Shared Merit, Shared Mission
When Sergey Brin and Larry Page met at Stanford University in 1995, they were two Jewish graduate students with strong, diverse opinions, curious minds, and a shared fascination with how to organize the rapidly expanding world of information on the internet. What began as an academic partnership soon evolved into one of the most transformative collaborations in modern history, the founding of Google.
They discovered that their differences were not obstacles, but strengths that complemented each other. Page’s vision, persistence, and product focus merged seamlessly with Brin’s mathematical insight, creativity, and restless curiosity. Together, they transformed a research project into a global tool that reshaped how humanity accesses knowledge.
Three Types of Relationships
Men usually don't sit over coffee talking about their marriages. That's why a particular conversation between three males stuck in my mind — they were discussing the joys of wedded life.
"I love my wife," said David. "That's why I do everything she asks me to do. A few months ago she exclaimed, ‘David, I would really appreciate a new diamond necklace for my birthday’, and I make sure to purchase one for her next birthday.”
Bridging Heaven & Earth
The story is told of a famous child psychologist who spent many hours constructing a new driveway at his home. Just after he smoothed the surface of the freshly poured concrete, his small children chased a ball across the driveway, leaving deep footprints.
The man yelled after them with a torrent of angry words. His shocked wife said, "You're a psychologist who's supposed to love children."
The fuming man shouted, "I love children in the abstract, not in the concrete!”
Embrace Diversity
Diversity is woven into the very fabric of the universe. Every individual possesses a unique fingerprint; no two zebra stripes are identical, and even two snowflakes drifting side by side are truly distinct.
As succinctly stated in the Talmud, "No two minds are alike, [just as] no two faces are alike (Berachot 58a)."
Napoleon's March
Napoleon's March is remarkable for its joyous, rhythmic character. It was played in 1812 by the armies of Napoleon when they crossed the border near Prussia in their invasion of Russia. Napoleon insisted his soldiers sing this march as they went out to battle, for he wished to boost their morale and instill within them a sense of confidence that they would win the war. Indeed, Napoleon's army did initially encounter great success in conquering much of Europe until their eventual defeat at the hands of the Russian army.
Sandy Koufax, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg & Yom Kippur
October 6, 1965, the first game of the '65 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Minnesota Twins. It's Yom Kippur night at Metropolitan Stadium, 47,797 in attendance. Sandy Koufax, lead pitcher of the LA Dodgers, refuses to play.
Koufax's refusal to pitch on Yom Kippur gained him the respect and admiration of many Jews. His courage gave many Jews the strength to not be ashamed of their Judaism.