Rav Kook, the first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel, pointed out a small difference between Psalm 104 and Psalm 92.
Psalm 104 teaches, “How many are Your works, God! The earth is full of Your creation.”
Psalm 92 teaches, “How great are Your works, God! Your thoughts are very profound.”
The first emphasizes quantity–God creates so many things. The second emphasizes quality–the depth of God’s creations.
The Jewish people are 0.2% of the world’s population, yet Rav Kook recognized the quality over quantity. It only takes one idea from one person to create the ripple effect, like a stone skipping across a pond.
Theodore Herzl said, “If you will it, it is no dream.” I often think of what he would say today. Yes, we have a Jewish state, with many of the ideals he believed would benefit humanity. Yet, the challenges he believed would disappear, particularly antisemitism, have risen once again.
Today, we are still small in numbers, but we know we have the quality, the meaning of our Jewish lives that benefit not only our families and communities, but the entire world.
This week on Yom Hazikaron, we saw quantity–too many freshly dug graves. Yet, every day, we learn the story behind the name, and we understand the qualities left behind that we are now responsible to share in the year ahead.
May this year be one of quantity and quality, recognizing the many great works of God AND the depth of God’s creations.
