holy brothers

The late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, zt"l, who traveled the world in his lifetime spreading teachings of love and connectivity through his stories and songs, speaks of this idea when he says:

 "Thank G-d, the religions are getting together more and more, people are getting together. And I don't mean to make gefilte fish (a Jewish delicacy which is made out of many different kinds of fish) out of religions, which sadly enough, hurts me a little bit. Some people think, let's make a gefilte fish out of all religions; everybody put a spoon in, and let's make a new soup. This is not what I am talking about. What's happening in the world is that everybody really wants to know: What do you think? What do you believe in?

It doesn't mean that I have to change. If I see that somebody else has a beautiful nose, it doesn't mean that I have to take off his nose to put it on my face. He has his nose and I have my nose. I'm just looking at his nose and seeing that it is beautiful. You know, people have to realize that basically every religion is a revelation of G-d. All I can ask is, let me know a little bit of what G-d is revealing to you. But I have to do what G-d is revealing to me, because if I cut myself off from my own revelation, then again I'm not living up to G-d.

We need something that G-d will reveal to all mankind, beyond everything in the world, deeper than any previous revelation, something so deep and so holy. I think the world is getting ready for it."

HaRav Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen  Kook, the First Chief Rabbi of Israel, and writer of many inspiring books, wrote in his book Midot  HaRiyah:

    The loftiest stance in the love for mankind must be for the individual man, and this must spread to every single person, irregardless of differences in opinions, religions, and beliefs, and irregardless of differences in race and climate. It is necessary to fully understand the mentalities of the different nations and groups, to learn as thoroughly as possible about their natures and characteristics, in order to know how to base the love of humanity on foundations which can be put to practical expression. For the noblest love for one's own nation, in its broadest practical and spiritual reaches, appears only in a person who is rich in love for humanity and for every individual man. And the narrow viewpoint which causes one to see everything which is foreign to a particular nation, even what is outside the Jewish people, as ugly and defiling, this is one of the awful darknesses which bring general destruction to every edifice of spiritual goodness, whose light every sensitive spirit longs to see.

        From Harav Kook, we learn that even though our neshamas (souls) may be Jewish ones, and even though it is our responsibility to connect with our Jewish tradition, we should never become blind to the rest of the world...we should always strive to better our understanding of other cultures and traditions in order to learn how to love others completely, regardless of where they come from or what they look like...Hashem created a world full of a diversity of peoples… we can look at this as a challenge to love unconditionally...it is easy, or easier, to love someone who is similar to you...how much harder it is to love a person who comes from a completely different culture, from a place you've never even heard of and who looks nothing like you!  So while we should always be connected to our Jewish roots, we must never forget, and it's not hard in today's world that there are other peoples and traditions in this world...as Shlomo Carlebach said in his quote above, each of the world's religions is a different revelation of the G-d...while we must receive that which is being revealed to us as Jews, we must also be conscious of that which Hashem reveals to others...for everything comes from Hashem...all the divisions and conflicts we perceive around us are just a veil that momentarily hides from us the inherent unity of everything...behind each event and experience, Hashem is trying to show us something, trying to teach us a lesson, trying to bring us closer to Him and closer to our destiny...this is happening to each one of us, simultaneously...the world is like a grand orchestra in which Hashem is the Conductor and each nation is a different instrument...before we can come together to play a piece of music, each section, each nation, must be able to first play their part on their own...when each nation is comfortable with their part, then the time will come for all nations to join together and realize that they are all working on the same song, the same goal...what is this goal?...creating a world, as has been said before, in which the Divine Light can reside, in which the One Song of Creation can be heard, as well as sung, throughout the world, by all peoples and by all nations...