Five + Five: The Meaning of a Handshake

The Rebbe concludes an address to a group of Paralympic athletes:

When Jews meet, they take one-another’s hand, expressing the fact that they are one. This is alluded to through Torah: When the Ten Commandments were given, five were engraved on one Tablet and five on the other. Likewise, when two Jews shake hands, the five fingers of one person meet the five fingers of the other. Together, they reflect the Ten Commandments, and also the Ten Divine Utterances by which G-d created the world, which show G-d’s Divine Providence over every single individual, wherever they may be. Therefore, before we conclude, I would be honored if I could greet you individually and shake each of your hands.

I would also be honored to present each one of you with a dollar, for you to give to charity. May each of you be blessed in all that you need, both materially and spiritually – and in the spirit of the Eternal Jewish People’s mission: to elevate the spiritual over the physical, form over matter, and the soul over the body.