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BAMIDBAR 5784
Doing What Is In Our Control
Rabbi Andrew Shaw Chief Executive, Mizrachi UK
I always think about the following date on Rosh Chodesh.
September 11th 2001 – 9/11
What is the connection between them?
It is a very simple and ridiculous connection, and one that only very few people globally will ever make. The page number for the laining for Rosh Chodesh in the green siddur (which I use) is 911
For many years when I turn to that page number, it is a eeting journey to remember that awful day and then it is gone, back to the laining!
Today was different, it really struck me.
Remember those days, when evil was called evil. When no one tried to justify the terrorists’ actions. When there were no protests or marches in favour of Al Qaeda across university campuses.
How the world has changed, so much so, that recently many of the same people in the west supporting the evil of Hamas were commenting how they could understand Osama Bin Laden and why he did what he did!
How has this happened?
I discovered the answer on my recent trip to New York.
As many of you know, I was there to launch the Simchat Torah Project, which has already had 200 shuls sign up from 18 different countries –please make sure your shul has signed up!
https://thesimchattorahproject.org/
I ew back last Sunday evening, so I decided to spend the morning at the Israel Day Parade in Manhattan.
I arrived at the pre-arranged place, where the Mizrachi USA team was gathered. They were joining with the World Zionist Organization and the American Zionist Movement – marching together. However, I couldn’t stay for the whole event, so I took my t-shirt which proudly declared ‘Zionists United’ and went to a place to watch the parade, knowing I had to leave early.
So, I began to walk through Manhattan, and it was a wonderful sight Thousands of people with Israeli ags, mostly school children waving and singing. Suddenly, as I walked past an American girl of student age, I heard her say quite loudly. “You should be ashamed of yourself”. I looked around to see who she was talking about, and then I realised it was me So, I said replied to her “Why should I be ashamed?”
She pointed to my t-shirt and with disdain said, “Because you are a Zionist!”
I decided to stand my ground, and for the next 10 minutes we had a heated conversation which shocked me.
Her initial statements were that Israel was a terrorist state, killing Palestinian babies and committing genocide. She told me that the River to the Sea was a correct sentiment and that all Zionists, who she compared to Nazis, had to leave, but Jews could stay.
When I confronted her with facts to disprove all those outrageous statements, I could see she had never heard any of what I was telling her. She was ignorant of history and pretty much anything to do with the situation I didn’t get angry, I just calmly explained
the situation as best I could. Her face began to resemble a secular Jew who has just realised that he or she has never understood the beauty of Judaism.
I encouraged her to read more widely, recommended some websites but before we could talk more, an elder woman, told her it was time to leave, and that there’s no point talking to the Zionists!
I walked off depressed. This girl is not an anomaly. This is the generation that has been raised on TikTok and a progressive, intersectional ideology, that has poisoned them against Israel and the West. We just read today that 54% of 18-24 years old in the UK think Israel should not exist!! Only 7% of those above 65 think the same
Yet, my question still remains, how did this happen? Why has this ideology captured so many young people?
One answer is simply that they crave a cause, and with the removal of God and religion from schools in America, many have grown up avowedly secular. Now at university, they feel they want to connect to something that gives them meaning – this is their cause!! Problem is, they are ignorant about the cause and have been brainwashed to believe a certain narrative.
So what can we do about it?
Yes, of course we can do our best to educate but there is a deeper message here which links to this coming Tuesday night.
Shavout celebrates the receiving of the Torah, the lifeblood of our people.
Unfortunately, it is the least observed festival, Shavou – what? As someone once told me.
The reason it is not observed, is that there is not much to observe. There are no Pesach Seders to have, or succah’s to eat in, shofars to blow or chanukiahs to light. What is the ‘attraction’ for your average Jew?
However, Shavout contains within it the reason for all of the above mitzvot, both D’oraita and D’rabbanan. What happened at Har Sinai created all the observances for the rest of the year!
Shavout should be a clarion call to the Jewish people globally to reconnect with Torah and Judaism
Chazal tell us that our actions do have an effect on the world around us
We are overall, in the great scheme of things, powerless to in uence policy or governments or change the minds of those dedicated to hate
However, each of us, with our connection to and observance of Torah can play a role in creating a better world, living lives of Kiddush Hashem and allow us to realise that thankfully we have in our possession the greatest cause there is, to become a mamlechet kohanim v ’goi Kadosh.
As Hashem promises us just before Matan Torah:
“And now, if you obey Me and keep My covenant, you shall be to Me a treasure out of all peoples, for Mine is the entire earth And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation.” (Shemot 19:5-6)
So, we can lament the world around us, or we can realise that we have the power to x that world. As we say every day in Aleinu:
‘L’Taken Olam b’malchut shakkai’
To x the world under the sovereignty of Hashem.
That is our challenge, so for this Shavout let us renew our enthusiasm with greater determination!
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach
16:07 DvarTorah for Parashat Bamidbar
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