At the end of this week’s Parsha, we are told the story of the generation after the flood which tried to build a tower in order to fight Hashem. The Midrash tells us that Avraham tried to convince the people to believe in Hashem and abandon their wicked plans. However, his words were not listened to and the people responded to Avraham by mocking him for being childless. They reasoned that certainly if Hashem existed or truly possessed powers, he would not allow his one faithful servant to go unrewarded.
The response of the tower builders seems rather strange. Why would they even feel the need to respond to Avraham? Avraham was the lone voice talking about G-d in a world where everyone else was non-believers. Why couldn’t they simply ignore Avraham and carry on without responding?
Rav Henoch Lebowitz Zt’l explains that the truth is impossible to ignore. Despite being in the majority, the sinners would be unable to resist the truth of Avraham’s words without taking steps to negate the credibility of the source. The truth will always inevitably make its way into a person's heart and force them to change unless they find some way to rid the world of that truth.
The purpose of the Jewish people’s existence is to be a light unto the nations. We are Hashem’s ambassadors to spread the truth of the Torah and the truth of Hashem’s supreme rulership across the world. Despite us being a small minority of the world population, the light of truth which we carry is impossible to ignore by anyone who has a heart and a mind. The only response that our enemies can come up with is to attempt to wipe us from the face of the earth. However, Hashem always protects us and the truth will alway win.
As we try to get through these difficult times, let us not lose sight of our mission to spread Hashem’s light to the world through davening, learning, and acts of kindness. No matter how much our enemies try, with Hashem’s help we will ultimately be victorious and live to see the day when Hashem is accepted as king by the entire world.
Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Rabbi Moshe Yachnes
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