Superstars – Lech L’cha
How many Jews are there?
The demographers try hard to answer the question and whatever answers they come up with they all agree that we are considerably fewer than pre-Holocaust, when there were 18 million Jews.
So how can we equate the facts with this week’s sidra which promises Abraham that his descendants will be beyond enumeration – the dust of the earth, the stars of heaven and the sand on the seashore?
Rav Moshe Feinstein interprets the passages as hints not of quantity but quality. What he says, somewhat adapted, is that sand is the border of the sea that protects us from being engulfed by the waters; similarly if we serve God properly we will be protected from annihilation.
Dust brings benefit to human beings because it contains minerals and raw materials; thus the Jewish people brings benefit to mankind by teaching the world about God and morality.
Stars are elevated above the earth; our aim in history is that the nations will look up to the mountain of the House of the Lord (Isaiah 2, Micah 4) and join us in worshipping the Almighty in Jerusalem, “For our of Zion will go forth the Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
Would we be better off if we had quantity as well, hopefully, as quality?
There are those who say the time has come to mount an outreach to the world and be more active in seeking converts. Others say we already have a large enough task in making our own Jews from Jewish. Everybody agrees that whether people officially convert or not, by discovering the moral principles of Judaism they will bring blessing to themselves and the world.
