We Are All Related
Adam was created alone for the sake of peace among men, that one might
not say to his fellow, 'my father was greater than thine'.
-Sanhedrin 37a
R. Meir used to say, Whence can we learn that even where a gentile occupies
himself with the study of the Torah he equals in status the High Priest?
We find it stated: . . . which if a man do he shall live in them; it does
not say "priests, Levites and Israelites", but "a man",
which shows that even if a gentile occupies himself with the study of the
Torah he equals in status the High Priest.
-Baba Kama 38a
The righteous of all the nations of the world have a portion in the world-to-come.
-Tosefta Sanhedrin 13:2
Commentary: It's great to be a Jew, but don't think that makes you
better than a non-Jew. What makes you better is righteousness, not religion.
As Jews we have a great path and tradition before us. It is a Tree of Life
to those who take hold of it. However, the Talmud reminds us that we all
came from one man and one woman so that no one could claim that their lineage
is better. As Jews, we have been given a good path and a charge to "be
a light unto the nations", but other people have also been given
their own paths. In the end, it is righteousness
that determines your share in the world-to-come.
