Unity celebration long overdue

Why are Hillel and Shamai so famous for their disagreements? Did you know that throughout the entire Talmud, all the laws Hillel and Shamai disagreed about add up to a grand total of four? While it is true that after their passing, the schools they established developed different approaches to the law, the Judaism they shared has remained predominant.

In fact, to assure the central value of Jewish unity, in one of the brightest moments in Jewish history, all members of the Academy of Shamai soon set aside their own opinions and adopted the approach of the Academy of Hillel.

So why do their disagreements get all the press? The answer, though frustrating, is fairly obvious. People are drawn to conflict. We are stimulated by the clash of interests and the competition that ensues.

We do this, by the way, in the most absurd of situations. Have you ever been to a sporting event when, between innings or during a timeout, a race was conducted on the scoreboard between, say, three hot dogs - one with mustard, one with ketchup and the third with relish? One third of the stadium bursts into celebration when their hot dog dashes to victory and commences its digital victory dance.

What is wrong with us? Why do we find ourselves getting excited about a race between heavily sponsored servings of nonkosher, processed beef? Competitiveness and opposing interests stimulate us, while sameness and constancy bore us to death. Would you read a newspaper article with the headline, "Everything still OK between U.S. and Canada"?

Consider a more important question. The Jewish world today certainly suffers from many divisions. Is there more that divides us or more that unites us? Are we perhaps falling into the trap of focusing on our attention-grabbing conflicts and failing to appreciate - and even celebrate - a far more dominant and powerful unity? Have we allowed ourselves to lose touch with something meaningful and wonderful - a shared Torah heritage that is still proud and strong? I believe we have.

It is a monumental challenge to maintain our belief in a deeply shared identity while acknowledging profound and important differences. There are two things we need to do: One is to invest the effort to identify for ourselves and appreciate what it is that we share. Let's talk about it, think about it, promote it, revive it. It is there and it is beautiful, though we easily lose sight of it.

Second, we need to bring ourselves together in one room and celebrate our unity. Our talk and appreciation will only go so far. We need to actually be together with the stated purpose of being one whole Jewish people.

On March 1, across the world in hundreds of mass gatherings including Madison Square Garden as well as the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Jews of every background and belief will be gathering together to believe in ourselves as a people and to celebrate the Torah we all share. On this one night, the Jewish people will make a statement of Jewish unity unmatched in our lifetime. For a people as vibrant and rich in shared values as we are, it is a celebration that is long overdue. Let's all be a part of it.

Rabbi Dovid Goldman is on the rabbinic faculty of the Phoenix Community Kollel and is the editor of the upcoming magazine American Jewish Spirit.

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