Three thousand and thirty-seven years ago, a great event took place, unparalleled in history – the Mount Sinai Apparition. This was the one and only time that the Creator of the world revealed himself to an entire people and gave them His Torah. Millions of people witnessed the sublime event, hence its power.
Thousands of years have passed since then, and Judaism remains the religion of the few. If it is indeed the true religion, why hasn't it swept the entire world after it?
There is no point in encouraging conversion.
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Two answers to this. First, Judaism is not intended for all of humanity. The 313 commandments were given to the people of Israel only, not to the nations of the world. We also have no interest in encouraging conversion. If a Gentile seeks to join the Jewish people, we are commanded to try to reject him, and only if we discover that his intentions are sincere and strong should he be accepted.
Second, the truth of Judaism has indeed reached all of humanity. There is a universal, all-human part of Judaism: belief in one God and the commandments known as the 'Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah.' These are intended for every human being, and they have indeed reached all of humanity – from within Judaism.
The event at Mount Sinai took place at a time when the entire world was worshipping idols. The Jewish people were the only ones who believed in one God, a Creator who had no body or image of the body. This was a belief that humanity, in those days, was unable to accept.
Years passed and this recognition slowly permeated most of humanity. This was done largely by the other monotheistic religions, which took the idea of belief in one God from Judaism and spread it among hundreds of millions of people. It is clear that these religions added distortions and distortions to this basic belief, but in practice, through them, belief in the Creator of the world became the property of all humanity.
Today it is easy to see that the divine revelation that took place on the Feast of Shavuot has virtually conquered the entire world. The universal message in the religion of Israel has reached the consciousness of all humanity. We are no longer few in our belief in one God. The entire world has renounced idolatry and has come to recognize the idea of divine unity.
Towards the repair of the world
We do not need the world's support for our faith, but we have a great interest in it. At Mount Sinai we were commanded to bring the idea of the 'Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah' to the consciousness of all mankind. This is also part of the mission expected to take place in the days of the Messiah – "to reform the entire world to worship God together," as Maimonides said about the role of the Messiah.
As humanity becomes more mature to this idea, we understand that the time of redemption is drawing closer and closer.
We, the Jews, are destined to play a central role in preparing the world for its destiny. It is our duty to bring the 'Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah' to all humanity, and this is part of our role as "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Just as the priests in the people of Israel are responsible for projecting values of holiness and spirituality upon the entire nation, so is the role of the Jewish people to be a light to the nations in a spiritual sense.
This is the true meaning of our being a 'special people.' There is no arrogance here, God forbid, but a deep commitment to values, holiness, and spirituality. It is a demand of ourselves and an acknowledgment of the great role that rests upon us. We must project the values of faith to the entire world and prepare it for its complete redemption very soon.
