Secure in Mitzvot
I once attended a hachnasat Sefer Torah in a large hotel in Israel. Important dignitaries were in attendance, such as the president, Moshe Katzav, as well as Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. Members of the Knesset participated, as well.
We had to undergo security check-in as we entered the hotel lobby. Everyone who came in was scrupulously frisked for weapons.
When it was my turn to be checked, my escorts protested, claiming it did not behoove a representative of the Torah to be frisked like a commoner. But I insisted that this was a formality for the sake of security. We are taught (Avot 2:5), “Do not separate yourself from the community.” I therefore forewent my honor.
After passing through the required security, we entered the hotel lobby and waited for the national dignitaries to arrive. I noticed that they were spared from friskings. The entire reason for the heavy security was for their sake; certainly, they themselves did not need to be checked.
At that moment, I thought of the difference between Yisrael and the nations of the world. Just as this security check was performed for the sake of the esteemed political figures, so, too, was the entire world created only for the sake of the Torah and Am Yisrael.
But then I was troubled by another thought: If the entire world exists for the sake of Am Yisrael, why is it that every nation has some sort of criticism against us? Why are we always forced to defend ourselves and make excuses for our actions?
The answer lies in the following: When Am Yisrael observe the Torah, they are worthy of sustaining the entire world. But when they sin, the nations overcome them. They simply do not recognize them as children of Hashem. That is when we are forced to defend ourselves in every area. It is our moral obligation to learn Torah and keep mitzvot, for these are the only things which will provide us with the respect of the nations.
