Sermon Archive

SHELACH 5784

LA, The Jewish Charlottesville

If you were making a movie and wanted to depict an unmistakably Jewish male, how would you dress him? No, not with a tallis, that would be too obvious. Besides Jews don’t usually wear a tallis when not praying. How about with a kipa? That wouldn’t do because it can easily be confused with a taqiyah or kufi—the Muslim skull cap. The obvious choice would come from today’s Torah portion in the mitzvah of tzitzit. You would dress him with his tzitzit hanging out and everyone would know he’s a Jew.

Tzitzit is a meaningful symbol for Jews because its purpose is, says our Torah portion (Num. 15:39): “that you may see it and remember all the commandments of Gd and do them.” We’ve all seen very religious Jews walking with their tzitzit hanging out. It’s not my custom and so I wear my tzitzit tucked in—as most of our male congregants who wear tzitzit do.

A few weeks ago, I spoke about when I had sometimes put on a baseball cap instead of my kipa when out in certain public settings, and how I’ve now decided to keep it on wherever I go in spite of the possibilities of lurking antisemites. While I’m still committed to wearing my kipa, the incidence of antisemitism continues unabated. The most glaring example this week was in Los Angeles.    

Before I get to that, let me mention that last week, a man approached the entrance of a West LA synagogue, spread a Muslim prayer rug on the concrete, and began to pray. What do you think happened? No one was hurt. No one was heckled. It was not the 1st time he laid a Muslim prayer rug at the synagogue entrance to pray.

Tabby Refael in the Jewish Journal asks: Let’s imagine that a black-hatted Orthodox Jew had stood at the entrance of a mosque in Paris in today’s climate of open rage and violence against Jews and began wrapping Tefillin. I admit the question is a nonstarter … Before anyone could have laid a hand on him, his own mother would have killed him! The title of Refael’s article is: “Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Jew?” She answers, “No one outside of Israel, no one fears Jews.”

A European filmmaker was once asked why he made films that portrayed Jews quite negatively and not Christians or Muslims. Off-the-record he said it’s because no one is really afraid of Jews—but he was certainly afraid of others.

After the Holocaust, the dominant image of Jews were the uniformed skeletal, helpless concentration camp survivors. With the birth of the State of Israel another Jewish image began to emerge—that of the strong, spirited, and most importantly, armed Jew of the Israel Defense Forces. He, too, was in uniform, but those concentration camps’ uniform stripes had now been replaced by the uniform of some of the best soldiers in the world!

Tabby Rephael is right. Outside of Israel, no one is afraid of Jews. That suspicion was confirmed last Sunday when all hell broke loose in the Pico-Robertson Jewish neighborhood in L.A. Cheryl and I had dinner on that street a couple of times while visiting our son Jonathan in April. An out-of-control, antisemitic mob was allowed by police to take over the streets outside of the Adas Torah synagogue—threatening with baseball bats and assaulting Jews.

What does Adas Torah have to do with the war in Gaza? What does Adas Torah have to do with the Palestinians? Their whole reason for being is to just observe, learn and teach Torah. They are as peaceful a congregation as it gets. Think about that: To express their Jew-hatred, these antisemitic demonstrators chose a place that represents the ultimate expression of Judaism.

I’ve compiled some media accounts of the incident. Here it is: The protesters were blocking the synagogue’s main entrance, forcing Jews to enter through a secret alley door. The police officers stationed outside the synagogue did little to interfere with the terrorist supporters, but blocked Jews from entering their own synagogue. [Yes, they are terrorists, because they terrorize a peaceful neighborhood]. After an hour the protests turned violent—and the police seemed to do little to intervene. “Billions of us will come and kill you,” a heavily accented Middle Eastern man shouted.

         Brawling in the street outside the synagogue left one Jew bloodied, a Jewish woman assaulted and tackled to the ground, and other Jews pepper-sprayed. After officers pushed the crowd away from the synagogue, some moved to target 2 smaller synagogues attended by Persian Jewish refugees from Islamic Terror in Iran. Some walked into a more residential Jewish neighborhood where more fighting broke out. Others marched outside neighboring Jewish businesses with some trying to enter the Beverly Hills Bagel Company—a kosher restaurant where Cheryl and I had lunch!

Can you imagine this on your street in your neighborhood? What would you do? From my perspective, the answer is not be found in the response of London’s Jewish community to the 300,000 pro-Hamas protesters that filled that city’s streets this year: London’s Jews largely stayed home, locked their doors hoping the storm would pass. We must not allow such terror to succeed so that we cower behind our locked doors. We must not allow this to happen—not to Jews, not to African Americans, Hispanics, Asian, Indian—not to anyone!

