There are moments when I look at what's happening around the world and wonder how we can possibly prevail. We're such a tiny people, facing so much hatred, hostility, and opposition. Sometimes it feels like the entire world is against us, and the odds are simply overwhelming. How do we raise our children to be proud Jews in a world where being Jewish can make you a target? How do we find the courage to stand tall when so many would rather see us disappear? How can so few possibly overcome so many?
The answer lies in this week's Torah portion, Lech Lecha. G-d makes an extraordinary promise to Abraham: "Look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. So shall your descendants be." But something about this promise is puzzling. Thousands of years later, the Jewish people remain a tiny fraction of the world's population. If G-d promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars, why have we always been such a small minority? Perhaps the answer isn't found in the number of stars, but in what makes them so remarkable.
Stars shine in the darkness. Even in the deepest darkness of night, their light breaks through, reminding us that darkness can never have the final word. And even when thick clouds conceal them from our view, the stars never stop shining. Their light doesn't depend on whether we can see it, or whether the world chooses to acknowledge it. They simply continue to shine. That is the promise G-d made to Abraham. His descendants would possess a light that no darkness could extinguish, a strength that could never be measured by numbers alone.
Throughout our history, we've faced empires far greater than ourselves, endured persecution, exile, and unimaginable suffering. Yet here we are, still shining. The empires have come and gone, but the Jewish people remain. Not because we were stronger in numbers, but because the light of our faith in G-d, the Torah, and our connection to each other could never be extinguished. We each carry that same light within us. There will be clouds, there will be storms, and there will be moments when our light seems hidden. But hidden is not extinguished. No matter how dark the world becomes, our light remains and shines brighter.
So let's stop measuring our strength by how many stand against us, and start recognizing the extraordinary power of what we stand for.
This Shabbat, let's commit to shine a little brighter. Light the Shabbat candles, put on Tefillin, share a mitzvah, reach out to another Jew, and stand a little taller and prouder in our Jewish identity. We don't need to outnumber the darkness to overcome it. We simply need to keep shining. After all, that's what G-d promised Abraham thousands of years ago, and that's what Hashem is counting on us to do today. Let’s shine!