Report from Israel

 On Wednesday my family and I (all 6 of us!) participated in a JNF day long mission to the south of Israel. 

We started our day at Kibbutz Nir Yitzchak. The kibbutz was established on December 9, 1949 along with 10 other settlements. The State of Israel had been established a year and a half earlier and it was viewed as a priority to develop the south of the nascent state in order to help strengthen the Jewish hold on the land (some things never change). The kibbutz produces cucumbers, baby carrots, potatoes and citrus as well as dairy in the cowshed on site. When I get back, ask me about the amazing story of the cows of Nir Yitzchak.

On 7 October 2023, the Hamas Nuseirat Battalion attacked the kibbutz. Two civilian members of the kibbutz's security team including its leader, and one IDF soldier, were known to have been killed on the day of the attack. Four other team members who were originally noted as missing and presumed abducted, were subsequently also identified as being killed on that day. This includes two whose bodies were taken to Gaza.

Seven civilian residents were taken hostage. Two elderly hostages were released before crossing into Gaza. Three were released during the 2023 hostage release. The final two were freed by the IDF in a targeted mission during Rafah offensive.

Half of the residents of Nir Yitzchak have returned home. The other half, consisting of many if the families with young children, have not yet returned. It’s difficult to live in Nir Yitzchak today. The war is ongoing in Gaza. We heard a few tank  booms while we were there, and we were told that it’s much worse at night. 

I spoke with the recently elected leader of the Nir Yitzchak community council. She told me that her mission now is to create “a new energy” and to make the kibbutz a place where current residents feel supported and want to return. She is also focused on doing what is needed to prepare the kibbutz for an expansion of families in the future. I told the the council leader that bringing people back to Nir Yitzchak is important not just for the kibbutz, but for the State of Israel and for the Zionist vision of settling the entire Jewish homeland.

We then visited the Tekuma car graveyard where we saw over 400 burnt cars completely  destroyed by terrorists on October 7 plus hundreds of others that were badly damaged. What was previously a junkyard is now a national pilgrimage site of commemoration and reflection. 

Each car has a story- a story of tragedy or heroism or both. Our tour guide mentioned that this site has similarities to Holocaust related sites in Poland. Each car at Tekuma has a story just like each pair of shoes at Auschwitz has a story. At Nir Yitzchak a  kibbutz spokeswoman noted that the trauma of October 7 has similarities to the trauma of the Holocaust. However after the Holocaust almost no one went back to the scene of the trauma. The healing took place elsewhere - especially in the newly established State of Israel. The healing from October 7 will somehow have to take place at the scenes of the original trauma. Some residents won’t be able to return to their homes. But Am Yisrael as a whole has no choice. Unlike Poland, Israel is the final stop for Jewish history and for the Jewish People. We all  must do what we can, whether in Israel or in Hollywood, to heal from this trauma, to persevere, and to build a bright and strong Jewish future. 

Connecting the Dots Should Lead Us Back To Hashem

 Parshat Chayei Sara tells the story of how Eliezer, Avraham’s trusted servant, went to Aram Naharayim to find a wife for Yitzchak. Upon arriving at a well at the outskirts of the city, Eliezer devised a test whereby the first girl to offer him and his camels water should be the girl for Yitzchak. Eliezer asked Hashem to bless this endeavor. Eliezer’s shidduch test seems reasonable. Yitzchak was born into the family of Avraham, a man known for his Chesed. It makes sense that Yitzchak needed a wife who was similarly committed to Chesed- and watering a bunch of camels is a big Chesed!

The Rambam criticizes Eliezer. In exploring the Torah prohibition of nichush, fortune-telling, The Rambam writes (Avodat Kochavim 11:4): “For example, those who say: Since my piece of bread fell out of my mouth, or my staff fell from my hand, I will not travel to this place today, since if I were to go I would not be able to accomplish my desires. Since a fox passed on my right side, I will not go out of my door today, since if I were to go out I would meet a deceiver…..Similarly, a person who sets up omens for himself; e.g., if this and this happens, I will do this. If it will not happen, I will not do it, as Eliezer, the servant of Abraham did, and the things of the like - all this is forbidden.”

How do we reconcile the Rambam’s harsh criticism of Eliezer with our belief in Hashgacha/ Divine Providence, ie “everything happens for a reason”? The answer is subtle yet important. When something happens to me, whether it’s something bad or something good or even something benign, I am entitled to utilize my lived experiences as prompts and opportunities for personal growth and change. To take a mundane example, if I miss my flight I am allowed to think that it must’ve been God’s plan for me to miss my flight. (That truth would not absolve me for sleeping through my alarm nor absolve the Uber driver for picking me up late, if those were contributing factors to my missing the flight.) As I wait for the next flight I am entitled to contemplate what I am supposed to learn from this experience. Perhaps upon some reflection I come to realize that I often am late to appointments and I resolve at the terminal that from now on I will be more careful to be on time and to respect people’s time. Maybe I have no great epiphanies, and I merely resolve that I need a louder alarm. It’s my prerogative to interpret the meaning (or lack thereof) of my experiences.