In Thursday night’s debate, Charlottesville was part of the conversation. Well, pretty much every week now there is a Charlottesville of sorts across the country with pro-Hamas supporters in our universities, outside synagogues and Jewish businesses, trying to hold up traffic, and sometimes getting involved in physical assault. Already one Jew was killed in Los Angeles—smashed over the head with a bullhorn—for the great crime of being pro-Israel.

It’s absurd to call these Jew-haters “pro-Palestinian.” The Jews on Pico Boulevard; the comedian Jerry Seinfeld who gets interrupted and heckled by these pro-Hamas demonstrators; the visitors to the Nova exhibit in NY memorializing victims of the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7 had demonstrators outside lighting fires and calling for more Israeli deaths; the Jewish college students who are intimidated on their own campuses, and countless other Jews, have nothing to do with either Israeli policies or with Palestinians. They’re targeted because of who they are—Jews!

Rephael suggests that this was much more than a protest. Just as they did at Columbia University and UCLA—cities home to America’s 2 largest Jewish communities—they were testing the waters. Could they enter one of L.A.’s most visible and populated Jewish neighborhoods and terrorize Jews? The answer was a horrifying “Yes!”

How many of these Hamas demonstrators around the country have been charged and tried for the real crimes they have committed? Virtually NONE! If it were blacks attacked outside a Church, if it were Moslems attacked outside a Mosque, do you think the police would just tell them to move on?

For the sake of imagination, would hundreds of angry Jews be able to gather outside of a large mosque in Dearborn Michigan, block the entrance, scream genocidal chants against Muslims, and return home in perfect peace and safety? Could they do it to an African American church? It would trigger massive outrage and calls to bring the haters to justice. The same must happen to the invaders of LA’s Pico-Robertson Jewish neighborhood, and to all who cross the line of justice.

Last Sunday’s attack was on another, more dangerous level. I’m not sure we’ll be able to shake the feeling of heightened vulnerability in our Jewish neighborhoods. That’s why we now have armed security at almost all shuls. Now, large scale protests by virulent antisemites are no longer just “over there” in Israel and Europe. They haven’t yet come here to Atlanta, let’s hope never do.

As I indicated a few weeks ago, I’ll continue to leave my kipa on, but I’ll also continue to tuck my tzitzit in. After all, America is not the Middle East and Pico-Robertson is not Jerusalem. Or is it? Amen!

BEHAALOTCHA 5784

Timing is Everything

                           

Did you ever wonder why there are obscure passages in the Torah that seem to have little or no meaning? And yet, our Sages tell us that every passage in the Torah is pregnant with meaning—with so much to say to us. Take for instance the passage in the today’s Torah reading about 2 trumpets (Numbers 10:1-10): Hashem spoke to Moses saying, “Make for yourself 2 Silver Trumpets—make them hammered out and they shall be yours for the summoning of the assembly and to cause the camps to journey. When they sound a long blast, the entire assembly shall assemble to you, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. If a long blast is sounded with only one, the leaders shall assemble to you … short blasts shall they sound for their journeys …”  

 

We have no need for these trumpets in our day. It is impossible to gather the Jewish people—who are all over the world—with their sounds. So why is this in the Torah? Not every instruction given to Moses by Gd on how to lead his people is in the Torah. There must be an important lesson here.

 

One of the lessons of the trumpets is clearly that timing is everything in life. The timing of the notes, the pause between the notes, is essential to communicate its message. Several years ago, a best friend and colleague, Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg and his family, left the Sbarro Pizza restaurant in Jerusalem with his family just minutes before PLO terrorists bombed it. Had anyone in his family ordered another slice, who knows??

 

There are things in life that occur with a randomness that defies understanding. But then there are other things that seem to carry a great significance and meaning. Rabbi Raphael Kanter tells 2 stories of hospital visits he had made. One was in a hospital room with a family gathered around the bed of a man in a coma. After speaking with them, he suggested that they pray together. They joined hands and prayed, and then Rabbi Kanter recited the Mishebeyrach prayer for healing the sick. Just as they said “Amen” together as he finished—to everyone’s astonishment—the man in the coma opened his eyes and began speaking with his family! Astonishing! Remarkable!

 

Rabbi Kanter later received a lot of good-natured kidding from the hospital personnel during his next visit: “Hey, Rabbi, would you come and visit my patient today?” But everyone in that room agreed that this was a remarkable moment of connection between them, the patient, and Gd.

 

On another occasion, Rabbi Kanter entered the hospital room of someone who was terminally ill. The family shared with him the prognosis that he would die in a short time. Rabbi Kanter suggested that he say the special prayer known as Vidui—a prayer for the last moments of life. The family gathered around the bed, and Rabbi Kanter recited: O Lrd, our Gd, and Gd of our fathers, we acknowledge that our lives are in Your hands. May it be Your will that You bring healing, but if it is Your decree that he be taken by death, let it be merciful.

