Dvar Torah

BY RABBI STEVEN BURG

One of the most well-known and basic tenets of Judaism is the belief in one God. Monotheism is our most primary and central contribution to humanity. Every AMIT student knows fi rst and foremost the Shema prayer; “Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad.” God is one.

The fi rst commandment brought to the Jewish people when Moses descended Har Sinai was: “Anochi Hashem Elokecha, asher hotzeitcha m’eretz Mitzrayim;” I am Hashem, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt. (Sefer Shemot, Parashat Yitro) Belief in one God, monotheism, is the basic tenet of our faith and our the Jewish people’s most primary and central contribution to humanity.

This commandment establishes for the ages the singularity of God, setting the stage for all that Judaism stands for. Yet Hashem includes in this primary, introductory, expansive, and universal mitzvah, the very specifi c detail of His taking us out of Egypt. While His presence is infi nite and universal, this declaration includes one concrete and specifi c moment in time. Why bring this to the forefront now?

Rabbi Yitzchak Mi Kurbil, one of the early Ba’alei haTosafos from the early 1300s, known as the SMaK for his writings in Sefer Mitzvos HaKatan, explains that the fi rst mitzvah is belief in God (Emunah). However, it is more than that. The commandment includes knowing with steadfast faithfulness that He has a plan for the world. Hashem told our forefathers that bringing us down to Egypt was a part of His plan — as was His taking us out as a nation. This reminder points to our constant need to know and understand that the world’s unfolding is by design. This acknowledgment — which sometimes gets overlooked — is central to the mitzvah of Emunah. To take this even one step further, the power of faith in Hashem’s existence, combined with faith in His divine plan, inherently includes the mitzvah to fi nd our individual role within that greater plan.

The most recent chapter in our history contains dramatic examples of Hashem’s plan, both in terms of suff ering and redemption. We witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust which ended in 1945, and just three impossible years later the establishment of the modern State of Israel. We have experienced so many episodes of great tragedy and suff ering. Yet our Emunah is constantly infused with the knowledge that Hashem has a plan and we are part of the unfolding.

When the book is written on the creation and building of the modern State of Israel, AMIT’s role in the narrative will feature prominently. We understand how critical it is for our children to have a good education. For close to 100 years with support from around the world, AMIT has taken the responsibility of ensuring the children of Israel — all from diverse backgrounds — continue to have access to an excellent Jewish education, infused with timeless Jewish values. AMIT has helped thousands of Israeli children realize their potential and their unique role in Hashem’s larger plan for the Jewish nation. Through garnering international support, AMIT brings together Jews from around the world unifi ed for this beautiful cause.

Aish and AMIT share a common value, one that states our collective responsibility to impart timeless Jewish wisdom to the next generation; to acknowledge Hashem as our God, with a divine plan for each of us, and for the Jewish people as a whole. May we continue to be successful in building the Jewish people and fulfi lling our role as a “light unto the nations.”

Rabbi Steven Burg is the CEO of Aish. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency and the Executive Board of the RCA.