וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּהֲנִ֖ים וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּדַבֵּ֖ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
“But you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
If there were to be no Jewish people, God’s work of creating the universe would have been in vain… Zohar 1, 24 states that the eventual existence of the Jewish people was the first thought that God entertained when contemplating the creation of this universe.
Designed to help learners articulate meaning, challenge assumptions, and relate mystical ideas to their own lives.
1. How does the idea that Jews are the ‘guardians of limitation’ help to keep striving, in the day-to-day, even if it means that we will never ultimately reach our destination?
2. How do these three texts together describe the mission of the Jewish people, from being a “kingdom of priests”, to being central to creation itself, to serving as “guardians of limitation” who live with the gap between the finite and Infinite?
3. Which idea of Jewish purpose resonates most with you?
4. If the Jewish mission involves holiness, responsibility, and humility, what is one practical way we could express or live out this sense of purpose in our daily lives?
Because transformation happens through practice, each activity invites personal and communal action.
Find a person in your social or family circle who is a different generation from you, preferably older. Ask them what they see as the purpose of the Jewish people and what role faith plays in fulfilling that role. Oftentimes older people can offer us a perspective that we cannot see. Share that perspective with your class, group or family.
