From the very beginning of our tradition, we were woven together by threads of Torah that didn’t match. That’s not a flaw in our story; that’s its brilliance. Midrash teaches that although we stood shoulder to shoulder at Sinai, each of us received something meant just for us. The difference was never a problem to solve. It was the foundation we stood on.
What holds us together is not sameness, it’s Torah. Torah is meant to hold the fullness of our lives: our joy and our grief, our questioning and faith, our stories and our truth. That’s the beauty of it: Torah has never been one-size-fits-all. Instead, it’s a shared framework we each carry in our own way. Each of us, no matter our history or observance, holds a piece of that original moment at Sinai. And each of us was promised that every single piece matters.
Read Full Article »