Today we are privileged to present a guest post by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, courtesy of Let My People Know: a blog by author and editor Arthur Kurzweil.
Sometimes people in our business think it’s all about the money. Rabbi Steinsaltz helps us keep things in perspective with this insightful remark.
“To all appearances, as individuals, American Jews have done quite well, but as a people, they are yet to create a common, inspiring future. If American Jewry is to have such a future, many people will have to make a much larger investment.
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I am not talking about money — although money will certainly be necessary — but about doing something more difficult that writing a check.
I am talking about people investing themselves: their time, their energy, their passion, their souls. This requires a huge commitment, far more than anything that has been done before. It requires those with knowledge and enthusiasm to reach out to the many fine people who are estranged from everything Jewish.
Together, they can establish the foundation for the renaissance we need. We cannot re-energize Diaspora Judaism, any more than we can re-build the Temple, without hard work, determination, and hope.”
–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
From “Galut Bavli – Then and Now†by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, syndicated column, July 22, 2004
From “Galut Bavli – Then and Now†by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, syndicated column, July 22, 2004