We came up with the idea of doing a “Twin-Shabbat” theme because there are currently 4 pairs of twins, that both the twins go to UAlbany who are active in the Jewish campus community, plus there are quite a few twins whose siblings go to other schools. In addition to the Newlywed-type game tonight, there’s gotta be a good message and life-lesson from twins.
Twins share so much in common, from genetics to shared experiences. Going back to life in the womb and all throughout High School, they have so many shared experiences. Siblings in a family may have the same set of parents, but they arrive at different points in their parents lives. Not twins!
Here’s the remarkable thing: Despite all the nature and nurture that they share, twins can be quite different from one another in terms of personality, character and life-choices. They have different interests and hobbies, they pursue different career paths, they have different strengths and weaknesses. We know these four sets of UAlbany twins, and while they are wonderful to one another, and incredibly close to each other, yet they are so different, each one is their own person, each quite different despite all their similarities.
This is a testament to the power of the individual, to the fundamental Jewish principle of free choice.
There’s a lesson here for all of us, whether we are twins or not, regardless of whether we have siblings or not. We are taught that genetics is responsible for this or that, and what a critical role our upbringing plays in our development. That’s all true, but it’s only part of our story. The rest of it is up to us, and we have tremendous potential and opportunity in shaping our lives and who we become.