They concluded the prayer with the words of the Shema, “Hear, O Israel, Hashem is our Gd, Hashem One.” When they said the final word, echad (One), signifying that Gd is one with everything and everyone, the dying man breathed a final breath and died.

 

Rabbi Kanter later said: Some might say I was lucky. I think that something much deeper was going on. He was not an observant Jew, yet there was this harmony in the room when the Shema was on their lips that made it possible for his dying. It was a powerful moment of harmony on earth and in heaven.

 

Rabbi Nachman Seltzer and Eli Beer (head of the amazing Emergency Medical organization Hatzalah International), wrote a book, Angels in Orange (p. 272) about the heroes of Hatzalah on October 7th. On October 7th, when everyone was running away from Gaza, thousands of Hatzalah EMTs were running toward it. The Israeli Army’s emergency medical staff was overwhelmed. Hatzalah went on to save thousands of lives. In the book there is the story of a young man named Ro’i and his wife who were at the Supernova Music Festival when it was attacked by Hamas. This is how Ro’i tells it:

         During the music festival, I remember standing there, filming everything going on. Suddenly, I noticed that there were rockets flying in our direction. Grabbing my wife’s hand, I said, “We’re running to the car this second!” We started running with rockets flying in our direction and the music still playing. “This could be our last moment together,” Ro’i said.

         My wife said, “Don’t talk shtuyot (foolishness). Hashem is watching over us!”

         Suddenly we passed a car, and I saw man sleeping inside. I knew that if I didn’t alert him, he was going to die. I knocked on the window and yelled, “Get up! Get up!” I kept knocking and yelling for a very long half a minute till he woke up.

         (He called me 5 days later saying, “I can’t thank you enough. You saved my life. I have 3 children”)

         We continued to our car, jumped inside, and drove away. My wife saw 2 pickup trucks—one black, the other white—and each had about 8 terrorists standing on the truck-bed. I looked at the terrorists just as they aimed their weapons at us and started shooting. I pushed my wife’s head down below the window, and continued driving, all the while screaming, “Shema Yisrael ...!” That scream was strong and loud—I don’t even know where it came from.

         Meanwhile, the terrorists were shooting at us, and I was driving. I remember looking up for a second and seeing the bullets corning from every direction, but miraculously, none of them hit us. A few seconds later, I raised my head and looked in the rear­view mirror and saw the 2 pickup trucks turn left in the direction of the festival. As we arrived in Beersheva, a rocket landed close by, and a house went up in flames.

         It’s been 5 days since we almost died, and I find myself asking Hashem, “Who am I? And what do You want from me?” Because of everything we went through and all the miracles, our family has decided to start keeping Shabbat!

 

As the adage goes: “Timing is everything.” It was timing that saved Rabbi Rosenberg and his family from that PLO bombing. It was timing that created such spiritual moments in the hospital with Rabbi Kanter. And it was timing that saved Ro’i, his wife, and the man asleep in the car.

 

It’s timing that the Torah hints at today, when it describes those ancient communication devices—the Silver Trumpets—used to summon the people. Moses was told that these 2 trumpets were to be sounded to bring the people together for 2 kinds of occasions: one is to sound an alarm in times of crisis or danger, and the other to proclaim a celebration like a festival or new moon.”

 

The use of these 2 trumpets points to the 2 situations where we have the potential to become more aware of Gd in our lives: strengthening us in times of crisis and danger, and providing us a way to express our joy in connecting with Gd in times of celebration.

 

There are occasions in all our lives when we become aware of a special sense of the “flow” of time. The parent who steps into the stream of traffic to snatch a child from the path of an oncoming truck will describe how time seemed to slow down enabling her in slow-motion-time to know exactly what to do.

 

Remember when you were little, out playing your favorite game and your mother had to find you and bring you home in the twilight, because in the joy of the game, you had lost all awareness of the passage of time.

 

It can happen when you become engrossed in learning—either in class or in reading a book. It can happen in deep meditation or in prayer. In those special moments, we seem to be “in the Zone”—outside the normal realm of time and fully present in the moment. It is at these special moments that the Shechina, Gd’s presence, can more easily enter our lives. 

 

And there is one thing more. This awareness works in both directions. If this awareness of Gd comes to you in a time of crisis, it’s possible to call it up later, in a time of joy, and realize the preciousness of that time of celebration. Like: “O’ my Gd, I could have died in that car accident and would not have made it to my daughter’s wedding! Baruch Hashem, thank Gd!”

 

And if a feeling of gratitude to Hashem comes over you when you’ve received something far beyond what you deserve, pull up that awareness during times of crisis with the knowledge that Hashem always has your back!

