It's Not Just a Slogan: Our Strength Lies in Unity!

An old parable tells of a man who would draw water from a well, carrying it home in two jugs. One jug was whole, and the other was cracked. Every time the man filled the jugs to the brim and carried them home, the cracked jug would leak, leaving only a small amount of water by the time they reached the house.

The cracked jug felt very embarrassed that it could not fulfill its purpose properly, and one day it said to the man, “I apologize for not performing my function well. I am cracked, and water seeps and drips from me all the way, until almost no water is left when we reach the house.”

The man smiled at the jug and said, “Today, as we walk, notice on which side of the path the flowers bloom.” The jug looked and saw that beautiful, fragrant flowers bloomed only on one side of the path.

The man said, “Do you see? Flowers bloom only on one side of the path—your side. I knew you leaked, so I planted flower seeds along that side of the path. Every time we walk and you drip, those drops water the seeds and help the flowers grow. Without your crack, these beautiful flowers would not exist. It is thanks to you that all this beauty exists.”

Everyone has their own uniqueness, and each person has skills and traits that help them fulfill their role in the world. Thanks to the cracked jug, the wonderful flowers can bloom beside the path. Sometimes the advantage is precisely the disadvantage, and the disadvantage is the great advantage. It all depends on perspective.

The uniqueness of the people of Israel is that they are not like other nations—all of Israel are responsible for one another. Israel was given 613 mitzvot, but no one person in Israel can perform all 613 mitzvot alone. Some mitzvot are given only to women, such as the commandments of challah (separating dough), niddah (purity), and lighting a candle. Some mitzvot are given only to the priests, some only to the Levites, and some to the people of Israel in general. The only way for all the mitzvot to be performed is together, in unity. As it is written in Shir HaShirim: “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” In Shir HaShirim, the beloved is likened to the people of Israel, and the lover to Hashem.

What does “altogether beautiful” mean? Sometimes, when looking closely at a picture, you see that it is not entirely perfect—here the lines are smudged, and there the colors are smeared. Up close, many flaws and mistakes are visible. But when you step back and see the picture as a whole, you perceive its beauty and glory. When the picture is seen in its entirety, “you are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” So too with Israel. When looking at the individual, not everything is perfect; there are problems here and there. But when looking at Israel as a whole, “you are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” This is the power of the unity of Israel.

It is important to realize that not only great deeds have power and value, but also seemingly small deeds. Not only actions, but even a kind conversation and good thoughts have value and importance. Where do we learn that there is a good reward even for a good conversation? As it is written, “Hashem does not withhold reward for even a good conversation” (Nazir 23b). And where do we learn that there is value even in a good thought? As it is written, “A good thought is joined by Hashem to action, as it is said: ‘Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the Lord and those who thought upon His name’” (Kiddushin 40a).

The big picture is made up of small details, and those small details have cumulative value. Even tiny drops that seep from a cracked jug can bring forth beautiful flowers and bring great light and blessing to the world.