Rabbinic tradition provides a lovely 'bracha' (blessing) to recite when seeing a crowd of over 600,000 Jews. "Praised are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, wise in secrets." Why would we praise God for knowing secrets at such a moment? Isn't the size and power of the crowd what is truly impressive? Or the fact that the traditional number of Jews standing around the foot of Mount Sinai was 600,000, so that such a crowd today is a re-enactment of revelation? Why focus on secrets?
When I started as a pulpit Rabbi, my overwhelming impression surveying a sanctuary full of people was their beauty and their warmth. I had not yet had the chance to get to know them as individuals, so all I could see was their identity as a group. Over the years, however, I have participated in countless simchot (celebrations) of bar and bat mitzvah children, births, graduations, honors, luncheons, festivals, holy days and Sabbaths. I have also been with them through the hard times -- difficult pregnancies, developmental disabilities, behavioral problems, marital issues, divorce, illness, separation, job loss and death.
That first Rosh Hashanah, I saw simply a sea of faces. Last New Year, I saw hundreds of individuals standing together. And what struck me was how many stories of suffering, courage, patience and sorrow each face masked. I am only a human being, aware of my limits and my foibles. If I can become so aware of the bottomless well of personality, history, joy and suffering that each person brings into our sanctuary, imagine the symphony of feelings and experiences that serenade God.
Perhaps what is most remarkable about God is that each person is able to relate to God in a slightly different way from her neighbor, in a manner that speaks most directly to her own needs, aspirations and ability. If God is truly Ein Sof, beyond limit, than it is the ultimate, Godlike ability to respond to each individual as singular and special.
Our Torah portion expresses that same insight. Moses prepares to transfer leadership to a new generation. He is concerned on behalf of his people that the new leader should not seek to deny the individuality of each member of the community, imposing a bland homogeneity on all. Instead, Moses insists that the legitimate claims of the community must accommodate and celebrate individual expression and difference.
In addressing God, Moses uses the term, "Source of the breaths of all flesh." The Rabbis of Midrash Ba-Midbar Rabbah notice that Moses uses the word "ruhot (breaths)," rather than "ru'ah (breath)." Why did he employ this awkward plural form? The Rabbis understood that even though a crowd of people may look alike, that similarity is only superficial. "Just as their faces are not like each other, so are their temperaments not like each other, every individual having a temperament of their own. God, therefore, manifests differently "for the spirit of each individual being."
The Midrash understands Moses' brief phrase to mean, "Sovereign of the Universe!" The mind of every individual is revealed and known to You. The minds of Your children are not like each other. Now that I am taking leave of them, appoint over them, I pray, a leader who will bear with each one of them as their temperament requires."
We are commanded to imitate God's attributes of lovingkindness (after all, what else can it mean to "walk in God's ways?"). Just as God responds differently to each individual person, based on that particular mixture of desire, need, perception and ability, so too should we. No two people are alike. Even if they dress similarly, work in similar fields, and enjoy a similar lifestyle and income, those similarities mask the profound depths of human individuality.
All people are unique. And that unique difference of each person makes sense, not only psychologically, but from the perspective of theology as well. The Torah reminds us that we are made "b'tzelem Elohim," in the image of God. If God is infinite, then every creature made in God's image will reflect a different finite aspect of that infinite Source of life. That each new person presents a new aspect of God's image is a consequence of God's creative energy.
Communities, families, friendships and governments would do well to remember the truth that Moses hinted at and the Rabbis of the Midrash made explicit. Everyone is different, and those differences are to be cherished, nurtured and cultivated. Rather than seeing individuality as a threat to society, a godly community will celebrate distinction as yet another mark of the abundant fullness of God's presence in our midst, infusing us and all with passion, energy, wonder and life.
Amen.
Shabbat Shalom.