We Must Care

“We Jews have been burdened with a twofold task: we have to cope with the problem of a double confrontation.  We think of ourselves as human beings, sharing the destiny of Adam in his general encounter with nature, and as members of a covenantal community which has preserved its identity under most unfavorable conditions, confronted by another faith community.  We believe we are the bearers of a double charismatic load, that of the dignity of man and that of the sanctity of the covenantal community.  In this difficult role, we are summoned by God, who revealed himself at both the level of universal creation and that of the private covenant, to undertake a double mission – the universal human and the exclusive covenantal confrontation.”   Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik