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Rabbis' Blog

Here’s an Important Perspective to Remember

These past six weeks have been a roller coaster for the world about everything Israel and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. While I am not a member of the Israeli security cabinet, nor a lead negotiator, I interact with many who are often unsure how to feel about news reports and media characterizations about the current war. Here is an interesting lesson from this week’s parsha that sheds light on an important Jewish perspective.

Since his brother Eisav was determined to kill him, Yaakov fled to his uncle Lavan who lived in a faraway land called Charan. As he approached his family’s hometown, he encountered shepherds gathered by a well and met his cousin Rachel, Lavan’s daughter, for the first time. Here is how the Torah describes their conversation:

“And Yaakov told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rivka's son.”

This introduction seems to be redundant. If he introduced himself as Rivka’s son would that not include the fact that he was Lavan’s relative?

The eleventh-century sage Rashi clarifies this by quoting the Midrash: “If he (Lavan) comes to deceive me, I, too, am his brother in deception, and if he is an honest man, I, too, am the son of his honest sister Rivka.”

Yaakov’s message to Lavan was simple. I am coming to you for protection but I know you are a cunning cheat. Don’t have the wrong ideas about my philosophy in life. True, I was raised by your honest sister Rivka and have monotheistic morals and ethics imbued in me. But don’t think my beliefs will render me a gullible sitting duck. The Torah demands that to protect myself, my best interests, and my family I must employ every trick in the book to outsmart you, even if it makes me look like the diabolical Lavan.

King Solomon declared "There is a time for war and a time for peace." As long as there is an enemy focused on fighting against you, you must focus on winning completely and decisively. Doing so saves lives on both sides and prevents the enemy from trying to wage war again in the future.

Just as the Torah provides concrete rules on how to build a Sukkah, prepare meat for consumption, and observe Shabbat, the Torah sets forth guidelines on how to wage war. In order to ensure that misguided ethics or misplaced empathy do not ruin the chances for victory, Jews must look to the Torah for guidance on how to wage war ethically and compassionately. Often, the words “ethics” and “compassion” are used incorrectly and cynically, with deadly consequences and we must never fall for that.

We continue to pray to G-d for the safe return of ALL the hostages, the welfare of Israel Defense Forces troops and all the residents in the Land of Israel, as well as that the proper wisdom, strength and faith be granted to Israel’s leadership to guide our people to victory.

 

Stop Trying to Understand Antisemitism

Last week, while attending the International Chabad Convention in Brooklyn, a reporter asked me why there is an explosion of antisemitism throughout the world now. I responded that instead of trying to understand hatred, let’s eliminate it, similar to dispelling darkness by creating light because understanding it won’t fix the problem.

An interesting episode in this week’s parsha illustrates this point in a few short verses.

Due to a famine in the land, our second forefather Yitzchak moved to the Philistines region ruled by a mighty king named Avimelech. Years earlier, his mother Sarah was abducted by the ruthless monarch and was saved only due to dramatic Divine intervention. Yitzchak’s wife Rivka barely escaped the same fate and after Yitzchak became fabulously wealthy through growing crops, Avimelech banished him from the region. Even then, the Philistines continued harassing him over ownership of water wells he dug. Simply put, their antisemitic credentials were rock solid.

Suddenly, Avimelech and his general Fichol initiated a visit to Yitzchak, and this is how their conversation is recorded in the Torah. (Genesis 26: 27-29)

And Yitzchak said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me, and you sent me away from you?" And they said, "We have seen that the L-rd was with you; so we said: Let there now be an oath between us, between ourselves and you, and let us form a covenant with you. If you do [not] harm us, as we have not touched you, and as we have done with you only good, and we sent you away in peace, [so do] you now, blessed of the L-rd."

Yitzchak was not impressed with their overtures and did not consider the possibility they had stopped hating him. After all, how does one rehabilitate someone from having such an irrational and silly perspective? However, even though Avimelech did not deny his antisemitism was still strong, he formed an alliance with Yitzchak because he respected and revered his connection to G-d.

The lesson is clear. To live peacefully side by side with neighbors or nations who may be antisemitic one does not need to understand their hatred or purge them of it. Gaining their respect is what’s necessary and as Rabbi Jonothan Sacks famously said, “In my extensive world experience I observed that non-Jews respect Jews who respect Judaism.”

Strengthening and advertising our connection to G-d through doing more mitzvot openly and proudly and unabashedly sharing the Torah worldview is the best way to ensure peace with our neighbors.

Lest you think I have no hope for a time when antisemitism will disappear from humanity, fear not. Our prophets foretold that in the Messianic era, “the wolf will lie with the lamb” which is a metaphor for the fact that all nations will dwell together in peace without hatred or strife. And since, as Maimonides famously declared, one good action, spoken word, or even thought can usher in the blessed Messianic era of redemption, let’s work together to make it a reality by increasing in acts of goodness and kindness, and rid the world of antisemitism forever.

 

The Courage to Change

It takes courage to change your mind. It takes superhuman effort to change your whole outlook.

Here is a story of a conversation that occurred close to 160 years ago between two leaders of the Chabad movement that provides tremendous insight into how we can always become better people.

This week’s Parsha begins with the story of how Avraham experienced a tremendous revelation from G-d after observing the Mitzvah of Bris (circumcision) when he was 99 years old. This Shabbat also coincides with the 20th of Cheshvan on the Jewish calendar, which is the birthday of the fifth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber, who had an exceptional relationship with his grandfather, the third Chabad Rebbe, known as the Tzemach Tzedek.

On the Shabbat evening of his fourth or fifth birthday, he walked into his grandfather’s study and started crying. “I learned in school that G-d revealed Himself to our patriarch Avraham. Why does G-d not reveal himself to me?”

“When a Jew who is 99 years old decides it’s appropriate to do a Bris,” the Tzemach Tzedek responded, “he is worthy of such an intense divine revelation.”

There is so much to unpack from this story, but I’d like to focus on one aspect of the response. The fact that Avraham observed G-d’s command to do a circumcision despite his old age is not the most impressive thing he did during his lifetime. Early on he was called upon to risk his life to prove his allegiance to G-d and later on he was willing to sacrifice his son to fulfill G-d’s command.

The symbolism of the circumcision is that although Avraham was the embodiment of piety and the greatest champion for G-d and G-d awareness in the world for close to a century, he was nevertheless ready for radical change even at such an advanced age. The Bris circumcision is not a medical surgery, it is G-d’s way of branding Avraham. No longer would his passion for Monotheism be the product of his own intellectual and emotional growth or efforts, it would now become his very essence.

These are the kind of “late-in-life” changes that continue to define the beauty of our people. Over the last two weeks, I had the pleasure of helping two Jews wear Tefillin for the first time in their lives, and another Jew well into his eighties who last wore Tefillin when he was 20 years old. These three friends proved to me it is never too late in life to “change your mind” or even “change your perspective.”

The same applies to national perspectives that can impact all of Israel and Jews around the world. A month ago certain widely accepted perspectives have proven to be tragically wrong and misguided. Avraham teaches us that we can have the courage to examine them, reject them, and seek out the Torah's true perspectives that will inevitably pave our path to true and lasting peace for all.

My friend Rabbi Dovid Margolin authored an important article on this topic illustrating how the Torah can provide world Jewry the clarity and encouragement we so desperately need. I highly recommend the lengthy read :)

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/6148232/jewish/It-Is-Time-to-Declare-the-Truth-About-the-Jews-and-Israel.htm

 

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