No One is Special and Everyone is Needed 

Adrienne Maree Brown

Can G-d reject the entire Jewish people, especially when they have sinned greatly?

The Mishna at the end of Amud Beis lists several sacrifices that are brought even when the congregation is ritually impure. The common denominator is that any obligatory public sacrifice overrides the normal prohibitions of conducting the service in impurity. The Paschal Sacrifice is compared to these public sacrifices via a gezeira shavah, a comparison of text used in both cases implying a similar legal status.

An amazing idea is inferred from this series of rules: The congregation cannot be rejected. That is, while impurity is a disqualification for Temple service, it does not apply when the majority of the congregation is impure. It is a profound message of inclusivity. It’s almost as if G-d is saying, similar to His oath after the Flood, “I will never reject the entirety of Israel.”

Lest you think this to be some far fetched derash, in truth we have an explicit verse that expresses the same idea. It is noteworthy that this verse is stated by the Yom Kippur Service (Vayikra 16:16):

וְכִפֶּ֣ר עַל־הַקֹּ֗דֶשׁ מִטֻּמְאֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וּמִפִּשְׁעֵיהֶ֖ם לְכָל־חַטֹּאתָ֑ם וְכֵ֤ן יַעֲשֶׂה֙ לְאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד הַשֹּׁכֵ֣ן אִתָּ֔ם בְּת֖וֹךְ טֻמְאֹתָֽם׃

⁦Thus he shall obtain atonement of the Holy Space from the uncleanness and transgression of the Israelites, whatever their sins; and he shall do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleanness.

See Rashi (Op. Cit.): “Even though they are impure, the Shekhina is still amongst them.”

Sometimes, I honestly wonder about the amazing secrets of the Torah hiding in plain sight. Is it possible to fully digest the implications of such powerful religious thought? A holy, wholly and utterly transcendent G-d who continuously identifies himself as jealous, and rails against any form of unfaithfulness, also comes across as a loving father. He simply will not reject nor pull away from His people, even when and perhaps especially when, they have sunk to levels of debasement.  

It is ideas such as this one that help us appreciate that key notions in western society such as acceptance of others, and compassion for those who fail, have their roots in authentic Torah philosophy. Such thinking is quite the opposite of spiritual elitism.