“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. (Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the moon)
It’s a bold and brilliant statement that although less poetic can be read as “A giant leap for mankind is achieved by one small step”.
The mission statement for humankind. The Divine design. The capacity to create or to destroy. One small act. One word with outsized results.
From the moment the Torah was given at Mt Sinai — this capacity and this charge was handed over to the world. Direction and connection clearly delineated in the Torah through small acts and equally important — refraining from destructive small acts.
There you have it. Achievement by doing but also by not doing. Each side of the coin resulting in a giant step for mankind.
Earlier this week, the wider Chabad Lubavitch organization lost a giant of a man — Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky OBM. He was a friend to all the Shluchim in the field as a result of small acts. Many of them. To many people. The outpouring of condolences post his passing far surpassed what one could have conceived — all a result of small acts.
This coming Tuesday night — Thursday, we celebrate Shavuot. It’s the day we received the Torah at Mt Sinai 3336 years ago. It’s been a wild, incredible and challenging ride for the Jewish nation ever since. The road map clearly mapped out in the Torah. Obstacles galore, setbacks & challenges for sure — yet outsized and miraculous achievements far greater than the world wants to believe— all through small acts.
Fast forward a few thousand years, the roadmap remains the same. Small acts. Our job mapped out. Some do’s and some don'ts. Some easier, some harder yet at the core of it — it comes down to “one small step by mankind equals one giant leap for the universe”!
Be a part of receiving the Torah for the 3337th time. It doesn’t take long but it lasts for an eternity!!