I would add 3 important caveats: First and foremost I must have the humility to realize that I don’t fully understand God’s ways. God knows and we don’t know. Whatever rationales or explanations I attribute to my experiences must be predicated on this “uncertainty principle” Similarly, there are no certain outcomes. Just because someone was saved/ was blessed after s/he took upon themselves a certain mitzvah or positive behavior doesn’t mean that I will experience the same outcomes. Similarly, if something bad happens to me, I should not attribute it to a specific sin or non-observance of a specific mitzvah. There are lots of reasons why “bad things happen to good people”, and this is one of the great mysteries of the universe- something even Moshe Rabbeinu could not fully understand.

Second, takeaways from my personal experiences must lead me to growth and must be consistent with Torah law and Torah values. For example, if I got into a car accident on my way to minyan (God forbid), it would NOT be legitimate for me to come to the conclusion that this was a sign that I should not be going to minyan.

Third, I am entitled to learn from events that occur to me, but I am not entitled to interpret events for someone else. Iyov’s friends were considered cruel by our rabbis because they offered their own reasons for Iyov’s suffering. Iyov is entitled to utilize his experiences to prompt in him growth or change. Others were not supposed to tell Iyov why bad things were happening to him.

This can be a complicated and confusing topic, one that we encounter throughout our life journey. Whatever happens to us in life we should remember the words of Rivka’s father and brother. While we don’t have many nice things to say about Betuel and Lavan, we should all agree that whatever happens in life “מֵֽה יָצָ֣א הַדָּבָ֑ר” “The matter has emanated from the Lord.” 

A Shechina-Based Hospitality

 Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm (1927-2020) was the third president of Yeshiva University. In a 2008 interview he described his contributions to Israel as it was becoming a state:

“I was here in Yeshiva University as a college student from 1945 through 1949, at the time of the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. We were very concerned because we knew the Haganah was vastly outnumbered, and we felt we had to do something. I went with many of my classmates at Yeshiva to a place in the West Village where they were sending blankets to Israel, and in between every blanket there was a rifle to be smuggled in. The kids were very empowered and excited to do it. Meanwhile, I thought – just packing things, anyone can do that. Maybe I could do something special. I thought that maybe science students could do something more to help. I picked up the phone and I called up the Jewish Agency….. I told him what I had in mind, but as I’m speaking, he stops me. He says, “Shut up and come over here immediately!” I’m not accustomed to that kind of talk and I was taken aback, but I just did that. I shut up and I went down to see him. When we met, he apologized. He said: “The reason I was so abrupt is because our wires are tapped, and what we’re doing is none of the FBI’s business.” I began to understand the nature of the project.

Israel had some guns, and they had the Davidka. But they needed to manufacture bullets. They didn’t have enough natural resources then, so our mission was to develop a bullet that could be produced from the material available to the Jews in Israel. Each of us had our jobs, and we did them well. Everyone in Yeshiva was involved in some way with the war effort. It was a great opportunity to express our Ahavat Yisrael (love of Israel) and Zionism in a very practical way. Again, no hora. No heveinu shalom aleichem, rather real serious stuff. Did we succeed? I think we did in the end. We got the formula and the Israelis were able to manufacture the bullets, which is something which made us very happy and pleased.”

In Parshat Vayeira we read how Avraham excelled in the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests. On the third day post-circumcision, Hashem visited Avraham as an expression of Bikur Cholim. During that visit, Avraham sees three figures approaching his tent. He immediately leaves his conversation with Hashem and tends to these guests as an expression of Hachnasat Orchim. From the unfolding of this story the Talmud (Shabbat 127a) teaches: אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: גְּדוֹלָה הַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִין מֵקְבָּלַת פְּנֵי שְׁכִינָה,

This Talmudic phrase is normally translated as “Hospitality is greater than receiving the Divine Presence”. Rabbi Lamm suggests an alternate understanding of this Talmudic phrase. The prefix mem can mean “than” ie comparing the importance of two things. Or the prefix mem can mean “from”. Rabbi Lamm suggested in a sermon in 1968 that we understand the prefix mem in the Talmud as teaching us that “Hospitality is great(est) when it emerges from our religious identity and from our efforts to emulate Hashem.” We can be inspired to be more hospitable when we realize that we are all guests in God’s world. Rabbi Lamm adds that Hachnasat Orchim is more than social entertaining; it is a religious mandate. This means we should 1) Think beyond our social sphere when hosting. 2) Be ready to host those who might need it the most: ie those from out-of-town or those who may not be invited out as much as other people.3)Be willing to host even in less than perfect circumstances. Just as we feed our families even when the food, décor or setting is less than perfect, so too should we be willing to fulfill Hachnasat Orchim in less than ideal circumstances. May our appreciation for, and fulfillment of, Hachanasat Orchim help us benefit from Pnei HaShechina, from Hashem’s Presence in all facets of our lives.

