Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses whether glass vessels require ritual immersion, like metal vessels, which Biblically require immersion when purchased from a gentile—or whether they do not, like earthenware vessels. The Gemara reasons they are similar to metal, because if exposed to enough heat, they melt and can be reformed. (Glass, after all, is made by superheating sand until it liquefies.)
This quality of sand to melt into glass is noted by Bamidbar Rabbah (2:13), which reflects on why the Jewish people are compared to sand (Bereishis 22:17)
- Sand disrupts food. The grit frustrates digestion. So too, no matter how the gentiles try to consume and destroy the Jewish people, we remain the grit in their shoes.
- Just as throwing sand into a furnace yields not destruction but beautiful glass, so too persecution does not destroy the Jews but instead refines us, producing something precious.
This has never been more important to remember. After October 7, the usual rules of decency—protecting women and children, rules of warfare—have somehow been twisted and weaponized against the Jewish people. Never before in the history of warfare have victims been so consistently maligned as oppressors. And yet, Israel, a tiny country barely large enough to fit its name on the map, stands as a world power.
This is what unnerves the world: What if it’s true? What if we really are the chosen people? How is it that Israel leads in technology, medicine, military innovation, and business, despite centuries of persecution—from Persians, Greeks, Romans, the Inquisition, the Crusades, the Cossacks, the Judenschlacht, the Holocaust? For the nations, this realization demands one of two responses: double down on hatred, or reconsider what is truly real, who God is, and whom He favors. This is not classic ethnocentrism. Anyone can truly join the covenant if they do wish - though we have no interest in proselytizing. “For My House shall be called A house of prayer for all peoples. (Isaiah 56:7)”
But the Jewish destiny is not dependent on world opinion. Like sand, we cannot be ground down. We will continue to irritate the oppressor and eventually blossom into something beautiful.
One last feature of sand is worth noting. A single grain is insignificant. Yet when aggregated, it forms a barrier against the entire ocean. Any single Jew may seem powerless. But together, we are invincible.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com