In Parashat Mishpatim, immediately following the revelation at Sinai, we receive a detailed legal code governing civil society. Among the laws, the Torah commands: "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress them, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 22:20). This verse appears repeatedly throughout the Torah; our experience of suffering must inform how we build a just society, but it must never define us as perpetual victims.
The Talmud teaches: "Who is wise? One who learns from every person" (Pirkei Avot 4:1). Notice it doesn't say "one who is rescued by every person" or "one who needs protection from every person." Wisdom comes through active engagement, not passive reception.
This distinction came into sharp focus recently with a Super Bowl ad drawing national attention to the rising tide of anti-Semitism. The ad portrayed a Jewish child as vulnerable, needing an external savior to protect and guide him through his troubling times. However, a second ad making its way through social media provided an alternative ending showing something profoundly different: a Jewish child growing into a scientist who saves the life of his former tormentor, concluding, "We refuse to be victims. We are builders. Unite. Bring light, and build together."
Bret Stephens, during his recent visit to our community and his powerful address at the 92nd Street Y on the state of world Jewry, reinforced this precise message: the Jewish community must focus on what we can control, investing in our Jewish identity and future generations, rather than exhausting ourselves trying to change others' perceptions of us. We cannot wait for external validation or protection.
Which narrative do we choose for our children and grandchildren?
Last week, I met with our local BBYO chapter's board and teen leaders. In a time of rising anti-Semitism, campus hostility, and limited Jewish teen numbers in our community, these young people could have retreated. Instead, they stepped forward, thoughtful, passionate, determined to create meaningful Jewish experiences for their peers. They embody the builder ethos Stephens champions.
Mishpatim teaches us that laws alone don't create justice, people do. The parsha transitions us from revelation to responsibility, from receiving Torah to implementing it. Our teens are doing exactly this work, taking their heritage and actively building Jewish community in hostile times.
BBYO is a critical beneficiary of our community's annual campaign, and supporting it isn't charity, it's strategic investment in Jewish continuity. If we want to combat anti-Semitism, we cannot only reach outward through our investments like JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council) to other faiths and cultures. We must also invest inward, in the very teens experiencing the hate, showing them that we have their backs, that they matter, that they are essential links in our 5,000-year chain.
Mishpatim reminds us: we were strangers, yes, but we didn't stay strangers. We became builders of nations, dreamers, scientists, leaders. Our teens deserve the resources, support, and confidence to do the same. When we invest in our youth like those in BBYO, we're not creating victims who need saving. We're empowering builders who will bring light to the world. Because we are Stronger Together.
Shabbat Shalom,
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