Connecting with Our Souls

 Parshat Lech Lecha begins with Hashem commanding Avram to leave the familiar environs of his hometown. The Torah does not provide any context or background for why Avram was chosen to be the “father of many nations” and the father of monotheism. But already in Parshat Lech Lecha we have some clues. Early in the Parsha we read:  וַיִּקַּ֣ח אַבְרָם֩ אֶת־שָׂרַ֨י אִשְׁתּ֜וֹ וְאֶת־ל֣וֹט בֶּן־אָחִ֗יו וְאֶת־כָּל־רְכוּשָׁם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָכָ֔שׁוּ וְאֶת־הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ בְחָ֑רָן “And Avram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had acquired, and the souls they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go to the land of Canaan.” Who / what are these souls?

Rabbi Moshe Avigdor Amiel (1883-1945) was a student of Rav Chaim Soloveitchik and Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. He received semicha at age 18 and was the rabbi in Swieciany and then Grajewo before becoming the Chief Rabbi of Antwerp in 1920. The first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv was Rav Shlomo Ahronson. With his passing, three primary candidates arose over the summer of 1935:  Rav Amiel, Rav Yitzchak Isaac Herzog and Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, at that time a young rabbi in Boston. The leaders of Mizrachi backed Rav Amiel, and Rav Moshe Soloveitchik wrote a strong letter of support on behalf of his son. Rav Soloveitchik made his only visit to the Land of Israel that summer, and he met the ailing Rav Kook. Rav Amiel won the election, Rav Herzog was appointed to succeed Rav Kook as Chief Rabbi of Israel, and Rav Soloveitchik returned to Boston and became Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University after his father’s death in 1941

Some of Rav Amiel’s sermons were collected and published under the title Hegyonot El Ami. In a sermon for Lech Lecha Rav Amiel picks up on the fact that Avram and Sarai had acquired “souls” in Charan. The fact that people are referred to as souls is noteworthy. Prior to the appearance of Avram and Sarai humanity was referred to as basar, flesh. Our first patriarch and matriarch re-introduce the notion that human beings are unique due to their souls. Whether these acquired souls were slaves (literal interpretation) or students that were “converted” (Midrash), either way we have Avram and Sarai to thank for reminding humanity that we are more than “flesh”; we are also souls.

Rav Amiel notes that even according to the Midrash, Avram and Sarai didn’t formally convert students to Judaism. It also seems that none of these students retained the monotheistic lessons that they learned, for when Yaakov takes his clan down to Egypt there is no reference to any of these “souls”. Nevertheless, the impact of Avram and Sarai remained. Our relationship with God and our relationship with others is predicated on this lesson that humans are souls, not just flesh. Rav Amiel notes that this lesson was internalized be even the most heinous of sinners. Even the king of Sodom, a bastion of immorality, had learned the lesson of Avram. In the aftermath of the war of % kings vs 4 kinds the king says to Avram (14:21) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־סְדֹ֖ם אֶל־אַבְרָ֑ם תֶּן־לִ֣י הַנֶּ֔פֶשׁ וְהָֽרְכֻ֖שׁ קַח־לָֽךְ: “Give me the souls, and the possessions take for yourself.”

Avram and Sarai were the first Jewish outreach workers. They spread the Divine message that each human is a nefesh, and not just basar. We are endowed with a Divine soul, and that truth obligates us in our relationship with Hashem and in our relationship with others.

Each of us can be like Avram and Sarai by helping people connect with their Jewish souls. Next Wednesday 11/13 at 8pm YIH Sisterhood is hosting a Challah Bake in honor of the Shabbos Project, with Guest Speaker Charlene Aminoff: https://www.yih.org/challah . The Shabbos Project is an initiative to encourage people to share the beauty of Shabbat with those who are not familiar with it. More than just attending, I encourage women of our community to bring a relative, friend, co-worker or neighbor who has not been to a Challah Bake or who has not been exposed to the beauty of Shabbat the way we have. By bringing out the souls of others we will connect with our own souls in a more meaningful way.