A Frustrated Rabbi

The Rebbe often instructed his Chasidim to avoid engaging in politics and by extension political discussions.  Not because we lack backbone, for who greater than the Rebbe stood up for the Jewish People, faced the fears that many post war Jews carried and moved the Jewish People forward.

(This idea resonates with this passage from Hayom Yom, a thought for the day compiled by the Rebbe. “To take the offensive in battle should be shunned to the utmost — not because we lack the wherewithal to be victorious, nor because we are faint of heart, but because all our energy should be dedicated solely to fortifying our edifice, the edifice of the Torah and its mitzvos, with holiness and purity. We should dedicate our souls to this goal with actual — not merely theoretical — self-sacrifice.”

Our mission is the Jewish People. Our mission is connection.  Our mission is the Torah.  Our mission is the Mitzvah.

Anything that interferes with that focus is a compromise of our mission.

When it comes to Israel, the sensitivities are heightened.  There is so much political chatter around Israel.  And yet so much of what our brothers and sisters in Israel face is NOT politics but life and death.
In fact making it a political issue G-d forbid can be the cause that makes it life and death.

So what is a Rabbi to do, when the fine line between Torah, Jewish People, Mitzvot can be intentionally or unintentionally misconstrued as political.

I hope whoever you are reading this, regardless of your political leanings, can read this for its Torah message.

This week’s Torah portion and last week’s Torah portion, the Jewish People are counted.  Specifically in this week’s Torah portion the Levites are counted. Monday and Tuesday of this week we commemorated the Revelation at Sinai when each and every Jew needed to be present in order for us to become a People.

That mission has not changed since that day 3333 years ago when we were charged with carrying the Torah’s message to the world. Nothing has changed in regards to the need for each and every Jew to be counted.  We remain counted and charged with that responsibility in 2021.

Jewish lives are at stake.  The world unfortunately has shown us that while a lot has changed, much has not changed.  We don’t need to wait until we are told that we have no place here or there for us to remember that we are family.

Our brothers and sisters in Israel need to know that they can count on us to be there for them in love and support. 

They need to know that we are carrying the torch of Judaism, of Torah, Mitzvot, that we are proud Jews living in the diaspora giving them strength to face the challenges they are experiencing.

When we support our brothers and sisters and their obligation to defend themselves we can proudly carry the banner of being an upright and moral People.  When we pander to slogans and public opinion we have lost focus of our Sinai mandate.

I hope you’ll pray with me for true peace in Israel.  A peace that is built in truth, strength and rational thinking and not slogans of pandering.

Please join me in embracing our 3333 year old mandate that we were charged with again this week by increasing our identity and pride as Jews, by increasing our Torah study, Mitzvah observance and connection with our brothers and sisters.

Good Shabbos!