HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Scientists estimate that a human being has somewhere between 30-40 trillion individual cells, from our blood to our bones to our bladder to our brain.
Could we imagine a conversation among the cells of our body?
Imagine our brain cells declaring with pride: “Ours are the most important cells in the body. Without us, there could be no thought, no memory, no speech, no act of intention. The only cells that matter are brain cells.”
But the bone cells declare: “Ours are the most important cells in the body. Without us there would be no blood cells to nourish the body, no frame to stand erect, no shell to protect the vital organs within. The only cells that matter are bone cells.”
Then the liver cells counter: “Ours are the most important cells in the body. Without us, the body would be devoured by toxins and poisons. The proteins we need to regenerate lost cells are produced by us. The only cells that matter are liver cells.”
The muscle cells then argue: “Ours are the most important cells in the body. Without us a person could not move – walk or run, jump or dance. A person could not breathe, the heart would not pump. The only cells that matter are muscle cells.”
The skin cells yell out: “Ours are the most important cells in the body. Without us all of you would be exposed to the elements, and spill out onto the ground. A person would be immediately consumed with infection. The only cells that matter are skin cells.”
How silly would be that argument! We know that for a human being to live and thrive, all the cells in the body need to do what they uniquely are capable of doing. All the organs in our body work interdependently. None could exist without the others. None is more important or vital than another.
In the morning service, we recite a blessing to give thanks for each and every healthy cell that does its part in the wondrous, complex order of the human body. It acknowledges that if something opens that ought be closed, or something closes that ought be open, we simply could not exist.
So why is it so hard for us to understand that the world itself is a holy, living organism, where each and every one of us is just a cell in its system?
For the world to live and thrive, all the elements of life need to do what they uniquely are capable of doing. We are all completely interdependent.
And yet, we engage in the same silly, ridiculous arguments.
Too often we hear people scream: “The only people that matter is our people. People of our race or ethnicity. People of our sex or gender. People of our nationality or culture. People of our religious ideology or political persuasion.”
And then within those larger identities are people who in their smug self-satisfaction look down on people within their own group: “You’re not pure enough. You’re not sufficiently loyal. You don’t do it the right way.”
Emblazoned on the great seal of the United States are the words – “E Pluribus Unum – out of the many we are One.” The thirteen letters of this Latin phrase symbolized the original thirteen colonies that came together to form one nation.
But more than that, this original, unofficial motto expressed a sense of our nation’s mission and purpose – to fashion bonds of interdependence and a duty of mutual support for the people who come here from every corner of the globe and from every walk of life.
From the original words in our Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal,” over time, our realization of this mission has evolved.
We have come to appreciate the truth that each and every life is of infinite and equal value: no matter what color your skin, no matter your sex, or gender, or country of origin. We celebrate the freedom for everyone to practice their individual religious commitments as they choose, and to build households with whomever they love.
I am overwhelmed with gratitude to live in a country grounded in these holy principles.
On this Thanksgiving, I pray we will embrace a spirit of gratitude for each and every unique, holy, and indispensable person who makes up this great nation, and be inspired to ensure that there be no erosion to each’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Dan Levin
Temple Beth El of Boca Raton
