Timeless and Timely Lessons from Chevron

In a normal year, tens of thousands of Jews spend Shabbat in Chevron and Kiryat Arba for Shabbat Chayei Sara. In this week’s Parsha we read how Avraham sought out the cave complex in Chevron as a family burial plot, first for his wife Sara and ultimately for the family. Of course with the ongoing war in Gaza against Hamas there will be no mass gathering in Chevron this year. It is not feasible nor advisable to divert so many resources away from the war effort at this time.

Last week, as part of the OU synagogue leadership mission to Israel, we visited Chevron. We prayed Maariv at Mearat Hamchpela and then walked to Beit Hadasah, where there is a museum that tells the history of Chevron (with special focus on the 1929 Hebron riots) and a community center where we had dinner. In my few visits to Chveron I had never walked passed the pizza shop. As I was making the 10 minute walk through Chevron (with an armed escort of Israeli soldiers) last Wednesday night, I couldn’t help but note how odd it was that Chevron was one of the safer places to be in Israel at that moment. While it is true that the city numbers a few hundred Jews surrounded by tens of thousands of Arabs, the security situation in Chevron seems to be stable, if not calm from what I could see. And Chevron is rarely a target for rockets, and even when it is the city is far away from rocket launches giving people over a minute to prepare.

In Chevron we met with Eliyahu Liebman. Eliyahu was born in Kiryat Arba and his bris was the first one held at Mearat Hamachpela after 1967. When he was 10 years old Eliyahu moved to Beit HAdasah in Chevron. In 1980 a terrorist cell came to Beit HAdasah and killed 6 Yeshiva students while injuring 16. During the attack, young Eliyahu ran and hid in a closet; just like how little Israeli children ran to hide on the morning of Simchat Torah. Today Eliyahu os mayor of Kiryat Arba. One of the terrorists involved in the 1980 attack is now the Mayor of Hebron who boasts about his terrorist activities. Eliyahu’s son, Eliyakim Shlomo ben Avishag, was working security at the music festival. Instead of running away he and his friend Eitan Mor stayed to help people run away as well as to preserve the dignity of the dead. As a result, Eliyakim and Eitan were captured by Hamas and are presumed to be held captive in Gaza. Eliyahu told us that Hamas wants Israel and Jews to be afraid. In response we must not be afraid (neiother afraid of the enemy nor afraid to do what must be done to permanently neutralize the enemy), and we must not rely on miracles.

We also met Eitan Mor’s parents, Tzvika and Efrat Mor. Tzvika told us that Israel has been in a defensive posture for the last few decade, relying more and more on technology, cameras, and shelters in order to survive. Tzvika suggested that we need to change our mindset- part of which is to reconnect to our heritage, to Jerusalem and to Chevron. There is a Hollywood connection to this story: Eitan Mor is our member Nancy Zombek’s cousin. These are just two stories of thousands of stories of tragedy and heroism that have emerged since Simchat Torah. Let us retell these stories as a tribute to the individuals invo,ved as well as a tribute and source of strength for the Jewish People.

The State of Medinat Yisrael

I am writing this as I sit in the hotel lobby waiting for my ride to Ben Gurion Airport. Phil Baratz and I have just wrapped up a whirlwind 3 day mission to Israel organized by the OU for shul Rabbis and lay leaders. We posted in real time much of our itinerary and some initial thoughts in a WhatsApp group that close to 300 of you joined. We also sent out a daily email to the entire congregation. It will take some time for me to process what we saw and heard and I look forward to sharing with you aspects of the trip in the weeks and months ahead. One of my colleagues suggested that we be deliberate and thoughtful as we “unpack” what we saw. The image of unpacking luggage from a trip is a good one. Most of us want to unpack as quickly as possible in order to put away the suitcases. Delays in unpacking can be a source of tension and arguments within some families. But when it comes to experiences that are full of significance it is ok to take your time when unpacking. Chazal say that parshat Vayera is followed by Parshat Chayei Sara because Sara died upon hearing the news about the Akeidah. In fact, Avraham did NOT slaughter Yitzchak. However the news was unpacked in a haphazard and clumsy way such that it literally scared Sara to death. And so while I am happy to discuss my trip with you one on one, I will not be sharing highlights or specifics this Shabbat. While I will do my best to unpack my actual bags before Shabbat, I plan on waiting to unpack this Israel experience until  after Shabbat. US presidents often start their state of the Union address with the words “The state of our Union is….” In that spirit I will say that the state of Medinat Yisrael is strong.   Israelis may be sad but they do not express fear; they are strong and resolute. They refuse to remain in a state of helplessness nor hopelessness. They are committed to not only surviving but to finding the lessons to be learned from this war that can bring some meaning to the situation and make the world a better place. As we seek out ways to tangibly support and stand with Israel at this time, let us strive to emulate this Israeli resolve.

