I have amazing news: Not everyone hates us. Some people like us. This week, 100 Texan farmers went to Israel to help in the kibbutzim (collective communities). They found out that the men had to go to the army to fight, unfortunately, in Gaza and on the northern border. So there was a void of manpower in the kibbutzim, and some Christian Texans decided to go and help. This is unbelievable. I personally have a fund to help Israel, and I’ve had several Christian groups decide to help and send substantial amounts of money to help. It’s incredible.
Do they hate us or love us? There’s nothing in the middle. Either you love the Jew or you hate the Jew. There’s nothing in the middle. Why in the world is that? What’s happening? In Parashat Vayetze (And he went out), HaKadosh Baruch Hu promises Yaakov Avinu (our forefather Jacob) that he’s going to be the father of a great nation. We know the story with the 12 stones and the one stone. I’ll come back to this later.
In the meantime, we know that earlier, HaKadosh Baruch Hu already promised to Avraham Avinu (our forefather Abraham), ve'e'escha legoy gadol, I am going to make you into a great nation. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretation) over there asked a question. Avraham Avinu came to Hashem and said, “There are already 70 nations of the world. You don’t need me.” A second question: We know that Klal Yisrael (the Jewish people) is not a goy gadol, is not a big nation. It’s a very small nation. Why are we called goy gadol?
Here comes the twist. Gadol doesn’t mean big. Gadol means something else. We know that the first time the word gadol is used is when you have two luminaries in the Torah, in the universe. You have the sun and the moon. The sun is called ma'or ha-gadol, the great luminary. The moon is called ma'or ha-katan. Ma'or ha-katan, the small luminary. The Gemara asks, “Why is one called the big one and the other one the small one?” The Gemara says big has nothing to do with the size. Big has everything to do with the function. The sun provides light. The moon receives light, but doesn’t have light to provide because it doesn’t have its own light. This means that the definition of gadol doesn’t mean big, but means that you have something that you share. That’s what gadol is.
When Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) becomes gadol, he goes and makes sure that his brothers are okay. When a baby is born, what do we say? We give him a Beracha (blessing): Zeh ha-katan (little one) gadol yihyeh. May this little kid become gadol. Gadol is the equivalent of an adult. So when he becomes an adult, you could come and say, “I gave him that blessing. That was my prediction. He became an adult.” Come on, everybody becomes an adult. No. So it doesn’t mean that this katan becomes a gadol. It means that this individual who doesn’t care for others will one day become a provider for others. Gadol now is a provider, somebody who cares for other people, somebody who has a responsibility and shares his responsibility with the world. The Midrash says that’s what it is.
Clearly, Israel has a function and mission. The mission is to care for the world. Hashem gave a special neshama (soul) to Bnei Yisrael (the children of Israel), to be able to share that, to be a light to the world, to be a light unto the nations, to be able to show the example in many, many, many different areas of life. That’s the function of the Jewish people.
And now about the recipient. Sometimes it’s humbling, but sometimes you receive it well. Jordan Peterson says it: You could love the Jew because he has so many things to bring to the world, but you could hate the Jew because he has so many things that he brings to the world. That’s what it is.
So now we may understand the detail in the Bible, in the story of Yaakov Avinu. Yaakov has this dream. He takes 12 stones and they become one, which is a sign that he’s going to be the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Midrash asks the question: Why would it be the opposite? He should have taken one stone that becomes 12 stones to show that he’s going to be the father of the 12 tribes. The answer is no. The essence of the Klal Yisrael is to take 12 stones and become one. How do you take 12 stones and become one stone? When each stone gives from itself to the other one, they bind together, they bond together, and they become one. That’s the essence of the Klal Yisrael.