A Symbol of Integrity

When I grab a can of food I rarely look at the ingredients. I do not look at the nutrition facts. I do not even look at the shelf life date. I only look at one thing in the bottom right corner: the signature of an organization so great that it’s two initials mean the world to the observant Jews across the world. Enter OU. A union of orthodoxy yes, but a joint venture of everything Jewish as well. As Jews we are more than lucky today to have so many resources at our disposal. When I cook some food and want to thank and bless Hashem for that food which he has given me there is nothing more that I want to see on the packaging for that food than Orthodox, meaning “adhering to faith”, and Union, meaning “the act of being united.”

As a people, one of our strengths is the concept of community. We are strong in numbers. Even when we are few in numbers, the fact that we are together is still strong. The Maccabim were a small group. Which is the key word there, “small” or “group”? They key word is “group.” As a team they overthrew their oppressors, not because they were small or because they were weak, but because they were a unit, a combination of individual strengths.

The concept of our powerful communities is reflected throughout our religious practices, even in the concept of Minyan, or Tehilim groups. Prayers are powerful things, direct lines to Hashem. When we all talk together, with one unified voice, our prayers are more powerful. One person can vocalize his appreciation to Hashem as loud as he wants, but his prayer is heard no louder than anyone else’s. Strength in numbers is the key and the essence of an organization dedicated to unity. When I see the symbol I see a certificate of approval. Not just any approval, but that of my countrymen, my kin. If the symbol only meant that the food tasted good or that it was healthy it would still be important. In fact I would still enjoy the fact that different packages displayed it. But the OU symbol means so much more. It represents our history.

An all-powerful being that dictates how things should be gave us a document and told us how to slaughter our livestock, how to prepare our food. What do we do? Do we disregard this as fake? Do we ignore the laws given to us by this awesome, mind-blowing, G-d above us? Can we pick and choose which of our laws we keep and which we do not? No. We are Jews. Not partial Jews, not half Jews, just Jews. It means we believe in G-d, we love and fear him, and respect his commandments. The only way to truly respect his commandments is to completely immerse ourselves in the only things we have from him: Torah, Talmud, and the testimonies of the millions who witnessed the supernatural events at Har Sinai. OU not only represents the Kiddush Hashem we do every time we eat kosher food but also the multitude of other organizations OU sponsors and coordinates.

NCSY, an organization all about inspiring Torah in youth is the physical form of OU’s essence. The Orthodox Union inspires Torah through its food observation, while NCSY spreads it to the youth. I am a Baal Teshuva. Why? NCSY is a huge part of the answer. It’s one reason I love Shabbat, love Kashrut, and love praying. The symbol on my canned fruit reminds me of my inspiration, of our inspiration, of which there is no end. As Purim was last weekend I find it necessary to bring up one the biggest Eishet Chayil that we have on record. Yes, I mean Esther, though that was not her birth name. At birth she was given the name Hadassa, which comes from the word Hadas, meaning “myrtle”. Smell a myrtle leaf and you will smell nothing. But rub the leaf thoroughly and a waft of strong smell will radiate from it. The essence of the leaf is not apparent at first and one must rub it to release this inner beauty. Esther, or Hadassa, maintained her essence even in the most dire of situations. In a palace of corruption she remained a Jew.

In a country of anti-Semites, the Jewish people survived. Likewise, the symbol of the Orthodox Union gives an inner essence, a special designation to the mundane and the average. The can of fruit could be a bunch of highly processed fruit that has run through a factory. But better yet, it could be a can of fruit that maintains its inner, natural essence so we may eat it how Hashem asks us to eat it. OU is the integrity, the inner-essence, of what we consider average. It is also the root of the inspiration of all, young and old, to continue to be Jews and to await the coming of the Moshiach.