Jews: The One and the Many

Stars and Sand

When Abraham complained to God that he was childless, God promised that his children would be as numerous as the stars in the sky:

“God took him outside and said, ‘Look at the sky, and count the stars if you can! So will be your descendants.’” (Gen. 15:5)

On another occasion, God promised Abraham that his children would be like “the sand on the seashore” (Gen. 22:17). Why are the Jewish people compared to both stars and grains of sand?

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From Rav Kook Torah, here.

הרמב”ן על כיבוד עשירים ועוד

וכל אדם יהיה גדול ממך בעיניך, אם חכם או עשיר הוא, עליך לכבדו. ואם רש הוא ואתה עשיר או חכם ממנו, חשוב בלבבך כי אתה חיב ממנו והוא זכאי ממך, שאם הוא חוטא הוא שוגג ואתה מזיד.