and wonderful phenomenon demonstrating that the life of this people is governed by a special predetermination, tran- scending the processes of adap- tation expounded by the materi- alistic interpretation of history. “The survival of the Jews, their resistance to destruction, their endurance under abso- lutely peculiar conditions and the fateful role played by them in history: All these point to the particular and mysterious foundations of their desti- ny. ” (Nicolay Berdyaev, The Meaning of History, Transaction Publishers, 2005, p. 86.) SMALL, BUT GREAT Moses’ statement has immense implications for Jewish iden- tity. The proposition implicit throughout my Covenant & Conversation series is that Jews have had an influence out of all proportion to their numbers because we are all called on to be leaders, to take responsibility, to contribute, to make a difference to the lives of others, to bring the Divine Presence into the world. Precisely because we are small, we are each summoned to greatness. Y. Agnon, the great Hebrew writer, composed a prayer to accompany the Mourner’s Kaddish. He noted that the Children of Israel have always been few in number compared to other nations. He then said that when a monarch rules over a large population, they do not notice when an individual dies, for there are others to take their place. “But our King, the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He … chose us, and not because we are a large nation, for we are one of the smallest of nations. We are few, and owing to the love with which He loves us, each one of us is, for Him, an entire legion. He does not have many replacements for us. If one of us is missing, Heaven forfend, then the King’s forces are dimin- ished, with the consequence that His kingdom is weakened, as it were. One of His legions is gone, and His greatness is lessened. For this reason, it is our custom to recite the Kaddish when a Jew dies. ” (Quoted in Leon Wieseltier, Kaddish, London: Picador, 1998, 22-23.) Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed cit- izens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ” Gandhi said: “ A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. ” That must be our faith as Jews. We may be the fewest of all peoples but when we heed God’s call, we have the ability, proven many times in our past, to mend and transform the world. The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, 1991-2013. His teachings have been made available to all at rabbisacks.org. This essay was written in 2014. 42 | AUGUST 11 • 2022 continued from page 41 SPIRIT A WORD OF TORAH Questions for Discussion 1. How can we make a positive impact when we are such a tiny people, relative to the world? 2. Do you think the Jewish people would benefit from being a larger proportion of the world’s population, or do you think it more import- ant that we remain a small minority group? 3. Given that Rabbi Sacks says we are each summoned to greatness, how will you act? 24725 West 12 Mile – Ste. 110 Southfield, MI 48034 1-248-945-1111 24725 West 12 Mile – Ste. 110 Southfield, MI 48034 1-248-945-1111 What Is Your Plan?..... Call Us. We focus on Probate Litigation and Administration. Administering estates where everyone is on the same page. Protecting you from self-dealing parties appointed by will, trust or the court. 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