October 14, 2021 / Mar Cheshvan 8, 5782 • Parshat Lech Lecha
Issue 688
Dedicated in loving memory of Mrs. Miriam Friedman

To Shine Like the Stars

G-d took Abraham outside his tent and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars—if you can count them!... That is how your descendants will be.”

Genesis 15:5


Although the plain meaning of this statement is that the Jewish people

will eventually be as numerous as the stars, its metaphorical meaning

is that they will sparkle like the stars; their light is so bright that even those walking in the thick of night will not stumble.

We are all Abraham’s “shining stars,” possessing sufficient moral and spiritual fortitude to prevent those around us from stumbling and to exert a positive influence on them.

—from Daily Wisdom #1