I wanted to share a little more, and I want to end with one of the last sections where the Zohar talks about the power of unity. It speaks about the time when they built the Tower of Babel. It says because they were unified, no judgment could come down to them until their language was mixed up and their unity began to fade. Because they were with one mind, one heart, one thought, nothing could stop them. And judgment from above could not come and rest on them.

The Zohar says we, the righteous people doing the spiritual work, with one desire, how much more can we do? As I was reading this today, I thought, unfortunately, we talk about unity and love. But think about today in this group here. We have come to make a connection, but the reality is probably that we are not unified. We are thinking about our connection, about our own lives. We probably could create unity in one second if it was done right. What we should think about as we listen to this reading, and what stops the unity, stems from ego, from I am what I am. I don’t let down the barriers. As we understand the power of unity, and what we just learned about the power to remove judgment.

Two thoughts as we make this connection: I will think about those around me, and I will not agree to their judgment and will stop it. To make that connection more powerful, I am opening myself up to unity. We know those in this room. The Zohar and Noach says if 10 people are unified, pain and suffering will be removed from the world.

What we should have in our consciousness, our desire, is unity. It begins not by hugging anybody else, but by saying I will no longer be a barrier to unity. I am opening myself up to unity. As we consciously meditate on not agreeing to judgment, that power becomes greater and greater. To whatever degree we make these connections, we have the ability on this Shabbat to remove judgment through the overwhelming energy of Chesed.