This week I toured the United Nations together with 12 IDF soldiers who were wounded while protecting Israel's freedom. It's no secret that Israel and IDF soldiers are highly unpopular at the UN. In fact, right outside we saw a large sign about the Holocaust, and right next to it another sign likening Israel's "crimes" to the atrocities of the Holocaust.
This is the place that the Lubavitcher Rebbe called a house of lies.
In 1984 the Rebbe told Benjamin Netanyahu, "Remember that in a hall of perfect darkness, if you light one small candle, its precious light will be seen from afar, by everyone. Your mission is to light a candle of truth for the Jewish people."
I was glad to have the opportunity to visit the UN with the IDF soldiers, bringing our own light to this hall of darkness.
The midrash compares the Jewish nation to a lone sheep among 70 wolves. Indeed, we are surrounded by those who wish to destroy us, which is more apparent than ever at the UN.
In this week's Haftara we read about the prophet Jeremiah who led the Jewish people in the years leading up the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the people—at a time of immense spiritual darkness.
Jeremiah did not feel equipped for the task, protesting, “Alas, O L‑rd G‑d! Behold, I know not to speak, for I am a youth.”
G‑d reassured Jeremiah, promising to grant him the power to lead through the tempest: “Say not, ‘I am a youth,’ for wherever I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.”
Like Jeremiah, we often question our ability to bring light and spiritual warmth to the world. But we know that G-d's words of reassurance apply to us too.
Each and every soul is like a prophet, carrying the Divine message to this world. Each of us has the power to inspire all those we touch. We were sent to the world to do just that.