 

My friends, the Torah’s Silver trumpets disappeared long ago when the ancient Temples were destroyed. But if you try, I think it’s still possible to hear their echo—opening up a path for Gd to come into your life, to make you strong in the dark times and able to appreciate joy when it comes. Yes, we no longer have the Silver Trumpets. But Gd still summons us in many different ways. We just have to open our hearts to hear the call. Amen! 

NASO 5784

The Miracle of the Bathroom

You’ve heard quite a few sermons lately—especially over Shavuot. So instead of a sermon this morning, I’d like to study with you today’s Haftorah. I recently discovered an important insight in the text that I’d like to share with you. Please turn to page 1181 in our Chumashim. The Haftorah is the story of the birth of the mighty Samson. We read this story today is because the Torah reading contains the laws of the Nazir, the Nazirite, and Samson was a Nazir—perhaps the most famous.

Samson’s birth was different from most others. It was announced—in advance—by an angel. Let’s read beginning with verses (Judges) 13:3-5: An angel of Gd appear to the woman and said to her, “Behold now! You are barren and have not given birth, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. And now, be careful not to drink wine or intoxicant, and not to eat anything prohibited [to a nazirite]. For you shall conceive and give birth to a son; a razor shall not come upon his head for the lad shall be a nazarite of Gd from the womb, and he will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

The woman runs and tells her husband Manoach that something incredible just happened to her. Let’s continue reading 13:6-7: The woman came and told her husband, “A man of Gd came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of an angel of Gd—very awesome! [It seems that this expression is thousands of years old.] I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name. He said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son; and now, do not drink wine or intoxicant, and do not eat anything prohibited [to a nazirite], for the lad shall be a nazirite of Gd from the womb until the day of his death.’”

Manoach is astonished. He doesn’t want to be left out and he wants to confirm what his wife has told him, so he prays to Gd and says (verse 13:8): Please, my Lrd, may the man of Gd whom You sent come now again to us and teach us what we should do to the lad who will be born.

The angel does come back—but not to Manoach. He comes back to his wife! Evidently, either this is an angel who likes to talk to women more than to men, or, more likely, his wife is on a higher spiritual level and more worthy. This time, however, she runs to get her husband so that he can see the angel for himself. The husband asks the mysterious angel to please repeat the instructions ¼ and the angel does so.

Then, Manoach, feeling very grateful to this mysterious angel asks him in verse 13:15: Please let us detain you, and we shall prepare for you a kid of the goats. In other words, “Won’t you please let us make a meal for you?” And the angel replies in verse 13:16: If you detain me, I shall not eat from your food, but if you would bring up an elevation-offering, bring it up to Hashem. In other words, “Thank you, but no thank you. I don’t eat human food. If you wish to make an offering, make it to Gd, not to me.”

So Manoach offers a sacrifice to the Gd ... and now comes the insight I want to study with you in verse 13:19: Manoach took the kid of the goats and the; meal-offering and brought them up on the rock to Hashem; and [here are special words] UMAFLI LAASOT, he [the angel] performed a miracle as Manoach and his wife watched. [What was the miracle?] It happened that as the flame rose up from atop the altar toward the heavens, the angel of Hashem went up in the flame of the altar; Manoach and his wife were watching, and they fell upon their faces to the ground.

Something wondrous, something miraculous, something beyond human understanding occurred. The angel went up in the flames of the altar and disappeared. When Manoach and his wife see it ... they stand there awestruck—overwhelmed, frightened. They were privileged to witness a miracle. No wonder they were willing to do whatever the angel told them to do after they saw him go up in smoke. Wouldn’t you?

So far, the story  pretty clear. Now listen carefully to the special insight. Does anyone recognize that Hebrew phrase, Umafli laasot (He performed a miracle)? Anyone? A colleague, Rabbi Jack Reimer, makes a connection of this phrase to a prayer that I had not thought of before. 

Umafli laasot, Rabbi Reimer points out appears in Asher Yatzar prayer—recited whenever a Jew comes out of the bathroom. Let’s read it on page 14 of our Siddurim: Baruch Ata Hashem, Elokeynu, melech haolam, asher yatzar et haadam bichochmah, uvara vo n’kavim, n’kavim, chalulim, chalulim. Galui viyadua lifney chisey ch’vodecha, sh’im yipateyach echad meyhem, o yisateym echad meyhem, iefshar l’hitkayem v’laamod l’fanecha. Baruch ata Hashem, rofey kol basar, UMAFLI LAASOT. (Blessed are You, Hashem our Gd, King of the universe, Who fashioned man with wisdom and created within him many openings and many cavities [a whole network of veins and arteries]. It is obvious and known before Your Throne of Glory that if any but one of them were to be ruptured or but one of them were to be blocked, it would be impossible to survive and stand before You. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who heals all flesh and acts wondrously.)

Do you recognize that Hebrew phrase—umafli laasot? The very same phrase used to describe the mysterious angel miraculously going up in flames ... is used to describe our ability to go to the bathroom, our ability to move our bowels.

