In this week’s Torah portion of Toldot, we celebrate the birth of Eisav and Yaakov. It would probably be fair to say that the only thing the two brothers shared in common was a date of birth, for while Yaakov chose to learn all day in his tent, Eisav diligently devoted himself to the murder and violation of all those around him.
Chassidic thought views Torah not as a mere history book, but rather as a timeless guide for every Jew, directing him toward a life of meaning and fulfilment. The twins thus represent the two inclinations that comprise each individual. Both the beastly soul and the G-dly soul desire exclusive dominion over the body, and each uses the organs at hand to achieve this purpose. While the G-dly soul attempts to steer the legs in the direction of shul, the beastly soul wishes to divert them toward stealing from the hot dog vendor. The brain is utilized by the G-dly soul to absorb words of Torah just as the beastly soul tries to use it to drink in criticism of others.
Unfortunately the ongoing clash between good and evil exists on a global scale as well. Today I found myself on a live battlefield as the largest and most powerful spiritual army in the world gathered to celebrate the annual Chabad Shluchim Convention which takes place in Brooklyn every Rosh Chodesh Kislev.
Picture the scene: four thousand rabbis gathering together for four days of workshops, meetings and seminars. A weekend filled with inspiration and warmth, a time to recharge their batteries and re-energize themselves so that they can continue giving back to their communities worldwide. Talk about combat training! Yesterday I drove to the Ohel to meet my father who had flown in especially from South Africa. As soon as I got out of my car, I bumped into a classmate who is now the chief rabbi of Estonia. While chatting with him, an old friend currently stationed in Sydney slapped me on the back. As I turned to greet him, a colleague from Cape Town began to unload his luggage from the next car.
You can imagine the deep sense of unity prevalent in the air. Crown Heights is literally swarming with rabbis and leaders of communities all over the world. During a conversation with a friend from Thailand, he shares his concern with me about his daughter’s education as there are no Jewish schools in Bangkok. Another rabbi from Zhitomir describes the intimidating incidents of anti-Semitism. Each one has his own challenges and obstacles to overcome, but together we make up an army fighting for a single purpose: to make the world a better place, to bring Moshiach closer.
Many times it seems that the other side has the upper hand, using merciless tactics to reach its goal. Whether they rain bullets on us or UPS bombs to our institutions, we will keep on fighting back. Because as long as they devote themselves to fanning the flames of hatred and seeking out innocent victims on which to let it out on, we will continue our pursuit of all that is good and sacred until we reach the ultimate triumph of good over evil. And we will prevail.