What Makes Jews So Special?

The Jewish people originated not on a biological foundation, but on an ideological one.

Around 4,000 years ago, a group of Babylonians gathered around Abraham and followed his method of uniting above differences and divisions in order to achieve the lofty state of unification, as it is written, “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Attaining this spiritual unity, thereby revealing the positive force of love and bestowal dwelling in nature, initially defined us as “the people of Israel,” i.e., as a group aimed directly to the upper force of love and bestowal (“Israel” from two words, “Yashar-El” [“straight to God”]).

Later, under Moses’ guidance, when we once again united “as one man with one heart” upon further social discord, we then received the name “the Jews” (the Hebrew word for “Jew” [Yehudi] comes from the word for “united” [yihudi] [Yaarot Devash, Part 2, Drush no. 2]).

Therefore, the tendency to unite above division, and to draw the upper force of love, bestowal and connection into our lives, is our uniqueness. It made us a “light unto the nations,” i.e., a critical mass within humanity capable of acting as a conduit for the positive forces of unity to pass through to humanity.

In our times, if we present such an example to humanity, then we will all gain the strength to overcome divisions in a great unification the likes of which we have never seen before. If we remain unconscious to this function we serve to humanity, as is currently the case, and do not serve as a unifying example, then humanity increasingly suffer, and subconsciously feel that the Jews are somehow to blame for the misfortunes in their lives.

Today, nature presses us to make ourselves ready for peace, friendship and mutual understanding so that we give up many of our goals, including those which are completely unnecessary, and exist only for the love of our neighbor.