B'tzelem Elohim - We are All Created in God's Image

A favorite Jewish folktale of mine tells of a group of monks at a monastery who over time lost sight of their own behaviors and treated each other with disrespect.  Once known for living in an atmosphere of good will and human decency, the monks increasingly turn argumentative, suspicious, and even dishonest. It got so bad that the head of the monastery went out to seek out advice from his good friend, the rabbi, who was head of a local Jewish house of study. The rabbi instructed him to go back to the monastery and tell his fellow monks that one of them was the messiah. The monk did as instructed and the behavior changed immediately for the better. Without the knowledge of who among them might be the messiah, the monks treated every individual with the utmost respect and decency if by chance the messiah was that person.

This story is based on a core Jewish value known as b’tzelem elohim, we are all created in the image of God. In God’s eyes we are all of equal value and importance no matter our race, ethnicity, religion, or socio-economic background.  We first learn this from the story of creation in the book of B’reisheet (Genesis).  When God created humanity, God did so in God’s image. I feel this is a message that often gets lost in today’s world. Our community and world would be a much better place if we, like the monks, saw the dignity and worth of all human beings as being equal to our own.

In my work here at the (the J) I am proud that we take this value to heart. We welcome and reach out to all peoples, irrespective of their faith, race, or ethnicity to become members and to participate in all aspects of our programs. Once people do join the JCC, I know that we continue to treat them with that same level of respect. One does not need to be Jewish to exercise in our fitness center, attend our early childhood or adult day center program. All faiths are also encouraged to explore our Jewish cultural programs. 

Our lives are truly enriched through the diversity in our community. Please join me in celebrating and acting on the value of b’tzelem elohim because after all, we are all created in God’s image.