Walking On Broken Glass

“Now everyone of us was made to suffer, everyone of us was made to weep. But we've been hurting one another, and now the pain has cut too deep …”

Fragile! Handle with care.

As we stood by Har Sinai, we were united as one people. We reached the level of holiness in order to receive the Torah only as a result of this unity. Hundreds of years later, it would be the lack of unity, sin'as chinum - baseless hatred, that would cause our glorious Beis ha'Mikdash to be diminished to rubble. Ultimately, it will be our reaffirmed unity that will bring about the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Beis ha'Mikdash. It will be our thoughtfulness and unwavering care for our fellow Jew that will bring the Final Redemption.

All we need to do is go a step further.

All we need to do is go beyond the call of duty for one another.

All we need to do is infuse a unbreakable bond for each other.

To go the extra distance. To do more.

When the chosson and kallah danced away from their chupah with an entourage of all their family and friends, the saintly Rav Simcha Zissel Ziv - the famous Alter of Kelm, as he was known - was seen crawling around on the floor where the chupah had just taken place.

What could bring this great giant to lower himself to his knees and crawl like a child on the floor?

He was searching and gathering the broken pieces of glass that the chosson had just broken - in order to make sure that nobody would get cut by the shards left behind!

This glass is broken to remind us that even at the height of our most joyous occasions, we must never forget the destruction of the Beis ha'Mikdash. Therefore, even while we join together at perhaps the most happy, Jewish event - a wedding - we must remember that we are truly still apart! The glass symbolizes that we may be together the night of a wedding, but indeed we will continue to be broken and scattered!

Perhaps, the Alter of Kelm was doing much more that cleaning a dangerous mess. He was teaching us that if the pieces are not gathered together once again, people will undoubtedly continue to get hurt!

Say to yourself ten times today:

"I will do more to be helpful and accepting to every person today!"