He\u2019s headed towards Hakadosh Baruch Hu.That\u2019s why it does you very good to walk through Boro Park.Bigmezuzosone after the other.Blocks and blocks of Jewish houses. And you\u2019re thinking as you walk, \u201cI\u2019m walking among my people. \u05d1\u05ea\u05d5\u05da \u05e2\u05de\u05d9 \u05d0\u05e0\u05db\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d5\u05e9\u05d1\u05ea. It\u2019s my people and I love them. I don\u2019t care what hat he wears or what group he belongs to, it\u2019s all my people!\u201dYou can\u2019t even imagine what an opportunity you\u2019re missing by not making use of this feeling ofachvah,of brotherly camaraderie, that is available to you all the time. The next time you walk intoshuland you see theAm Yisroelgathering todavento Hashem, you should put your mind to work: \u201cThis is my nation! My brothers! And we all share the common purpose of serving Hashem.\u201dAnd when you\u2019re shopping in the kosher supermarket and it\u2019s crowded, and the lines are long \u2013 those are precious moments! You\u2019re looking down the aisles and all you can see are your \u201cbrothers and sisters\u201d.Women, men, children, all buying kosher food. That\u2019s a nation dedicated with a singular heart to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05d4\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc\u05d0 \u05dc\u05d1 \u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05dc\u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd \u05e9\u05d1\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u2013 \u201cThe wholeAm Yisroelhas but one heart devoted to their Father in Heaven\u201d (Sukkah 45b). It\u2019s not just poetry; that\u2019s actually the greatness of theAm Yisroelthat binds us as brothers.THIS IS A CAREERNow this is not a small thing that you heard tonight.It\u2019s a career.You have to be serious of course.You have to not only hear it, hearing is very important, you have to try to practice it.Now even though you do it a little bit, it\u2019s a tremendous achievement.If you\u2019ll think once a week about it, once a week, for two minutes on the subject of achieving a certain respect and love for kol hachaim, for all of your fellow Jews, then you know that you came to this world for a purpose!Now, all this might seem little queer for those who don\u2019t know their purpose in the world. So when you go outside later and they\u2019ll ask you, \u201cWhat did Rabbi Miller speak about tonight?\u201d So you\u2019ll say, \u201cHe told us to love our fellow Jew.\u201d They\u2019ll laugh at you: \u201cWhat\u2019s thechiddush? Who doesn\u2019t know that?!\u201d But the truth iswho does it?! Who thinks about it? If he loves, he loves; if not, what could he do already? He\u2019spatur,he thinks. But no, we\u2019re learning tonight that you have to work on loving theAm Yisroel,with an intense love. And you\u2019ll do it by first of all recognizing that we\u2019re anAm Echad.You have a big career ahead of you because when it says \u05d5\u05d0\u05d4\u05d1\u05ea \u05dc\u05e8\u05e2\u05da \u05db\u05de\u05d5\u05da, it doesn\u2019t mean that you should tolerate him, or even that you should get along with him. It means that you should generate aahavah,a love, a real love, for your fellow Jew. You have to understand how far away we really are from even beginning such anavodah.Of course, we\u2019re willing to say that we agree with the idea. Maybe someday we\u2019ll even come around to it. But we won\u2019t. You won\u2019t come around to it unless you start doing something about it. And when a person begins to understand that, and feel a little bit of love for all of his fellowovdei Hashem, then he has achieved the perfection that Hashem expected from him since that day many years ago when He prepared twelve separate springs inEilimfor theAm Yisroel.It\u2019s the perfection of choosing for yourself the good from all theshevatim, as well as the perfection of feeling a love, a real affection, for all those different than you. And those two methods ofshleimus, are the main purpose of why Hakodosh Boruch Hu brought you into this world of the twelve differentshevatim.HAVE A WONDERFUL SHABBOSGo Back See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.