Now, is there anything more mundane than our bodily functions? Why on earth then is the very same phrase--umafli laasot—used to describe a wondrous act that was done once and only once by an angel ... and a routine act—a lower bodily function—that is done every day by human beings?

And that’s the point! The normal, everyday, routine functioning of the human body—even or especially the lower bodily functions—is just as miraculous as the angel’s once-in-a-lifetime ascent to heaven.

Do you understand what this prayer is saying to us? That we should never take the workings of our bodies for granted, just because we are so accustomed to them. The fact that our eyes can see, the fact that our ears can hear, the fact that our bloodstream works, the fact that we are able to inhale and exhale, the fact that our digestive system works ... these must never be taken for granted. They are wonders—no less remarkable, amazing, astonishing, than the angel who was able to go up to heaven in the flames. The miraculous and the mundane, the extraordinary and the ordinary, are not unconnected realms.

Where do you find Gd? Some people find Gd in the workings of the cosmos—in the fact that the stars move in their stations in the sky in such superb order. Some people find Gd in the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, or other such awesome works of nature. And whether we want to admit it publicly or not, some people—and I suspect it happens to all of us at one time or another—find Gd in the bathroom! In fact, I think more prayers are said in the bathroom today than anywhere else!

The point of this phrase—umafli laasot—is that we can and we should find Gd—not only in the stars, not only in the Grand Canyon and not only in Niagara Falls. Gd is to be found even in the everyday functioning of our bodies.

Let me say in all seriousness that the Ashar Yatzar prayer is one of the most profound in all of Jewish liturgy. May I suggest that you make a copy of it, cut it out, and carry it with you wherever you go and recite it throughout the day as the need arises to show your gratitude to Gd for the miraculous functioning of our bodies. I don’t know any other religious tradition that contains a prayer to be said after going to the bathroom. Do you?

My friends, let’s bless Gd for all the many wonders He showers upon us. May we learn to notice them, to pay attention to them—not only when they break down, but especially when they work. And to this, let us all say, Amen!

 

                     



 

SHAVUOT SERMONS

SHAVUOT YIZKOR 5784

In an exceptionally daring mission, reminiscent of Operation Entebbe—which was an Israeli counter-terrorist mission in Uganda in 1976 that rescued civilians hijacked by the PLO—Israeli forces last Shabbat successfully rescued 4 hostages held by Hamas in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza. The daring daytime rescue operation, which took weeks of planning, caught militants holding hostages off guard in 2 different buildings in a densely packed civilian area. Eyewitnesses told CNN that they saw Israeli forces in disguise: “They were dressed in military uniforms like Hamas resistance fighters … but in reality, they were an Israeli special forces unit.”

The IDF said the units on the ground began the raids simultaneously at 11:25am Israel time on both buildings housing the hostages—Noa Argamani 26, Almog Meir Jan 21, Andrey Kozlov 27 and Shlomi Ziv 40, all of whom were taken on October 7th from the Nova music festival. Doctors later said that the rescued hostages were in, “a State of severe malnutrition.” Unfortunately, Almog Jan’s father died hours before his return. But Noa Argamani’s terminally ill mother can now see her before she passes.

It was chilling to watch the 45 second helmet camera video footage with Israeli soldiers calling out to the 3 male hostages: Hakol b’seder. Banu lachlotz etchem. (Everything is Ok. We came to rescue you).

The complexity of the operation was due to the need to simultaneously raid 2 separate houses to prevent the hostages from being moved or killed. A shootout started in one of the homes and expanded into a gunbattle on the packed streets of Nuseirat. The raging firefight almost prevented the hostages and the commando team from making it out alive. The Israeli Air Force came to the rescue and began striking dozens of militant targets in a bid to divert Hamas’s attention and give the hostages a fighting chance to get out.

By the time the hostages were brought to the Mediterranean coast and evacuated in helicopters, under 100 Palestinians died according to the IDF. But of course, Hamas says it was 274! This was only 48 hours after the Associated Press—usually not so friendly to Israel—exposed how Hamas reported death tolls are “at odds with the data.”

Unlike the reaction of the world after the Entebbe raid of awe and wonder, Saturday’s rescue was met with contempt. The mission was labeled by the UN, the European Union, and the media as a “massacre.” How dare Israel rescue its own citizens? Didn’t she know there would be casualties? The BBC asked, “Whether Israel gave a warning that the rescue raid was coming.” Seriously? A tip-off to terrorists? Perhaps read them Miranda rights too.

