Unit Pride: It's Good to Be Jewish

"Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya says: Hashem wanted to give Israel merit, therefore He gave them abundant Torah and commandments, as it is stated: 'Hashem desired, for the sake of His righteousness, to make the Torah great and glorious'" (Avot 6:11).

When a Jew wakes up in the morning, he says: "I give thanks," washes his hands and recites the morning blessings, including: "Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, who has not made me a gentile." The question arises: What's wrong with being a gentile?

According to our holy Torah, every gentile is obligated in the seven Noahide laws: prohibition against eating a limb from a living animal [not eating from an animal before it dies], blessing Hashem [not cursing Hashem], theft, establishing courts [a proper justice system], idolatry, forbidden sexual relationships, and murder. If a gentile observes these commandments, he is called a righteous gentile and receives good reward.

But a Jew has 613 commandments: 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments. If he transgresses them, even one of them, he deserves punishment, sometimes severe punishments, and only afterward the World to Come.

It seems that a gentile can reach the World to Come more easily. He doesn't need to keep kosher, fast on Yom Kippur, or observe Shabbat, and consequently isn't punished for not doing so. If so, why isn't it good to be a gentile?

Our Sages reveal to us that the opposite is true: "Hashem wanted to give Israel merit, therefore He gave them abundant Torah and commandments"! We didn't receive 613 limiting laws and commands, but rather 613 treasures and priceless gifts. The abundance of commandments is a privilege for the Jewish people. If we had an understanding of the tremendous virtue in each and every commandment we merit to fulfill, and the immeasurable reward we receive for it, we would certainly be willing to exert ourselves greatly and run with all our might after the commandments.

The holy "Or HaChaim" (Deuteronomy 26) says: "If people could sense the sweetness and pleasantness of the goodness of Torah, they would go mad and become passionate about it, and a world full of silver and gold would be considered worthless in their eyes, because the Torah encompasses all the good things in the world!"

On the Train of Life

Regarding Jews who prefer to live like gentiles, the Chofetz Chaim offered a parable:

There was once a very poor man whose livelihood was extremely difficult. Whenever he would pass by the train station, he would deeply desire to travel on this wondrous 'machine,' but he didn't have enough money to do so. On one occasion, as he was gazing with excitement and sparkling eyes at the train's journey, he decided in his heart that he must save money for a trip - no matter what. How much money did he need to save? This he did not know. So he approached the clerk and asked about the ticket price. The clerk asked him: "In which class do you wish to travel?" The poor man replied: "In the best class." If he was going to do it, he would do it right! The clerk quoted a large sum of money, and the poor man left the station with a firm decision to save the required amount.

After a long time of saving money from his meager bread, the happy day arrived when he had the full amount. With a joyful step, he approached the ticket counter and purchased a first-class ticket. With a pounding heart, he waited for the train's arrival, and indeed, when the train stopped beside him with screeching wheels, he hurried to approach the doors. He noticed there were many doors and didn't know which one to enter. He asked the conductor, who directed him to the farthest door at the end of the train.

The man looked around, and this didn't please him at all! All his acquaintances and many other people were crowding around the middle doors, which presumably led to the better cars, so why should he be deprived and sent to the end of the train, to a remote car?! After all, he had paid for his ticket just like them! Therefore, he tried to slip into the crowd without the conductor seeing him, and thus managed to enter the middle car with everyone else! With a sweet sense of victory, he sat on one of the crowded benches and waited eagerly for the journey.

The journey began, and our friend was happy! How beautiful, how wonderful! And then, in the middle of the journey, he noticed a ticket inspector checking tickets. His knees began to shake - now the inspector would discover his bold 'evasion.' In his distress, he quickly hid under the bench, and indeed the inspector passed by without noticing him. What luck! The poor man spent the rest of the journey crouched under the bench, somehow trying to enjoy himself despite the circumstances...

At the end of the journey, the poor man got off the train, stretched his cramped muscles, and encountered his good friend. He told him all about his interesting journey and praised his good fortune that allowed him to travel in a central car without being caught. His friend asked to see his ticket, and how shocked he was to see his friend holding a first-class ticket! "Are you crazy?!" he shouted at him, "Do you know what luxuries and pleasures you missed?! What a comfortable chair, what delicacies, what service!" Oh... oh...

The moral: On the "train of life," the Jew received a ticket to the most select car. He received the most valuable life! True, the ticket costs him dearly: persecution and antisemitism from gentiles. But, first of all: The price is worth it! And secondly: He pays the price in any case! [As history has proven, Jews are generally persecuted regardless of their lifestyle. And as can be seen today: From the gentiles' perspective, there is no difference between one blood and another - they are all Jews].

So isn't it a shame to board another car?! Isn't it a shame to live like a gentile, to lie cramped under the bench with a burdened conscience, without utilizing this precious gift that is priceless - to live as a Jew?!