Good, good and more good
Jewish mystical teachings explain that evil has no permanence. Only good exists eternally, and every good deed endures forever.
The way to fight evil, then, is with good, with everlasting and incessant good.
How much can you or I do to eradicate evil from the face of the earth, to wipe out terror and eliminate violence? Realistically speaking, how much of an impact can a single individual have on the entire world?
The Rebbe addressed precisely this question in a pre-High Holiday letter to Jews around the world four decades ago.
"One single individual has the capacity to bring the whole of creation to fulfillment, as was the case with the first person, Adam....
Our Sages teach us that the first person, Adam, was the prototype and example for each and every individual to follow: 'For this reason was man created as an individual in order to teach you that one person equals a whole world,' our Sages declared in the Mishna.
This means that every Jew, regardless of time and place and personal status, has the fullest capacity, hence also duty, to rise and attain the highest degree of fulfillment, and accomplish the same for the creation as a whole.
This disproves the contentions of those who do not fulfill their duty with the excuse that it is impossible to change the world; that their parents had not given them the necessary education and preparation; or that the world is so huge, and one is so puny - how can one hope to accomplish anything?
There were times when the aforesaid idea, namely, the ability of a single individual to 'transform' the world, met with skepticism, and demanded proof.
However, precisely in our generation, we unfortunately do not have to seek far to be convinced that one person could have such impact. We have seen how one individual brought the world to the brink of destruction, but for the mercies of the King of the Universe, Who ordained that 'the earth shall stand firm; shall not fall.'
If such is the case in the realm of evil, surely one's potential is much greater in the realm of good. For, in truth, creation is essentially good, and therefore more inclined toward the good than its opposite."
So what can I do to fight evil? What contribution can I make in the war against terrorism? What is my memorial to the millions who were murdered in the Holocaust? What is my tribute to those who perished in Nairobi, Boston, Nigeria and Volgograd?
I can be good, and so can you.
The way to fight evil, then, is with good, with everlasting and incessant good.
How much can you or I do to eradicate evil from the face of the earth, to wipe out terror and eliminate violence? Realistically speaking, how much of an impact can a single individual have on the entire world?
The Rebbe addressed precisely this question in a pre-High Holiday letter to Jews around the world four decades ago.
"One single individual has the capacity to bring the whole of creation to fulfillment, as was the case with the first person, Adam....
Our Sages teach us that the first person, Adam, was the prototype and example for each and every individual to follow: 'For this reason was man created as an individual in order to teach you that one person equals a whole world,' our Sages declared in the Mishna.
This means that every Jew, regardless of time and place and personal status, has the fullest capacity, hence also duty, to rise and attain the highest degree of fulfillment, and accomplish the same for the creation as a whole.
This disproves the contentions of those who do not fulfill their duty with the excuse that it is impossible to change the world; that their parents had not given them the necessary education and preparation; or that the world is so huge, and one is so puny - how can one hope to accomplish anything?
There were times when the aforesaid idea, namely, the ability of a single individual to 'transform' the world, met with skepticism, and demanded proof.
However, precisely in our generation, we unfortunately do not have to seek far to be convinced that one person could have such impact. We have seen how one individual brought the world to the brink of destruction, but for the mercies of the King of the Universe, Who ordained that 'the earth shall stand firm; shall not fall.'
If such is the case in the realm of evil, surely one's potential is much greater in the realm of good. For, in truth, creation is essentially good, and therefore more inclined toward the good than its opposite."
So what can I do to fight evil? What contribution can I make in the war against terrorism? What is my memorial to the millions who were murdered in the Holocaust? What is my tribute to those who perished in Nairobi, Boston, Nigeria and Volgograd?
I can be good, and so can you.