The Long, Big Picture of Jewish History

On Wednesday night we hosted the Hollywood launch of the OU’s GenAleph parenting program (https://genaleph.org ). One strategy Dr. Norman Blumenthal mentioned for dealing with the stress and anxiety brought on by the current situation in Israel (in adults and children) is to try to remind ourselves of the resilience of the Jewish People throughout our history. Rav Hirsch makes a similar point from Parshat Lech Lecha. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch says there is significance in the fact that G-d told Avraham, the first Jew, to go out and look at the stars.

If a person is accustomed only to looking at “our world”, at earth, he gets into a mode of thinking that everything is “nature”. The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. There are laws of physics. Everything is a set pattern that is never broken.

This natural order of things is perhaps appropriate for the nations of the world, but it is not appropriate for Klal Yisroel.

“You, Avraham, have to go out and look at the stars.”

Amidst the vast constellations, one has a clearer view of the Hand of G-d. One becomes more aware that there is a concept of Hashgocha Pratit, Divine Providence- that there is a G-d out there who directs and takes interest in a person’s and a nation’s life.

As Rav Hirsch puts it: “Therefore, maybe Avraham, it appears to you that you are childless. Maybe by looking merely at this earth and this world, you get into the mindset that ‘I am childless I never have had children; I never will have children.’ But look up into the Heaven, into the realm of the stars where that Hand of G-d is more apparent. That is your lot Avraham, and the lot of your children. Yours is not a destiny and a future of ‘Nature’ (teva), it is a ‘super-natural’ (L’ma-ala min haTeva) destiny and future.”

Some have noted that Avraham was born in the Hebrew year 1948. And 75 years later (in the jewish year of 2023) Hashem told Avraham that the destiny of his descendants would be in the Land of Israel. In the secular year of 1948 the State of Israel was born. Now 75 years later we are being called upon to recommit to focus on Israel, support her and make clear to the world that the Divine promise to Avraham lives on in the modern Jewish homeland.

 When one looks at history, where are the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, the Babylonians? Where are all these great powers that ruled the world? There is only one nation that is still around after 4,000 years. That is Klal Yisroel. This is ‘above the course of nature’. This is what G-d wanted Avraham to see by looking at the stars: Jewish history and Jewish destiny defies logic and rules of history. We must do what we can but ultimately we can rely on no one but Hashem Himself.

Bringing Out Our Best- Even After the Stress

After the flood, Noach sends a dove to see if the waters have cleared. At first the dove does not find any sanctuary and returns to the ark. The Midrash explains that the Jewish People are likened to a dove. Just as the dove from Noah’s Ark at first found no rest, so too the Jewish People find no rest in exile. Unfolding events in Israel have left the Jewish People particularly restless and anxious.

Though we are blessed to witness Jewish sovereignty over our Jewish homeland, current events remind us that the Geulah Sheleimah, complete redemption, has yet to arrive. These days Geulah seems very far off.

Our Torah reading depicts a drastic transformation in Noach’s character- for the worse.  At first Noach is described as an ish tzadik, a righteous man, who courageously opposed the corrupt values and lifestyle of his contemporaries and charted his own path of piety and morality. 

By the time we arrive at the latter part of the parsha, however, something has changed.  This downward slide begins when he plants a vineyard after the flood, and hits bottom when he becomes intoxicated and humiliates himself in the presence of his sons.  What happened? Why the drastic change for the worse?

Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zatzal suggested that Noach’s negative transformation resulted from the absence of pressure and the resolution of any crises.  Very often, the assault on a value or idea fuels the flames of devotion among the faithful.  Opposition and pressure imposed by external threats, can ignite a passionate response to defend that which is attacked.  Noach’s righteousness may have been the product of the world’s opposition, his response to an external force that declared war on decency and morality.  After the flood, however, Noach had no opposition. He was left to contemplate himself, his own weaknesses and drives.

When confronted with crisis and pressure, like when Israel is under attack, we, like Noach, are at our best; we remember to put aside our differences and work for a common cause. Like Noach, a new challenge arises after the crisis is resolved: maintaining that spirit of cooperation, mutual respect and achdut in the absence of any pressing forcing us to do so.

