Posted on 08/15/25
Even as an adult, I still find myself mesmerized by the weekly morning garbage pickup — the rumble of the truck, the excessively loud beeping of the backup alarm system, the collectors hopping off the back, the swift lift and toss of the garbage into the hopper, and the satisfying crush as the packer swallows the garbage into its interior.
I’ve always admired garbage collectors — not because I’d want to be one, but precisely because I wouldn’t. Who would want to be a garbage collector? It’s hard, messy work. They ride the back of a truck in all weather, hauling away everyone else’s waste. Yet, despite the stigma, we all know how indispensable they are to modern society. Their work is absolutely essential for maintaining public health, environmental quality, and overall community well-being.
Everyone would agree that a world without garbage collectors would be a bad idea. Garbage collectors are needed to allow us as a society to function properly. We all understand this. As lowly as the job may be, we don’t go around hating garbage collectors, because their need in our world is understood. There are no movements (to my knowledge) targeting garbage collectors. There are no media outlets that focus on attacking garbage collectors. There are no rallies and marches against garbage collectors. The world understands their function, respects them for it, and lets them do their thing.
Here’s what struck me, though: society knows exactly how vital garbage collectors are…yet there’s another group, far more vital to the world’s spiritual well-being, that people fail – or refuse – to recognize and understand.
Where has the world gone mad that millions of people can hate the Jewish people, G-d’s Chosen Nation, the legendary People of the Book, the Moral Compass of the world? Today, we are living in a world where millions of people understand the need and role of garbage collectors yet would prefer that the Jewish people cease to exist. They’d much rather have a world without Jews. Can you imagine that — a world without Jews, chas v’shalom! People clearly see the need for garbage collectors in our society, yet they are completely blind when it comes to understanding the Jewish people.
Anti-semitism is not rational. It’s a sickness; a severely contagious disease that people become infected with when they turn off their brain. Here’s an important point, though. As yidden, our job isn’t to explain ourselves to them. You can’t explain things to people who have chosen to turn off their brain. Instead, our job is to look inward and explain ourselves to ourselves. Do we understand who we are? While the world may shut off their brain and choose to be blind, we must open our eyes: Who are we? What are we?
We are the world's sparks collectors. That’s right, not garbage collectors, but sparks collectors.
Hidden beneath the external layers of time periods, experiences, places, and objects are ניצוצי קדושה, sparks of holiness. The job of the Jewish people is to find these sparks and reveal them; this is how we light up the world. It is through this holy endeavor of collecting the holy sparks sprinkled throughout the world, that we fulfill our role and Hashem’s Will.
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (Likutei Moharan 1:2) explains: כִּי אִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי צָרִיךְ תָּמִיד לְהִסְתַּכֵּל בְּהַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁל כָּל דָּבָר, וּלְקַשֵּׁר עַצְמוֹ אֶל הַחָכְמָה וְהַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּכָל דָּבָר, כְּדֵי שֶׁיָּאִיר לוֹ הַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּכָל דָּבָר לְהִתְקָרֵב לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עַל־יְדֵי אוֹתוֹ הַדָּבָר – A Jew must always focus on the inner intelligence of every matter, and bind himself to the wisdom and inner intelligence that is to be found in each thing. This will enable a person to come closer to Hashem through that very thing.
Every matter – כל דבר – in this world has intelligence, i.e. everything has meaning and purpose. Our job is to see beneath the surface and collect these sparks of holiness. Rebbe Nachman teaches that this ability to find the meaning and holiness in every matter is the aspect of Yaakov Avinu.
Yaakov Avinu – יעקב – is called by this name since when he emerged from his mother’s womb, his hand was holding onto the heel of his brother, Esav — וְיָדֹ֤ו אֹחֶ֨זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו (see Bereishis 25:26). Yaakov Avinu understood that even within Esav, there are sparks of holiness. The heels are the lowest part of a person. But Yaakov Avinu taught us that even there – in the seemingly lowest of places – we can find sparks of holiness. No matter what, the avodah of a Jew is to grab on to the “heel of Esav” and realize that sparks of holiness exist even there. No place is devoid of sparks.
The Tzaddikim explain that the word עקב, the name of our Parshah, is an allusion to עקבתא דמשיחא, the time period right before Moshiach. This time period (which we are currently in) is certainly hard and difficult. The nisyonos are challenging. But, we must realize that the first word of the Parshah is והיה, which Chazal say is a language of happiness. So yes, it’s true, the End of Days will certainly be challenging. But they are also days of tremendous joy. Because in the lowest places is often where the most holiness resides. In the darkest places is often where the brightest light is found. The world today is filled with a tremendous amount of impurity. The עקב עשו (heel of Esav) is all around us. But guess what? Therein lies the incredible potential for holiness and light to be found.
Too often in life we are דש בעקביו, trampling with our heels, i.e. squandering special opportunities of revealing light and collecting sparks. Instead, our job is to be like Yaakov Avinu – וידו אוחזת בעקב עשו. To hold onto the heel of Esav; collect the sparks of holiness. To reveal the goodness in the world. To see that there is meaning and intelligence in everything. Yes, everything. There is a tremendous joy (והיה) realizing that every step we take in life (עקב), we have the ability to listen to Hashem talking to us (תשמעון).
So it’s true, garbage collectors are a vital part of society. But guess what? So are we. The Jewish people – whether the outside world understands it or not – are indispensable because we are the world’s sparks collectors! We must know this, ourselves.
My friends, may we have the internal strength and confidence to keep doing what we do best, revealing G-d’s light in the dark world. Let us show up every day – and every step along the way – to be the best sparks collectors that we possibly can. Remember, garbage collectors keep our streets clean, but sparks collectors keep our world alive. That’s who we are. Let us do our thing!
Good shabbos! Ori Strum (author may be reached at rabbistrumo@gmail.com)