The following was written by Mendy Kaminker, editor of Chabad.org's Hebrew site.
So who will be the Democratic nominee? While that's still unclear, what is clear is that Barak Obama is emerging as the surprise of this election. If he wins the nomination, he should first thank his campaign manager for the brilliant slogan: "Change we can believe in!"
The slogan is right on target. Change. What a beautiful word! Who doesn't want change? The employer wants a change that will give him a revenue boost, while the employee wants change in order to get a raise. The father wants change in his relationship with his son, while the mother wants change in the way her mother-in-law treats her.
But yesterday I was listening to the radio, and a rabbi was asked to comment on this topic. "A lot of people talk about change," he said. "But when my grandmother used to light Shabbat candles, she would pray, 'G‑d, please make sure that everything stays the same...'"
It's easy to understand the grandmother's sentiments. Back in her times, no news really was great news. If no new pogrom was on the horizon, that itself was a reason to celebrate.
So I was left confused. Is change good or bad? What does Judaism have to say about it?
The Lubavitcher Rebbe and the Chabad movement are great examples to study. Long before anyone thought of the concept, the Rebbe encouraged us to use all the high-tech tools to facilitate the spread of Judaism and Torah. When others viewed the radio as a negative force, the Rebbe called upon his chassidim to use this new tool to broadcast goodness and Torah. Before most even knew of such a thing called "internet," there was a Chabad chassid, Rabbi Y.Y. Kazen OBM, who was the "Chabad Representative to Cyberspace." The Rebbe demanded that Judaism adapt—discard shtetl mentality and enter the Information Age.
But when it came to Jewish law and principles, the Rebbe never compromised. He insisted that the Torah is everlasting, and we can never change it even one iota.
Is that a paradox?
Well, maybe we have here the answer to our question. Change is good, but as long as you are not running away from the basics. When making a change, we need to be sure that it's based on the solid grounds of the 3000 years-old Torah. Then, our change will be real, lasting—and productive.
So you want a raise? Great. But make sure that the steps you take are based on age-old standards of decency. Don't step on your coworkers or insult your colleagues.
Who will win this election? I can't predict. One thing I'm sure, though: change is possible. You can believe in it. You can do it.
