See the Good in Others and Through This Receive the Torah

"And Israel encamped there before the mountain" (19:2)

What is the secret of the unity of the Jewish people? Why is it that specifically at the revelation at Mount Sinai it is said "And Israel encamped there" in the singular form? Rashi reveals to us the depth of the meaning – "as one man with one heart." But when it comes to the enemies of Israel, the order is reversed: "with one heart as one man." What is the essential difference between the unity of Israel and the unity of the nations of the world? The following article by our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, dives into the depth of the matter and presents a unique perspective on the power of love for Israel, the importance of mutual responsibility, and the inseparable connection between the Jewish people and their Torah.

These are his holy words shlit"a:

The Essential Difference Between the Unity of Israel and the Unity of the Nations of the World

"'And Israel encamped there' (in the singular), Rashi says 'as one man with one heart,' whereas in Parashat Beshalach, Rashi interprets the verse 'And behold, Egypt was traveling after them' (in the singular), 'with one heart as one man.' Why, regarding the Egyptians, does Rashi place the heart before the body, 'with one heart as one man'? While regarding the Jews, Rashi places the body before the heart, 'as one man with one heart'? Are we people of the body? Is the Jewish people a people of materialism? And are the Gentiles people of the heart, people of spirit?! This is exactly the opposite! We are people of the heart and they are people of the body! Rather, it is brought in the 'Ma'ayanei HaTorah' that when they mean 'one heart' regarding the Egyptians, they do not mean a spiritual heart, but rather the specific will of the Egyptians, the will that unites all the nations of the world, all the wicked, the specific will to kill, destroy, and annihilate the entire Jewish people; this is the thing that unites everyone, that makes them united! This is the 'one heart' of the Egyptians! Not that they have a heart—they have no heart at all! They are heartless! But they have one will, one heart, one goal, one single intention in which everyone participates without any differences of opinion or divisions of thought; all the Gentiles, all the nations of the world, all want to destroy the Jewish people, all want there to be an 'Auschwitz,' all are waiting for when they will slaughter this people? This is the one heart of all the nations of the world without exception."

The Unity of Israel – One Body with One Soul

"But regarding the Jewish people, it is said 'And Israel encamped there'; the Jewish people is one man! It is one body! All Jews are one body! This is the reality! We are all one! The Jewish people is one man with 248 limbs and 365 sinews! And everyone is a part of the body, an organ in the body; this is a head, this is a hand, this is a foot, this is a finger, this is this sinew, this is this skin—it is all one man, one body. The Jewish people is complete unity; all of the Jewish people is one soul, one body! A person is not prepared to give up any part of his body; he will not give up even a finger! He will not give up even a fingernail! He will not give up anything! Even if they tell him, 'What will happen if we cut off your finger? It’s not so bad, one-third of a finger less, what will happen? You are a strong, heroic man, what will this third of a finger help you?' Certainly, he will say—I will not give up even a third of a finger! Not even a point of a finger! Likewise, it is impossible to give up on any Jew; one must love every single Jew with heart and soul."

The Secret of Grace and Mutual Annulment Among the Jewish People

"'And Israel encamped there,' says Rabbi Yitzchak of Vorki, that everyone found grace in the eyes of the other, everyone saw the grace of the other, everyone was nullified to the other, everyone saw the beauty of the other, the virtue of the other, the greatness of the other, everyone saw how the other was better than him, how he was more of a tzaddik than him, how he was holier than him. 'And Israel encamped there' as one man! Everyone wanted the joy of the other, the success of the other, the good of the other, and through this, they received the Torah."

"The entire work of a person is love for Israel, it is love for friends, to be one man! To be nullified in existence! Everyone needs to feel the pain of the other, what hurts the other, not to do anything that could cause him pain, not to cause any pain to any person in the world. One must love every Jew with heart and soul, not to speak about any Jew! Even if this Jew causes you all the suffering in the world, all the troubles in the world, all the blows in the world, you will not fail! You will not open your mouth! You will not utter a sound from your mouth!"

Love for Friends – The Key to Understanding the Torah and Connecting to the Rebbe

"The Jewish people is one thing, it is one body! If you injure yourself, Heaven forbid, would you hate the organ that injured the other organ? Certainly not! You must know that this Jew is a diamond in the crown of Hashem! Because, after all, he puts on tefillin every morning, he keeps Shabbat, he learns Torah, he rises for Chatzot; you should know that all the words he speaks about you come only to sweeten the judgments upon you! It comes to atone for all your sins! On the contrary, it comes to prepare you to be a vessel for the Torah."

"The moment there is no love for friends, it is impossible to reach any level in the world; the moment there is no love for friends, the Torah itself burns the person, because the vessel to receive the Torah is only love for friends, unconditional love."

"One must know that whoever is truly connected to the Rebbe, the first thing for him is love for friends; he loves every Jew with heart and soul, and specifically he will merit to understand the Rebbe! He will merit to continue the path of the Rebbe in the world. A person has the strength to go and work 24 hours to bring parnassah to his home, and this is the proof that a person has the strength to sacrifice his life for the sake of another."

True Perfection – Inclusion in the Entirety of Israel

"A person becomes a reality, to be existent, only when he is included in others! Because the concept of 'I' does not exist at all! The concept of 'I' only exists when I can be included in the other; everyone is one unit, it is one soul, there is no 'alone'! There is no 'one'! If a person becomes 'one' [isolated], then he has cut himself off from everyone, he is nullified in existence, he does not exist. When does a person become an 'I'? Only when he can sacrifice his life for the sake of the other, because the reality is only the collective and Hashem; there is no individual! Every individual by himself is null and void, he is not, he is an illusion."

The True Reality – Giving to the Collective and Not to Oneself

"All our work, all the Torah and mitzvot, is only to give to the collective! To give to everyone! When a person separates himself from the collective and worries only about himself, in this he becomes non-existent; he has erased himself from the world! A person becomes a reality, to be existent, only according to his inclusion in the collective and in God, because the only reality is the collective and God is the only reality! Everyone needs to know that at the moment he thinks only about himself and worries only about himself, then he is not, and he does not exist! And conversely, when he forgets about himself and worries about others and loves everyone and does not speak about anyone and thinks about the collective and about God, then he exists!"