Who would have thought that the simple, icy, popsicle could be viewed as a symbol of achdut – oneness – and show the dire consequences of a lack of unity?
When we were kids, we’d often break a popsicle in half, keeping a half for ourselves and either freezing the other half for later or sharing with a sibling or friend. But it became apparent that our halved popsicle would melt in the heat and turn into a gooey mess if it wasn’t eaten quickly.
A whole popsicle would last longer. The united, unbroken halves together were more resilient to the heat, while the separated halves were not.
Popsicles came in varying colors and flavors. Vanilla white, lime green, chocolate, banana yellow, cherry red, etc. Yet they are all labeled as popsicles. As Jews, we come in all shapes and sizes, skin tones, and socio-economical levels, and we have different customs, levels of observance, and hashkafot. Yet despite our differences, we are am echad, we are all “Jewish popsicles.” And united, together, as one unbroken entity, we will survive the foes that are trying to melt us to oblivion.
