This is truly a remarkable and and an excellent assessment of the Jewish People. We are indeed a symbol of eternity. We are a nation that abides by the word of G-D, through our Torah and the words of our Prophets. This gives us our eternity. It is for these reasons the the Jew will be everlasting.
The prophet Yirmeyahu tells us that when the sun will stop shining and the moon will stop appearing, the Jewish nation will cease to exist. This simply means the world cannot exist without the Jewish People.
The first Mitzvah given to the Jewish People at the exodus from Egypt was: החדש הזה לכם, "This month shall be for you the beginning of the months".
The Jews were called on to remember the Exodus forever by calculating their calendar from the month of their deliverance. When we give precedence to our Jewish calendar which is based upon the renewal of the moon, we are essentially reflecting upon the Jews capability to constantly effectuate our ability to maintain an eternally youthful enthusiasm for a life of ethical and spiritual purity. The Jewish People recall, daily, their gratitude to Hashem's mercy at that historic time, by linking the cycles of its communal life on the same calendar.
Through this Mitzvah of החדש הזה we learn how to count time and how to use time rather than waste precious hours of our life. Even more so, this Mitzvah comes to teach us how to sanctify time. A major crisis in our time is that we do not know how to use our time constructively. We need to invest the mundane with sanctity.
Just as the moon has no light of its own but is a reflection of the sun, so are the Jewish People a reflection of a higher light.
We can only shine resplendent and enjoy happiness if we reflect to a higher and inspiring light, a G-Dly light that will illuminate our way in this world.
May we continue to bask in the light of Hashem and may we be Zocheh to see the ביאת גואל צדק.
שבת שלום
Thank you Rabbi Mehlman for these inspiring thoughts.
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