CNN, called this a “release of hostages.” No, it wasn’t. The hostages weren’t released, they were rescued! Kamala Harris revealed her true colors by not celebrating the rescue. She said she “mourns the loss of civilian lives.” Let me tell you about these “civilians.” Gaza civilians participated along with Hamas in the atrocities of October 7th. Gaza Civilians joined with Hamas in shooting at Israeli soldiers in the rescue last week! The hostages were held by Gazans civilians—one was an Al-Jazeera journalist, and the other was a doctor and they were paid to do so!

If these civilians are so innocent, why don’t they show us where the rest of the hostages are? If I knew my neighbors kidnapped people and I didn’t speak out, how innocent am I? The deaths of innocent civilians are on Hamas that started this war with atrocities on Oct. 7th and by hiding and shooting missiles from crowded civilian neighborhoods. Besides, all recent polls show that 71% of Palestinians support Hamas! At what point does one lose one’s civilian status?

It’s ironic, the Jewish people have been a light to the nations for thousands of years. Today we celebrate Shavuot—3,336 years since Gd gave us the 10 Commandments—one of which is, “Thou shalt not murder.” We didn’t want this war. If we weren’t hampered by the world, we would have finished it in a couple of weeks! The world put handcuffs on Israel. Gazans weren’t allowed to leave Gaza to safety in Egypt or Jordan.

The rescue was not without its tragic costs. Sadly, Arnon Zamori, a key special forces commander, was killed in action. He reminds me of Yoni Netanyahu of the Entebbe raid that was also the only one killed. Yoni’s brother Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu paid tribute to Zamori’s bravery saying “His bravery and sacrifice will not be forgotten.”

Today, as we are about to recite Yizkor, let me share with you a tribute to Arnon Zamori written by Amir Ofer, who was part of Entebbe rescue mission:

         Friends, today Commander Arnon Zamora of the IDF was killed in the rescue of the 4 hostages in Nusirat. I wanted to share with you the experience I had with him. I did not know him. I was at a concert in the amphitheater in Mevsaret Zion a few years ago. There were several thousand people there. Suddenly a charming guy approached me, asked if he correctly recognized me and told me that he was an officer in the special forces (counter-terrorism) and he wanted me to come and lecture to his unit about Entebbe …

         Fast forward—on October 16, 2023 [just after Oct.7], I received a call from him: “I have to talk to you.” … We talked for 2 hours. He told me in great detail how [on Oct.7th] they were surprised at the Yad Mordechai intersection, how 3 RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] missed him by millimeters, how his intuition to stop a few kilometers before the intersection and circle saved all his troop, how they fought like lions. How they loaded all the cartridges [in their weapons] 4 times on the 1st day and jumped from the intersection to Sderot, and from Sderot to Ofakim, and from Ofakim to Be’eri …

         And all the time he asked, “how did you succeed, and we didn’t?” I saw before me a man among men, a true hero and also an exceptionally moral person. I told him—and I meant every word I said—that there was nothing to compare the situations, and that even Gd would not have succeeded in rescuing the people in Be’eri … You were truly heroes and you functioned in an extraordinary way under the most difficult conditions possible. Both a strategic surprise, also a tactical surprise, both fighting in an area full of civilians, and you were few among many. It is impossible to create a more difficult situation even in the simulator. You have surely saved your place in heaven, and more.” … We lost a real superhero.

T’hi nishmato tz’rura bachayim (May his soul be bound up in the bond of life). May Gd watch over the IDF and help them to bring a lasing peace to Israel. Amen!

                                     

SHAVUOT 1st DAY 5784

Ki va moeyd, the appointed time has come

Are you familiar with the famous Shlomo Carlebach song taken from Psalm 102? It comes from verse 14 which reads: Ata takum, t’racheym Tziyon, ki eyt l’chenana, ki va moeyd (You will arise and have mercy​ upon Zion, for it is time to be compassionate unto her, for the appointed​ time has come). Let’s sing it together. You can find it in your Siddurim on page 828, 4th line.

On October 7th, we suffered a horrific pogrom on a Moeyd, Simchat Torah, where we rejoiced in the Torah. And now—after 8 months of war whose sole purpose was to return the hostages taken and to make sure Hamas can never do this again—on another Moeyd, Shavuot, as we celebrate the giving of the Torah, we ask, “When will it end?” How many more of our young soldiers need to be slaughtered? How many more of our children, our young adults and elderly need to be taken captive? It’s time for Gd to arise and be merciful to Zion, to Israel, and have compassion on her and protect her … ki va moeyd, for the appointed​ time has come—because Israel needs her protection now!

he word Moeyd (appointed time) usually refers to one of the 3 major festivals: Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. The appointed time—our moeyd this week, Shavuot—has come. So let us pray for peace in Israel and the return of the hostages as we express our joy in celebrating Shavuot—ki va moeyd (for the time has come).

