In a world that identifies itself as a fusion of many divergent lifestyles and cultures, many have a difficult time accepting categorizations because they fear being branded with a label not accepted by there surroundings. In this struggle to find our identity, we often find ourselves switching our focus, and ironically, come to wrongly label others. This phenomenon has many negative effects in which our personal identities and value systems have no anchor, and can easily be lost. Furthermore, we can also separate ourselves from those we think are undeserving of our respect by judging them in a negative light. It is imperative to identify our identities while being careful not to label others.

This problem facing our generation is a unique challenge. In past generations, it was not as crucial to have a set concrete belief system. In Iran for example, the minute a Jew started forgetting his Jewish identity, his Muslim neighbor was there to quickly remind him of his true roots with a simple slap or spit. The idea of an impure Jew marrying a Muslim would have never been tolerated. However, in our generation, we live in an open and accepting society, where inter-faith relationships are not only accepted, but sometimes even promoted. If we are not cautious of the loss of our identity, we may get caught up in this acceptance and begin to forget our value system, and just as easily begin to accept theirs.

In a society where the individual is considered to be an all-knowing power, we must take advantage of this mentality and critically analyze Judaism and its teachings by evaluating what Judaism means to the each one of us individually. Is Judaism a simple byproduct of existence that requires the eating of crackers on Passover and the gathering of annoying family members sporadically throughout the year? Or is it a way of life, a meaningful value system that permeates our total existence, causing the unbounded joy and happiness that the Torah commands?  Once these questions have been answered, we must strive to confidently accept responsibility and define the boundaries which we forbid ourselves to cross. At what point is our concern to be “cool” conflicting with the responsibilities that we accept upon ourselves of being a Jew? And furthermore, what exactly does being Jewish mean to each and every one of us? These questions must be sought and answers must be demanded, for if we do not, as the past 100 years have shown in regards to our European brethren, history will surely make that decision for us.

Fortunatley, many have been successful in their journey in concretely defining their Judaism by finding answers and attaching meaning to it. Unfortunately, many individuals in this search may come to believe that their connection and path is the ONLY right way, and others should also connect to the Torah and Judaism in the EXACT same way. If we actually come close to and thus proudly accept the label of The Proud Jew in our journey, we must be careful not to negatively label those with slightly different approaches, and thus separate ourselves from them.

Just imagine the number of labels that we have that describe the degree of religiosity to which a person is or is not; every time we mentally categorize another person, we subsequently distance ourselves from them as well. It may very well be some kind inherent psycho-social need of human beings to continuously attempt to categorize others in as many groups as possible. It is apparent in the school yard, where the brand of your jeans determines your group of friends, or in the streets of inner cities, where the color of your shirt signifies which gang you are a member of, or even (unfortunately) in the streets of Jerusalem, where the color and material of the kippah on a man’s head signifies his level of supposed religiosity. It is one thing to focus on and label others for constructive purposes, however, we should strive to minimize any unnecessary ones. For if we do not, with every label projected onto another Jew, we have needlessly distanced ourselves from that person that we are commanded to love like ourselves.

The Jewish nation is often compared to the human body, where each part has its own duties and responsibilities. Some of us have the potential to be the hand, providing physical action. Others have the potential to be the feet, providing forward motion. Others can be the brain, providing leadership and direction. Conversely, others can see themselves as an earlobe, just hanging around and looking pretty with a Star of David or some other Jewish accoutrement.  Therefore, it is up to each and every one of us to realize our potential and to assume our place in the Nation of Israel. However, at the same time we must be careful not to switch focus from ourselves to others and accuse to them of being useless earlobes. The truth of the matter is that even an earlobe is necessary to make the human body complete.

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