Beyond language and geography…writes Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
This past Sunday night I attended the annual Kinus Hashluchim (conference of Chabad emissaries) banquet together with 4000 colleagues from around the world.
Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
Together with many friends and supporters, the energy in the room was powerful and the atmosphere amazing.
A colleague and I sat at a table with people we did not know. There were representatives from France, Argentina, Israel, New York and Australia all around one table. We didn’t know each other nor did we have a common language (with Yiddish and Hebrew we managed).Yet there was an instant connection, friendship and comradery. We were all there for one purpose driven and motivated by the same mission, inspired by the same teachings and headed towards the same destination.
There is nothing greater than friendship and unity. But superficial commonality can only guarantee a limited bond. It is shared values and common ideals that bind two people together at a deeper level.
Many relationships are like my banquet table (just not to the same extreme). As the Talmud states: “Just as no two people look alike, so too no two individuals think alike.” We all express things differently and view the world and the reality of our experiences from our own unique perspective.
We should respect our differences rather than trying to minimise them. But more importantly we need to reflect on our values in the background. We need to question our overall purpose and goals that bring meaning and depth into our lives.
It is those shared principles that bring vitality, focus and longevity to our relationships.
when will the mission include expelling publicly.members that have acted to hide and condone child molestation.
the jewish Australian public are watching with lack of trust
ben