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The Torah drops a line that sounds impossible to reconcile: Moses tells Israel that God didn’t choose them because they were numerous, “for you are the fewest of all peoples.” But wait, aren’t Abraham’s descendants promised to be like the stars and the sand? And weren’t the Israelites so many in Egypt that Pharaoh panicked and enslaved them? We take that tension seriously, because it’s not just a textual problem, it’s a blueprint for Jewish identity. 

We walk through how classic commentators tackle the contradiction, including readings that depend on timing, on being “small” relative to empires, and on Rashi’s striking idea that love is more demanding when it attaches to the few. From there, we zoom out to the bigger theme: humility isn’t pretending we don’t matter. It’s refusing to let impact turn into ego. A message meant for the whole world doesn’t require a majority, it requires persistence and a willingness to carry meaning when it’s unpopular. 

Then we test that idea against history and the present. Crusades, inquisitions, forced conversions, and genocidal regimes should have ended the Jewish story by any rational measure, yet empires vanish and Jewish life keeps rebuilding. We also talk about modern antisemitism in America and Israel, the strange convergence of hate from opposite directions, and an unexpected post October 7 reality where some secular Jews leaned in more strongly to Jewish identity and connection to Israel. If you’re searching for language to hold fear and faith at the same time, this conversation aims to give it to you. 

If this resonates, subscribe for more, share it with a friend who likes Torah, Jewish history, and big questions, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What part of the “fewest of all peoples” idea do you most agree or disagree with?

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Shabbat Hazon is the Shabbat before Tisha B'av and gets its name from the prophet Isaiah who 'saw' (Hazon) the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. I offer a couple of thoughts about how we can commemorate this moment in Jewish history.

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In this Shabbat greeting to Congregation B'nai Israel of Boca Raton, I look into the conflict that could have been and the compromise that was when Reuven and Gad wanted to stay on the East side of the Jordan River.

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In this episode I riff on Parashat Pinchas and the different kinds of leadership hinted at in the text.  

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I am delighted to be the Senior Interim Rabbi of B'nai Israel this year!  This is the audio from my 'Happy to be Here' video!

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Rabbi Stanway and Rabbi Garten discuss the most troubling story of Aaron and Moses and the episode of 'the thing that must not be mentioned'!