One particular task of the Jewish people is to serve as a "light unto the nations." _{Isaiah 42:6}

    Upon the Jewish people rests the responsibility to guard the Torah in the midst of humanity, as a priesthood among G-d's people; to guard it as a holy nation, to remain in a holy state without becoming involved in the falsehoods of other nations, guarding with their lives the holiness of Man.

    The Torah and the fulfillment of the Divine Will are basic elements in the life of man, the very ground he walks on. It does not depend on changing values. THe Jewish people are pledged to stand firm as its messengers, informing all the nations both by word and deed, that it is G-d who rules this world, a G-d Who is good and does good to all of creation. That if we would simply do his will then we would receive in abundance all those things which people consider as blessings and upon which to build our lives.

    Thus wrote Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch in his Nineteen Letters, in the Germany of the last century. His words find illustration in the earliest events in the history of the Jews, the efforts of Abraham to influence the people of his generation to recognize G-d and his education of his son Issac taught Jacob to instill into the nations the concept of the true G-d, as Maimonides explains: _{Laws of Idolatry, 1;3}

When Abraham was forty years old, he recognized his Creator. With this knowledge he began to answer the people of Ur Kasdim and to discuss these things at length with them, to inform them that they were following the wrong path. He broke idols, and maintained to the people that it is proper only to worship the G-d of the world, to bow down and offer sacrifices to Him alone, so that all mankind should recognize Him. He found it proper to destroy idols in order to prove that Man should not mistakenly believe in them as other gods. His success caused King Nimrod to desire to kill him, but a miracle was wrought and Abraham survived but was forced to go to Haran where again he called aloud to the whole world to inform them that there is but one G-d and it is fitting to worship only Him. Thus he continued from city to city, kingdom to kingdom, until he reached the Land of Canaan where again he called out his message, as it is written: "And he called by the name of the L-rd, the G-d of the world". _{Genesis 21;34}

    When people gathered around him and asked him for explanations, he would explain to them, each according to his own intellectual capabilities until he would turn to the true path. At one point in time he had tens of thousands of followers "the men of Abraham's household", in whose hearts he had planted this lesson. He wrote books and passed on his knowledge to his son Isaac. Isaac too taught his own followers and passed on his knowledge to Jacob, telling him to teach, as he did, thereby strengthening the belief of those who were with him."

    The Sifri _{Deut. 45} states that there is a duty today to spread this belief as Abraham did, and Maimonides explains the word of the Sifri as including this duty in the commandment to love G-d.

    "As it is said: "Abraham, the one who loves Me", the idea being in a deeper sense that he called upon others to believe in G-d because of his great love for Him. So too, you should love Him to the extent that you will call others to come to Him."

    The example one sets for others is just as important as direct instruction, whether in times of freedom or persecution. As Rabbi Hirsch explains _{Nineteen Letters: 9}

    "if, however, in the midst of a world which worships wealth and lust, Israel were to live a tranquil life of righteousness and love: if, while everyone else the generation of man is rapidly sinking into the depth of sensuality and immorality, Israel's sons and daughters should bloom forth in the splendour of youth, purity and innocence, what a powerful instrument for the good could Israel be!... this would affect mankind more quietly, but much more forcefully and profoundly than even our tragic record of suffering which proclaims the intervention of Providence in human affairs."

    This task of teaching grows in importance with the approach of the End of Days, as is show by these words of Isaiah._{2: 2-3}

    "And many people shall go, and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the L-rd, to the house of the G-d of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in his path, for out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the word of the L-rd form Jerusalem."

    THere are those who express surprise that much interest is taken in attempts to improve the situation of the non-Jewish world in this manner, while so many of our people are very far from keeping the Torah and its commandments. They argue that time would be better spent in trying to bring the Jews themselves back to truth than in winning over the nations of the world. This question has two main answers: one is as we have already seen from the words of the Sifri as explained by Maimonides, that such activity s a definite obligation from which obligation to our fellow -Jews does not exempt us. If there is opportunity to fulfill only one obligation then "the poor of one's own city take priority"; also those whose qualities are more appropriate for dialogue with their own brethren may devote themselves to that alone.

    The other is that, as is well known, one of the strongest factors in inducing Jews to move away their own heritage is a desire to be like the nations of the world: the desire for assimilation. The impossibility of such a course is indicated by an utterance of the prophet Ezekiel concerning the period of dispersion;

    "And that which comes into your mind shall never come about, that you say we will be like the Nations, like the families of the lands to serve wood and stone._20:32"

    This is apparent from the events os the "Enlightenment" period in Europe, which spiritual destruction overtook the Jews from within and without because of the overpowering desire to merge with the nations. The Reform and secular - nationalist movements also came into being through this desire. The former said: "Be a man in public and a Jew at home", and the latter: "The nations of the world are called "men", but the Jew is not called Man."

    These movements consider that true knowledge was only to be found among the philosophers of the non-Jewish world and therefore turned away from religion completely.

    The spread of the Nationalist movement dispersed this sickness widely. Its founders has a greater influence that those of the Enlightenment movement itself, since the latter by causing a decline in Jewish strength aroused a desire for normal conditions. The Nationalist movement strove to create this, through a "healthy mind and body" in the sense propounded by the Enlightenment; they tried to create a generation that would not see itself as living under "Diaspora" constraints. Unfortunately this resulted in as even greater assimilation, since the new Hebrew culture rapidly became more English or American the Jewish.

    With this in mind it is clear that if we achieve recognition of our religious truth by the non-Jewish world then Jewry will come to recognize the worth of its own philosophy and act accordingly.