Joining for Ourselves

In Pirkei Avot 2:4, we interrupt learning about the importance of doing God’s will with fervor to hear that, additionally, Hillel says “do not separate yourself from the community.” We learn in one breath that community deserves and requires as much effort as mitzvot, an astounding comparison. Some commentators tie it to our prayers, others connect it to the mitzvot that can only be done with a minyan. Community, however, is more than just these components - it is a critical element of an actively Jewish life. Even for many who are more removed from “traditional” Judaism, many still find themselves drawn to the aspects that revolve around community. Why would community be an essential part of religion? What makes it important enough to insert into a conversation about the individual’s effort to do God’s work?

Community is primarily defined as “a unified body of individuals.” The dictionary breaks this definition into many subcategories including those with common interests, characteristics, space, or policy. Modernity offers us limitless possibilities to connect with others. Any interest, characteristic, location or inclination can be explored and developed with others looking for the same. But what changes a Facebook group, Instagram following or WhatsApp group into a community? What elevates a shared value or experience into a communal one?

“ Whether it is big or small, a narrow connection or a deep one, every Jew deserves to feel that this larger community is theirs too—to feel that shared validation that we cannot exist without them.”

In college, as I was exploring my own connections to Judaism, I was studying sociology. I was drawn to Kierkegaard and his views on the role of people—both as individuals and as groups. He explains that community gives value to the individual. There cannot be community without the individuals and, so, in turn, the community validates the individual. Judaism pushes us to go one step further. There cannot be a Jewish community without Jews, there cannot be Jews without a Jewish community, but, even greater, there can be neither without the concept that Judaism belongs to all Jews – to “Klal Yisroel.” We are validated both on an individual level and on a communal one when we decide to be a Jewish community. When we take our shared history, tradition, and values and reflect them as individuals and as a community, we reflect onto the world our own connection to “klal Yisroel.” 

One of the most gratifying aspects of my job is hearing stories about one Jew making our community available to another. Whether it is big or small, a narrow connection or a deep one, every Jew deserves to feel that this larger community is theirs too—to feel that shared validation that we cannot exist without them. Their personal experiences and values, when given the opportunity, become a part of the fabric of the community they join. This addition serves to make the fabric of each individual community and, therefore, the Jewish community as a whole stronger. The bigger and stronger this fabric is, the more resilient it is, as well. The inverse is also true. By joining the community, an individual has the opportunity to become more than just their individual strand, but to magnify their voice by joining it with others. Each community and every individual requires the other to thrive. 

I think Hillel saw that just as important as doing mitzvot with fervor, was knowing one’s sacred place as a part of this larger community and taking it seriously. There are things we can do as an individual Jew, things we can do with a minyan, things that only make sense to do when we are surrounded by community and things we can only do as one people.