I hope that our actions on behalf of Israel are effective and impactful. I hope that our tefillot on behalf of the State and citizens of Israel are accepted and that evil is eradicated in a way that is maximally safe and peaceful. I hope that this Shabbat inspires us to continue talking and working together on behalf of all noble causes, now and even after the threat has been resolved, that help Israel the Jewish People and the entire world.

The Mitzvah to Persevere

We all know intellectually that life is fragile and can change in an instant. Yet most of us (dare I say all of us?) live our lives day to day without that realization front and center in our minds. Perhaps this is for the best. Thinking about the frailty of life all the time would be depressing and cause debilitating anxiety leaving us unable to function, let alone have the energy and drive to build and to dream and to rejoice.

For Simchat Torah I had prepared a shiur about “Spitting in Jewish Tradition”. It was inspired by the ugly news reports I had read about Jews spitting at Christians during the Tabernacle (aka Sukkot) holiday in the Old City of Jerusalem. When I was preparing the shiur and printing source sheets on Friday, that news item was one of the bigger ones coming out of Israel.

How things have changed since then. I still feel at a loss of words to process or mourn for the horrible events of last Shabbat/ Shemini Atzeret in Israel: the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. But we must find words: words of support and solidarity, words of Tehillim and Tefilah and Torah, words of encouragement, words of care and concern and words of commitments and contributions.

The question that every Rabbi in every American shul had last Shabbat afternoon was: what should our Simchat Torah look like? The following are some of the ideas I shared last Saturday night, between Mincha and Maariv, just before the onset of Simchat Torah. I said that to celebrate Simchat Torah as if nothing happened was not possible. It would be callous and a violation of our sacred obligation of Areivut and a rejection of our shared identity with our brothers and sisters in Israel. On the same time I felt that cancelling Simchat Torah altogether was also not the right response. First of all, there is a practical consideration. If we would cancel Simchat Torah- what would most people do instead? Second of all, most of our Simchat Torah activities were centered around and directed to children. Jewish law guides us to be careful with how we expose children to mourning practices. I felt that we needed to have a Simchat Torah celebration, at the very least for the children of our community, but that even the children should see that our celebration is not as usual and that something is wrong- without going into any horrible details.

And so I suggested that we have an intentional and purposeful Simchat Torah; one without frivolity but with purpose. I noted that we would sing songs on Simchat Torah for three reasons. First, our songs would be songs of prayer. Second, our songs would be songs of solidarity. Last, our songs would be songs of strength and resilience.

I found both Simchat Torah night and day to be uplifting and meaningful. I think back to last Shabbat and  Sunday as an exercise in resilience. The first mitzvah in the Torah is “Peru Urevu”- “Be Fruitful and Multiply” While Peru means to have progeny the word “Revu” is more difficult to precisely translate. Perhaps Peru Urevu is commanding us to be fruitful- and be resilient. It’s not enough to exist or to survive. We must be demonstrate resilience in order to persevere in the face of challenges in order maximize our experiences and our purpose during our lifetimes.

Dear Friends,

 I hope you enjoy the amazing story below.

While Simchat Torah is an occasion for Jews of all ages to celebrate and to enjoy, it is especially a time to focus on our youth, for parents to celebrate with their children, and for all adults in our community to celebrate the future of our Jewish community. That is why much of the celebration and events over Simchat Torah are geared towards children. I invite you to take part in our Simchat Torah festivities at shul, where we will celebrate the Torah- our heritage, along with our youth of- our destiny.

Henryk was very young in 1945, when the War ended and solitary survivors tried frantically to trace their relatives. He had spent what seemed to be most of his life with his nanny, who had hidden him away from the Nazis at his father's request. There was great personal risk involved, but the woman had readily taken it, as she loved the boy.

All the Jews were being killed, and Henryk's nanny did not think for a moment that the father, Joseph Foxman, would survive the infamous destruction of the Vilna Ghetto. He would surely have been transferred to Auschwitz -— and everyone knew that nobody ever came back from Auschwitz. She therefore had no scruples about adopting the boy, having him baptized into the Catholic Church and taught catechism by the local priest.

Not far from the house, they passed the church and the boy reverently crossed himself, causing his father great anguish. Just then, a priest emerged who knew the boy, and when Henryk rushed over to kiss his hand, the priest spoke to him, reminding him of his Catholic faith. It was Simchat Torah when his father came to take him. The heartbroken nanny had packed all his clothing and his small catechism book, stressing to the father that the boy had become a good Catholic. Joseph Foxman took his son by the hand and led him directly to the Great Synagogue of Vilna. On the way, he told his son that he was a Jew and that his name was Avraham.

