The Jew And The World

This discourse was delivered by the Rebbe on Shabbat Sedra Lech Lecha, 5744 (1984). The moment that the Jewish people became truly distinct was when G-d commanded Abraham to circumcise himself, not the gradual process of history. The discourse explores how circumcision created a fundamental transformation in the nature of the Jew's connection to G-d, establishing a difference not merely of degree but of kind between Israel and the rest of humanity.