Moving Mountains
I was once asked to deliver a speech at a huge convention in the United States. Knowing that many participants were Reform and Conservative Jews, I made a stipulation that there be complete segregation between men and women.
Then I put my mind to my speech. What should I tell such people? They have no knowledge of the Avot. They have no interest in the Torah. What topic would appeal to them?
Upon further reflection, though, I recalled Matan Torah. Hashem, so to speak, came upon the mountain and told Bnei Yisrael (Shemot 20:2), “I am Hashem, your G-d.” This was only a short time after they had shed the defilement of Egypt from themselves. Moreover, a sizeable amount of the nation consisted of the Eirev Rav, an admixture of gentiles who joined our nation. The people who stood at Sinai, then, were not only the elite of our nation. Nevertheless, Hashem saw fit to “come toward them” and even speak to them.
I decided to emulate my Maker. Even underneath mountains of mistaken beliefs, rests the Jewish neshamah. I spoke about the virtues of our holy Torah and its mitzvot. I explained that all of the Yetzer Hara’s persuasions regarding physical pleasures are fleeting. They cannot provide permanent satisfaction, even in this world, let alone the World to Come. In contrast, when a Jew connects to Hashem, his life becomes filled with fulfillment and spiritual opulence. The words of Torah contain the wealth of all worlds.
I spoke for approximately half an hour. The entire time, the audience sat spellbound. A number of listeners later contacted me in France, relating that they had not had such an uplifting experience in a long time.
I personally learned an invaluable lesson from this event. Even one who is distant from the ways of Torah and mitzvot feels drawn to the Torah after hearing how wonderful it is. He inherently perceives the truth in these words, and his neshamah is drawn to its source.
