Rabbi Berel Wein tells a story that he and his wife once took a trip to Norway to tour the fjords. The tour was not a kosher one, but there happened to be a sizable contingent of Israelis who made Rabbi Wein their resident Rabbi (Rabbi Wein notes that in Israel many of those same Israelis would probably have had nothing to do with any rabbi). In addition to the Weins and the Israelis there was a group Americans from a retirement community near San Diego. At one of the rest stops one of the members of this (non Jewish) group turned to Rabbi Wein and said, “Rabbi, we do not mean to annoy you, but could you please tell us how many Jews there are in the United States of America?” As Rabbi Wein contemplated how to answer the question, the man continued, “There must be fifty or sixty million, right?” Concluding the story Rabbi Wein writes:
For the first time I had an insight as to how many non-Jews living in the United States perceive the presence in culture, entertainment, politics, finance, sports and every facet of American life. They cannot believe that all of this constant noise comes from barely four or five million Jews in a country of 350 million people. So I merely deflected the question, saying that I did not know any exact figures but that we are a distinct minority. I added that we appreciate the opportunities that the United States had granted the Jews……
In Parshat Vaetchanan, Moshe reminds Bnai Yisrael of their special status (7:6-7):
“For you are a holy people to Hashem; He has chosen you to be for Him a treasured nation above all the peoples on the face of the Earth.”
לֹ֣א מֵֽרֻבְּכֶ֞ם מִכָּל־הָֽעַמִּ֗ים חָשַׁ֧ק ה בָּכֶ֖ם וַיִּבְחַ֣ר בָּכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־אַתֶּ֥ם הַמְעַ֖ט מִכָּל־הָֽעַמִּֽים
Not because you are the most numerous nation did Hashem choose you, for you are the fewest of all the nations.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explains that Hashem’s choice of a nation few in number is God’s way of teaching the lesson that one need not be numerous in order to be great. Nations are not judged by their size but by their contributions to civilization. Our focus should not be on numbers but the power and potential impact that each individual possesses to transform the world for the better.
Social psychologist Serge Moscovici studied a phenomenon that he called “minority influence.” Generally the majority influences minorities. But sometimes the reverse happens. For instance, the suffragette movement in early 20th century America is an example of minority influence ultimately leading to the right to vote for women. After conducting numerous studies Moscovici identified a number of factors that led to successful minority influence. Among those factors were:
1. Consistency: the opinion being expressed by the minority must remain consistent
2. Confidence in the correctness of the ideas being presented by the minority
3. The minority must appear to remain unbiased, ie a willingness to hear out the other side of the argument
4. Resisting social pressure to change
The Jewish People live this lesson and remind the world of the potential of minority influence. This is a lesson that we must never forget: as a nation and as individuals.
Rabbi Moshe Amiel notes that in kosher laws we have a concept of Bitul B’rov- that if a small amount of non-kosher falls into a much larger pot of kosher food- the non-kosher may be nullified, and we say majority rules. So, why in fact do we not assume that the majority of public opinion, the majority world religion, the majority ethos of morality, in fact rules? Rav Amiel answered that in Halacha we also have the concept of a davar hamaamid. If an ingredient has a presence in the finished dish, even if it is only a minute amount and by right should be nullified- It cannot be nullified and the entire dish continues to be impacted by that ingredient. Jews have always been a minority. Jewish values are powerful and is meant to be detected across all of humanity. Jews are supposed to be mighty in impact, not in numbers.
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