I have two questions:

First, why did my daughter always want to dress up like a princess for Purim?

And second, why are we so obsessed with the British royal family?

I wonder if it’s because we associate royalty with a stress-free lifestyle.

Any young girl can tell you that a princess looks in the mirror and plays with golden toys all day. And when we grow up, watching a royal celebration with all its pomp and circumstance might make us feel jealous.

So is it easy to be a king or a queen? I have no way to answer that question.

But I am afraid we often overlook one of the most challenging parts of this role: to constantly be in the spotlight.

Think about Queen Elizabeth II. For 70 years, she couldn’t take a stroll in the street without being followed by hoards of paparazzi. People would scrutinize every statement she made. Simply put, she always needed to be on her best behavior.

If she were a mere mortal like all of us—and she was!—she would wake up some mornings and feel “not in the mood.” Maybe she was just tired of all those meetings and events. Perhaps all she wanted to do was stay in bed for another few hours.

But you couldn’t tell.

She always looked elegant and graceful. She fulfilled her role as a monarch in the best way possible.

How did she do it?

I believe that the answer lies in a speech she gave on her 21st birthday: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service…”

For her, it was a life of service.

Service is about serving a cause greater than oneself. When Elizabeth dedicated her life to serving, she essentially agreed to put others as the top priority of her life.

So whether it was easy or difficult, she persevered.

There is something we can learn from that.

The Talmud tells us that Jews are “compared to royals.”

What makes us royal? There are many ways to explain this statement, but here is one suggestion: Like royals, we often find ourselves in the spotlight.

We are “the Jews”—“the Jewish attorney,” “the Jewish doctor” and “the Jewish neighbor.”

(And please tell me I am not the only one who, whenever they announce the Nobel Prize laureates, checks to see how many Jews won! And on the opposite side, when I read about a scandal in the news, I quickly scroll down to find out the name of those involved, thinking, “I hope it’s not someone Jewish.” Because I know that others will look at it and say, “Look what this Jew did.”)

Like royals, we cannot avoid the spotlight. And like royals, we must be on our best behavior.

It’s not easy to always have to be on our best behavior. Sometimes we want to be “ourselves,” let our guards down, and do whatever we are in the mood to do.

But when God gave us the Torah on Mount Sinai, He devoted our lives to a life of service. He gave us the task to be a light unto the nations. He wanted us to be wholly dedicated to this mission every moment of our lives.

Let us hope that we can fulfill this mission proudly!

Rabbi Mendy Kaminker is the rabbi at Chabad of Hackensack. He welcomes your comments at
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