The question is what does the word equal, equal? And the answer is that there are two types of equals.

The first: Equally the same

You wish to make a salad. You decide however that in truth all vegetables are equal and so you make a delicious salad with every vegetable possible. Using only romaine lettuce.

End result: hhhh hhhhh hh hh hhhhh hhh hhhhhhhh hh hhhh hhhh hh hhhhh.

(Translation: that salad is as tasty and colorful as this line of words.)

Two explorers move to a mountain. One is smart and short; the other is strong and tall. But they are both equal.

In the name of true equality the smart one does not use his mind to learn the important studies necessary for their survival, such as science and medicine. After all, he is equal to his comrade who cannot comprehend such topics.

Inasmuch as they are extremely different, they are equally important.

Living in a tent in this treacherous environment, they equally fall ill. Being that neither of them understands medicine, they equally die.

The second: Equally different

On the other side of the mountain lives another pair of explorers. One is short and smart, and the other is big and tall. They are very different and therefore extremely equal. They realize that because each one’s specialty is unique, each one’s presence is necessary. They set about to carry out their distinctive tasks, and live happily ever after.

When they make a salad, they realize that every ingredient is different and unique, and hence equally important. One cannot leave out the cherry tomatoes, nor the spinach or the basil. It is specifically a variety of many different vegetables, and a mixture of a number of oils and spices, that equal one delicious salad.

There is a common saying amongst communists that "we are all equals, but some equals are more equal than others." While some use that saying facetiously, others meant it quite seriously. If we view equal as equally the same, as the communists did, then in essence only one of us is needed; the rest of us are equally extra. Hence it is no surprise that they found some equals more equal than others, and found it okay to get rid of a few, or a few thousand, of the rest of the equals.

When Mozart was a young boy he performed for the king of Austria. It was a beautiful melody, but the king dozed off in middle. When Mozart finished, the king told the boy it was a wonderful piece, but a bit too long.

The king of Austria obviously had no true understanding of, nor appreciation for, music. The King of the universe, however, invented music. He also created billions of notes, and none of them are extra.

It is no surprise then that the very same religion that differentiates between male and female produces a system which educates children and assists the elderly. It sends rabbis to guide policemen who preserve the law, and chaplains to counsel inmates who break the law. It provides aid to soldiers overseas who fight wars, and establishes open houses on campuses for students who protest war.

If we view equal as equally the same, as the communists did, then in essence only one of us is needed; the rest of us are equally extra.

The same is true regarding the general population. This is why G-d makes some people rich and some poor. Some people fall ill, while others are blessed with a talent to cure. This way we need each other. Some teach us how to give while others teach us how to take. Some give life, while others make us appreciate life. That is what makes the world go around.

So here are some helpful hints: If you are making a salad: remember that a salad by definition is a variety of vegetables, so if they look different they probably are. If you are building a house: there is a reason why people use sheetrock on the inside and brick on the outside -- perhaps because they are different types of materials which serve different needs. If you are in medical school: bear in mind that the hand doesn’t have short fingers. That is a foot and they are called toes.

And most importantly, if you are building a world: two people that look different are different. Inasmuch as they are extremely different, they are equally important.

Men and women are different. What one contributes naturally and expertly, the other can only dream of. The world needs both. It is thus a shame and a waste to want to be the other. The sooner we realize how different we are, the sooner we’ll see how equal we are.