They entered the Great Synagogue of Vilna, now a remnant of a past, vibrant Jewish era. There they found some Jewish survivors from Auschwitz who had made their way back to Vilna and were now rebuilding their lives and their Jewish spirits. Amid the stark reality of their suffering and terrible loss, in much diminished numbers, they were singing and dancing with real joy while celebrating Simchat Torah.

Avraham stared wide-eyed around him and picked up a tattered prayer book with a touch of affection. Something deep inside of him responded to the atmosphere, and he was happy to be there with the father he barely knew. He held back, though, from joining the dancing. 

A Jewish man wearing a Soviet Army uniform could not take his eyes off the boy, and he came over to Joseph. "Is this child... Jewish?" he asked, a touch of awe in his voice.

The father nodded permission, and the soldier hoisted the boy high onto his shoulders. With tears now coursing down his cheeks and a heart full of real joy, the soldier joined in the dancing. The father answered that the boy was Jewish and introduced his son. As the soldier stared at Henryk-Avraham, he fought to hold back tears. "Over these four terrible years, I have traveled thousands of miles, and this is the first live Jewish child I have come across in all this time. Would you like to dance with me on my shoulders?" he asked the boy, who was staring back at him, fascinated.
"This is my Torah scroll," he cried.
Abe Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League -- the Avraham in our story -- remembers this as his first conscious feeling of a connection with Judaism and of being a Jew.

Goodness First

Sukkot is a holiday with a strong emphasis on Chinuch, properly educating the next generation of Jews. The Talmud tells a story that Shammai cut a hole above the bassinet of his infant grandson and placed kosher schach on the hole, so that the baby would be able to fulfill the mitzvah of dwelling in a Sukkah. Perhaps it’s due to the message of Sukkot: God’s ongoing protection- that we especially want to include children in the mitzvah of sukkah.

                Halacha also pays special attention to the need, and mechanics, of educating children in the mitzvah of the 4 Minim. In Sukkah 46b, Reb Zeira insists that parents not give a child their lulav and etrog on the first day sukkot. For a child can acquire a gift, but cannot legally give a gift. On the first day of Sukkot there is a special obligation for the lulav and Etrog to be Lachem, yours. If parents give their child their set, the child will acquire it but then be unable to gift it back to the parents. There is an entire category of 4 Minim called “chinuch sets”. (Rav Moshe Feinstein is adamant that such sets be at least nominally Kosher, for we should only be educating our children with items that are kosher to be used.) Perhaps this special emphasis on chinuch by the 4 minim is due to the fact that we wave them in all four directions, indicating that Hashem is everywhere- a crucial lesson for our children.

                Children learn what is important to their parents based on the praise that they receive. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin notes that today’s children most often receive the highest praise in one of four categories:

Academic/ intellectual achievement, Athletic abilities, Artistic attainment, or Physical appearance.

Everyone loves a compliment. But what about kids that don’t excel in any of the above? Usually the best compliment they will hear about themselves is that “S/he is a really GOOD kid.” This causes children to infer that being good is not a big deal. Rabbi Telushkin suggests that parents ask their children: What do you think I as your parent want you to be? Successful, good, smart or happy? (Many children do not pick Good)

                It’s fine to compliment for other traits as well. But Good needs to be at the top of the list.

Germany perpetrated the Holocaust not due to a lack of smart people, but a lack of good people.

Examples of being good are things that everyone can do: 1) speaking out against a bully 2) befriending a new kid at school 3) finding a lost wallet or phone and working hard to locate the owner 4) offering one’s seat to an older person 5) treating siblings decently 6) not cheating on a test.

Save our highest praise for individual, one-to-one acts of goodness and integrity- and children will derive their self-esteem more from their goodness than from anything else.

On Sukkot we celebrate being successful, being smart and being happy. Being Successful: Sukkot celebrates the harvest, when the farmer feels a sense of security and satisfaction due to his full silos and the success of his efforts. Being smart: for an integral aspect of Sukkot is knowledge. The Torah says that we dwell in sukkot for 7 days

“In order that your [ensuing] generations should know that I had the children of Israel live in booths.”

 

Being happy: for sukkot is called Zman Simchateinu, the time of our rejoicing.

On Sukkot we celebrate being successful, being knowledgeable and being happy. But we can never lose sight of the importance of being GOOD. Goodness must be celebrated above all of the rest.