I’ve been to Israel more than 10 times and have had many inspiring spiritual experiences there. But the most powerful—by far—was the time I spent a moeyd—a Yom Tov in Israel, Shavuot. I led a group to Israel that was there for Shavuot as well. On Shavuot night we had services and dinner at the hotel. After dinner, we walked to the Old City about 11:00pm to study Torah. It’s customary Shavuot night to study Torah all night since Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah. We studied with Gedaliah Fleer—a mystic and Breslover Chassid.

Can you imagine that at midnight the Old City was busy and alive with people gathering for study sessions? When the session with Rabbi Fleer ended about 4:15am, my group went back to the hotel while I walked with Gedaliah to the local mikveh, took a dip to purify myself and then descended down the Arab shuk to the Kotel (the Western Wall) to daven Shacharit vasikin—saying the Amidah precisely at sun rise which was at 5:32am. On the way, at about 4:45am, I hit a dead stop about a quarter of a mile before the security area to get into the Kotel plaza. It was packed with people going to the Wall. When I finally got through security and onto the steps descending to the plaza, I saw one of the most amazing sights of my life.

The Kotel plaza is a huge area that was created after Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967 to accommodate large crowds of worshippers. When I looked down at the plaza, I could not see the ground anywhere for it was so packed with people. I have been there on other occasions with masses of people. The largest was on Tisha B’av evening—mourning the destruction of the Temples. Then, the Jerusalem Post reported that there were 250,000. This crowd was much larger.

Let me tell you what went through my mind as I beheld this wondrous sight making my way to the Wall. Passover celebrates Gd’s love for us—how He took us out of Egypt. Shavuot celebrates our love for Gd in accepting His Torah. Shavuot is one of the 3 moadim, pilgrim festivals. The word moeyd in Hebrew actually means, “meeting.” 3 times a year on these 3 festivals Gd asks us to come to His house for a meeting.

On Shavuot, the festival that celebrates our love for Gd—at the Wall, the ruins of the Temple, Gd’s house—Gd asks us for a meeting, and I, along with at least 300,000 of Jews, showed up! The spiritual energy was so intense. These weren’t tourists; they were Jews—Ashkenaz Jews, Ethiopian Jews, Sephardic Jews, Yemenite Jews, baby stroller Jews, walker and canes Jews—all kinds of Jews! It was crowded, it was tight, but everyone was smiling, filled with awe. Being a part of this was the most spiritual Yom Tov experience of my life.

My friends, Israel is filled with such experiences. Most of us don’t have the wherewithal to live there. After October 7th and the war with Hamas, some Atlantans have gone to Israel to help in the fields and factories as the soldiers are fighting in Gaza. Most of us, however, will wait till things calm down to go and experience it. But on Shavuot, we do the next best thing. What is that? On a weekday Wednesday Yom Tov, while for everyone else it’s just another day, we come to shul—we show up on Gd’s day in Gd’s house! And we proclaim on Shavuot as our ancestors did at Mt. Sinai, Naaseh v’nishma—we will follow you Gd, whatever you ask of us! 

And so, I pray the words we will soon say in the Musaf service: V’havi-eynu l’Tziyon ircha b’rina (Bring us to Zion Your City, in jubilation), v’liY’rushalayim beyt mikdashcha b’shimchat olam (and to Jerusalem, home of Your Temple, with everlasting joy). Why? Ki va moeyd, the appointed time has come. It’s time for Shavuot and it’s time for Hashem to arise and have mercy​ upon Zion, to be compassionate unto her. Let’s sing again: Ata takum, t’racheym Tziyon, ki eyt l’chenana, ki va moeyd (You will arise and have compassion​ upon Zion, for it is time to be gracious unto her, for the appointed​ time is come). Amen!   
 












 
 

EMOR 5784

Chosen People? Chosen For What?

These past few weeks were filled with celebration and commemoration. First there was Passover which was different this year as we remembered our redemption from Egypt with a prayer for Gd to redeem our hostages from Gaza. Then just 6 days later, with a special sadness we commemorated Yom Hashoah Ug’vura, Holocaust Memorial and Heroism Day. Exactly one week later our sadness continued with Yom Hazikaron, the Memorial Day for Israeli soldiers who had died in defense of the Holy Land. The next day—last Tuesday—was Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day. 

A Jew’s emotions these past few weeks were all over the place. I can’t help but think of the words of the holiday Kiddush we   recited on Passover where it all began. We blessed Gd: Asher bachar banu mikol am (for You have chosen us from all the nations). We said it, but it doesn’t always feel like it.

If you consider the Jewish world today, you can easily fall into despair with: Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, the continued captivity of our precious hostages, and the unrelenting threat of Iran. The metastasizing antisemitic cancer rapidly spreading throughout college campuses, the systemic hate of Jews even among professors and administrators of institutes of “higher” learning, the distortions and lies of the media, the bias and discrimination of Jews by members of Congress, can easily breed a sense of hopelessness.

