THE JEWISH COMMUNITY; NOTHING QUITE LIKE IT!
The Maharal teaches us that HaShem did not give the Torah to Avraham, Yitzchok or Yaakov because they were mortal. They would pass on. The Torah is immortal and must therefore be placed in the hands of an immortal custodian. For this reason HaShem waited for the children of the former to develop into a nation. A nation / a community can be an immortal entity.
It is for this reason the power of a community/nation is so great; it is the mechanism by which HaShem was able to bequeath His Torah to Humanity. Through the community of Israel Mankind has Torah in their midst.
Our Sages say “The tzibur (community) does not die” “The tzibur is not poor”. When men unite to form a solid community to which every member commits himself, there is no stopping them; they are invincible, they are immortal. It is to them that HaShem can entrust His Torah.
Nimrod, the leader of all Mankind in the period preceding Avraham, recognized the strength of the community and utilized it for his benefit. Our Parsha tells us how Nimrod organized all of Man to build a metropolis with a tall tower in the middle. It was the first type of globalization. The purpose of this tower was to con-trol the population to ensure that nobody leaves the region. He understood that once a fissure occurs and just a few people leave the community, it will begin to unravel.
Our Parsha tells us how HaShem was displeased with this community and dispersed it. What was wrong with it and how is this any different that our concept of community?
To answer this question we must ask ourselves “What was the purpose of Nimrod’s community?” It is true that community is powerful and HaShem desires that Man have a community but for what purpose?
Nimrod’s community was self-serving. Nimrod built a community to “make a Name for ourselves”. The community used the resources of the individual to build a community but it was not intended to serve the individual. Quite to the contrary, the individual was there to serve the community. The Midrash tells us how they mourned if a brick fell and broke but they did not mourn if a man fell and died. The community was not built to recognize HaShem or to bring its members closer to recognizing HaShem. It was built to create a Name for itself. Effectively, Nimrod created this most powerful instrument, community, for its self-perpetuation.
Let us contrast Nimrod’s community to the Jewish nation, which is the community that HaShem chose in place of Nimrod’s. HaShem cares for every individual. He desires that every individual have their own personal relationship with Him. That relationship is built through the Torah that He entrusted to the hands of the Jewish nation. As we mentioned earlier, only a nation could be entrusted with the Torah. Hence, the role of the community is to serve the individual. The community is the custodian of the Torah and preserves it for every individual member. Only through the community can we approach the Torah. Every Jew needs the community but the community is not the end. She is only the means. As much as we value community we do not place our belief in her. Our belief is in HaShem and our community is the one who gets us there.
This past week and a half a close member of my family was hospitalized and I experienced first-hand the incredible strength of the community from Hatzalah to Bikur Cholim, from WellTab to private individuals. If you are fortunate to be a member of HaShem’s community, enjoy! You are so lucky! In addition to all the benefits, use it to connect to HaShem Himself.
Have a most wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind