After the Simchat Torah attack, we wanted to believe that the internal tensions had been healed and we all internalized that we are one people, standing against an enemy that does not distinguish between Jews.
Unfortunately, some are trying to reignite the flames of controversy, to exaggerate their statements and set the streets ablaze. The masses of the people look on in astonishment and frustration, asking what can be done.
In times like these, it is good to return to the candle of unity that the Lubavitcher Rebbe carried in times no less tense. The Rebbe began his leadership when tensions between parts of the nation were at their peak. The charges of anger between the communities were great and explosive. Many thought there was no way to bridge the gaps.
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But the Rebbe offered a different perspective. Not to look at the exterior but to the interior. The exterior image does indeed create a gap that is seemingly difficult to bridge. The differences in worldviews and lifestyles seem like a gaping abyss between us. But if we peel back the exterior layers, we will discover an inner point that connects us all.
Treasures of goodness
We must look at the soul of every Jew. Even someone whose outward appearance is hard and prickly is soft and gentle inside. Even someone who despises all matters of faith believes in his heart. Even someone who appears to be evil-doing has a divine soul in him, a part of God from above. This inner point is our truth, not the outer veil.
The murky wave that has erupted now does not reflect who we really are. It is triggered by certain factors, and it will pass, and it will soon become clear that there is more that unites than divides. Let us not be dragged along by the heated and blunt discourse. We are one people, with treasures of love and kindness, of giving and helping others. The inner diamond is sometimes covered in dust, but beneath the dust lies the shining diamond.
This does not mean that we should give up our positions. The Rebbe stood by his principles and did not deviate from them in the slightest. Yet he also accepted with love and kindness those who held opinions completely opposite to his own. He separated a person's opinions and actions from the person himself.
The Rebbe taught us to use clean language. Not only to avoid offensive words, but even to stay away from expressions with negative connotations. The Rebbe used to say, 'Turn the blessing around,' 'Turn the good around,' 'Turn the life around;' so as not to give negative words any reality, not even in speech.
Eligible day
On Friday, the 11th of Nisan, we will mark the day the Rebbe's holy soul descended into the world, one hundred and twenty-two years ago. It is a righteous day, a day of joy and awakening, a day of thanksgiving to God Almighty. It is a day on which it is fitting for each and every one to awaken the memory of the personal contact they had with the Rebbe, and to be strengthened by studying his Torah and walking in his ways.
Let us strive to open a new page in our lives of love for Israel, seeking the virtues of others, finding the common denominator that unites us. With this approach, we will reach solutions to the important questions in our lives much more quickly, and we will celebrate true freedom not only on Passover but all year long.
