We have described the superficial view of life, however a glance at the internal view of life shows an unbreakable bond between all the individuals in the Jewish Nation. We are all one soul. The essence of all our lives emanate from one source and receives its liveliness from one spiritual root. When any one person performs a Mitzvah it strengthens the root soul of everyone. When one limb is ill it weakens the entire corpus. Similarly, if one person sins all souls feel it deeply because the source of all good, the light of the Schechinah, is diminished by the sin. Conversely, when a person performs a Mitzva, all of Jewry is blessed by an outpouring of light resulting from the good deed.
Externally we appear to be separate from one another. Internally, however, there is a strong bond of life which is the secret of our power and the source of our existence as one nation, one entity, one soul and one lot in life.
There are some Mitzvoth that can appear to be for the benefit of the individual alone, e.g. Tefillin, Tzitzis, Mezuzah, Matzo, Sukkah, Lulav. But it is the public Mitzvoth that reveal the truth of what lies within the Jewish Nation, These Mitzvoth manifest themselves in a public manner which relates to all facets of the Nation. They remove a person from his self-centered outlook into a life which is infinitely greater. They enable him to feel as part of a larger, broader entity, as part of Klal Yisroel.
These awaken feelings that are similar to those which arise at times of war. Those are times when we feel mutual love and connection, when a feeling of unity flows through the veins of the nation. People care about each other, there are feelings of brotherhood and shared goals are strengthened. The pulse of life of the Jewish Nation is alive and strong at these times and it is evident that we are one nation. During our regular everyday lives each person crawls into his own home and his own business, concerned with his own health and livelihood. At war time people feel that the main thing is the nation. This invests the people with great strength which are rooted in our essential unity.
The same is true of the years of Shemittah and Yovel. They are years of national life, of dedication to the nation and a feeling of connection to the entire family.
Externally we appear to be separate from one another. Internally, however, there is a strong bond of life which is the secret of our power and the source of our existence as one nation, one entity, one soul and one lot in life.
There are some Mitzvoth that can appear to be for the benefit of the individual alone, e.g. Tefillin, Tzitzis, Mezuzah, Matzo, Sukkah, Lulav. But it is the public Mitzvoth that reveal the truth of what lies within the Jewish Nation, These Mitzvoth manifest themselves in a public manner which relates to all facets of the Nation. They remove a person from his self-centered outlook into a life which is infinitely greater. They enable him to feel as part of a larger, broader entity, as part of Klal Yisroel.
The same is true of the years of Shemittah and Yovel. They are years of national life, of dedication to the nation and a feeling of connection to the entire family.
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