Rabbi Efrem Goldberg of Boca Raton writes: When so-called “friends” issue eloquent statements but fail to take meaningful action, we can’t help but wonder, how will this end?

         The post-October 7 energy of being part a united, tenacious people, determined to defeat our enemies, restore security and fight for peace for all decent people, feels like it is dissipating and giving way to the cruel reality of what feels like an endless existential loneliness and isolation. The adrenaline that powered our soldiers and their families in Israel, that energized protests and advocacy in America, and that inspired contributions and donations from all over, is draining, potentially leaving in its place fatigue, fear, and despondency.   

We expect the UN to unfairly condemn Israel. It would not surprise us if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issues an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu for war crimes. But when America withholds a weapons shipment to Israel while she’s fighting a savage enemy, it leaves Jews and those who love Israel wondering if we have anyone we can count on.

IF this is what being the chosen people feels like, maybe we can be less chosen and more safe and secure. As we were remembering the 6 million martyrs of the Holocaust recently, the IDF began the invasion of Rafah to finish off Hamas and rid the world of today’s Nazis. Reflecting on this, I thought about some of the lessons of the Holocaust for us. No lesson is more poignant that a story of the Klausenberger Rebbe.

The Klausenberger Rebbe, Rav Yekusial Yehuda Halberstam, was taken to Auschwitz, where his wife and 11 children perished. He survived the war and came to America, where he remarried, had more children, and built a grand Chassidic movement. He moved to Israel where he built a thriving community in Netanya and established the Laniado hospital. He was truly extraordinary.

Let me share with you a story about him from Auschwitz: The SS guards began taunting him, teasing, pulling his beard and pushing him around. The vile soldiers trained their guns on him as the commander began to speak. “Tell us, Rabbi, do you really believe that you are the Chosen People?”

         The soldiers guarding the crowd howled in laughter. But the Rebbe did not. In a serene voice, he answered loud and clear, “Most certainly.”

         The officer became enraged. He lifted his rifle above his head and sent it crashing down on the head of the Rebbe. The Rebbe fell to the ground. There was a rage in the officer’s voice as he said, “Do you still think you are the Chosen People?”

         Once again, the Rebbe nodded his head and said, “Yes, we are.”

         The officer became infuriated. He kicked the Rebbe in the chin and repeated, “You stupid Jew, you lie here on the ground, beaten and humiliated, in a puddle of blood. What makes you think that you are the Chosen People?”

         [This is an amazing reply.] With his mouth gushing blood, the Rebbe replied, “As long as we are not the ones kicking, beating, and murdering innocent people, we are the chosen people.”

Are we the Chosen People? You be the judge. Before our precious soldiers entered Rafah, they did several things that no other army in the world ever did. American leaders and the media told us that it would take weeks to evacuate the refugees from Rafah, but within 3 hours, over 100,000 refugees from East Rafah were safely relocated. They said it would take weeks for the IDF to enter Rafah from the moment the evacuation began but the IDF, in a staggered operation, entered Rafah within a few hours with no civilian casualties.

The IDF did this by not only announcing they were coming, they not only notified civilians to relocate, but helped them. What other army has ever done such a thing? The IDF dropped leaflets, sent text messages, and made phone calls. A recording of one of those calls to a Gaza citizen was released and it reflects the contrast of our peoples. Listen:

IDF soldier: We must do everything within our means to prevent any fatalities. That’s why we must help you relocate.

Gazan citizen: We want to die, and our children also must die.

IDF soldier: No, Gd forbid.

Gazan citizen : We love death the way you love life.

It’s been said by Palestinian leaders again and again: “We love death the way you love life.” As long as we love life, even while they celebrate death, we are the Chosen People. As long as we have the most moral and ethical army in history, and are fighting the most moral war ever despite opposing savage monsters, we are the chosen people.

Before the soldiers entered Rafah, they gathered to do what the Torah instructs Jews to do before going out to battle—they prayed, asking Hashem for victory and for peace. So long as we pray for peace while our enemies pray for war, we are the chosen people.

We don’t rely on the media, America, the international community, or the UN to know  that we are the chosen people. It is up to us to be proud, practicing, ethical, Torah Jews to demonstrate we are indeed the chosen people.

The Klausenberger Rebbe suffered devastating losses in his life, but he never lost his faith in Hashem; he never lost his resolve or his mission.  Yes, he suffered and grieved, but then he put one foot in front of the other and not only survived—but thrived as he inspired a generation. He did it by never doubting for a moment that he was a member of the people chosen by Gd.

My friends, since October 7th, we grieve as well. We have suffered, but as members of that same people with that same mission, we too will thrive, no matter who supports us or stands with us. Happy 76th birthday Israel. Am Yisrael Chai, the Chosen People of Israel shall live! Amen!
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