Every Person is a Diamond
Pictured: The Rebbe is seen giving a dollar to a young child seeking a blessing
A recent survey of millennials has revealed troubling statistics regarding how young adults perceive themselves compared to their peers and older generations. Surprisingly, eight out of ten participants believe they are not "good enough" in various aspects of their lives. Additionally, three-quarters of the respondents admit to feeling constantly overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed in their careers, establish meaningful relationships, and meet others' expectations.
While some respondents attribute these feelings to external pressures from social media, friends, or family members, a significant percentage acknowledged that they impose an unfair amount of pressure on themselves to achieve. Given the abundance of opportunities and resources available to our generation, what causes such widespread discontent and feelings of inadequacy in our society?
Perhaps the solution lies in introspection, rather than solely seeking external sources of accomplishments and success to boost our self-esteem. How can we cultivate a genuine sense of inherent worth and self-value within ourselves and future generations?
You may be familiar with the phrase "E Pluribus Unum" (i.e. "Out of many, one"), which is displayed on each U.S. dollar bill. This motto aligns closely with the values and teachings of Judaism. We must first acknowledge that each of us has a unique purpose and possesses inherent value and only then can we truly come together and unite with one another.
In 1986, the Rebbe, Rabbi M.M. Schneerson, began conducting a weekly "receiving line." Each Sunday, the Rebbe would stand in a small room near his office as thousands of men, women and children from all walks of life filed past to see him and receive his blessing. Many used the opportunity to pose a question and receive a word of advice. To each of them the Rebbe gave a dollar bill, appointing them as his personal agent (Shaliach) to give it to a charity of their choice.
Why the dollar? The Rebbe explained his custom by stating: "When two people meet, something good should result for a third." The Rebbe wished to elevate each of the thousands of encounters of the day to something more than a meeting of two individuals; he wanted that each should involve the performance of a mitzvah, particularly a mitzvah that also benefits another individual.
A most amazing phenomenon was reported by all who came for "Sunday Dollars." The Rebbe, well into his ninth decade at the time, would stand for as long as eight hours without interruption. Yet in the few seconds that he or she was with the Rebbe, each visitor felt that the Rebbe was there only for them. It was as though he or she were the only visitor of the day.
Once, an elderly woman could not contain herself and burst out: "Rebbe, How do you do it? How is it that you do not tire?" The Rebbe smiled and replied: "Every soul is a diamond. Can one grow tired of counting diamonds”?
By using the analogy of a diamond to describe the value of an individual, the Rebbe is telling us that regardless of externals, every person is a true diamond, the toughest substance in existence. Everyone has a divine soul (Neshama) and regardless of behavior and outward appearance, every soul remains intact. Unconquerable. We must identify the Neshama-diamond and reach for it with unconditional love. To fulfill its purpose, the diamond needs to be excavated, cut and polished. This is the mission with which every one of us has been charged.
In this week’s Torah portion, Bamidbar, we learn about G-d’s instruction to Moses and Aharon regarding taking a census of the Jewish people.
Being that G-d is the creator of the universe and is intimately involved in every detail of the world, He of course knows all that transpires. So why would He need a census? One of the foremost commentators, Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki), explains, “because they were dear to Him, He counted them often”.
Counting something is a way of showing that we value it. By counting how much of something we possess, we express how much each unit of the aggregate whole adds to the value of the whole and how indispensable each unit is to the whole.
In this census, the fact that each Jew counted for one—neither more nor less—indicates that every Jew is equally dear to G-d, as an individual. Every Jew possesses this invaluable worth by virtue of his or her unique soul-essence. By virtue of this essence, which the simplest Jew possesses no less than did Moses, all Jews are all equally G-d’s children. When we recognize this, we, too, will cherish and never dismiss or overlook any individual.
Chaim Groisman, a past resident of the Caribbean island of Curaçao, recounted a period in the 1980s when his son faced anti-Semitic incidents at his Protestant school. After a series of events, Chaim received assistance from the Rebbe through his emissaries.
Expressing his gratitude in a heartfelt letter, Chaim thanks the Rebbe for extending help to "a small Jew" in a remote location. In response, the Rebbe wrote back, emphasizing that "there is no such thing as a small Jew," as we each contain a divine soul which is a “part of G-d” and that a Jew should never underestimate their immense potential ( see here for the more on this story).
Next week we will be celebrating the holiday of Shavuot when we commemorate and relive the very moments when we stood at the foot of Mount Sinai to receive the Torah over three thousand years ago. It is customary to listen to the reading of the Ten Commandments in Synagogue and eat dairy foods (see here for more on these traditions).
The Torah portion of Bamidbar, which discusses the census, is always read prior to Shavuot. This is to serve as a reminder that at Mount Sinai, each of us, without exception, was chosen and entrusted with a special mission to fuse together the spiritual and physical and create a home for G-d in this world through the teachings of the Torah and performance of Mitzvot. On Shavuot, we were transformed into a holy and united nation. In order to fulfill our responsibility, we must recognize that each of us is an indispensable part of the Jewish people.
The Torah depicts the Jewish people's encampment at the base of Mount Sinai, eagerly awaiting the receiving of the Torah, as being "like one man with one heart." By acknowledging our inherent self-worth, we can genuinely come together and unite as a cohesive nation.
We have the responsibility to educate ourselves, our families and our friends to recognize the G-dly potential we each possess and to utilize it to transform this world, one Mitzvah at a time.
As Maimonides famously states, “the entire year, a person should always look at himself as equally balanced between merit and sin and the world as equally balanced between merit and sin… if he performs one mitzvah, he tips his balance and that of the entire world to the side of merit and brings deliverance and salvation to himself and others”.
Just as the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai united as one, so too, let us unite and prepare the world for the ultimate Redemption with the coming of Moshiach when all nations will live in peace and prosperity.
