CORONAVIRUS: Jewish Tradition and Disease Prevention

Washing your hands with soap and water … kills viruses that may be on your hands. W.H.O.

A LITTLE HISTORY

In 1350, Europe was hit by a devastating deadly disease, the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death. This disease arrived from Asia, and the bacteria was transmitted by fleas hosted in rats and other rodents. This plague killed approximately half of the European population. At that time the origin of the plague was unknown. The explanation given by the faculty of medicine in Paris was that the black plague was due to the “misalignment” of three planets: Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. That astrological event caused a “great pestilence in the air”, a kind of “bad air” (רוח רעה?).

But the common people, the masses, had their own theory. For the European peasants the real culprits of the black plague were the Jews.

THE SCAPEGOAT

People accused the Jews of poisoning the water wells. The extent of the persecutions, progroms and killing of Jews during 1348-1351 are impossible to describe or even imagine. The first massacres took place in April 1348 in Toulon, France, where the Jewish quarter was sacked and 40 Jews were killed in their homes. In 1349 the persecutions spread throughout Europe, from Barcelona, Spain, to Erfurt, Germany. On February 14, 1349, on “Valentine’s Day,” 2,000 Jews were burned alive in Strasbourg, before the plague affected the city. And while the ashes were still burning, the Christian population ransacked the homes of the Jews and took everything of value. Thus, 510 Jewish communities were erased and its inhabitants massacred. (for more information see this ). Jews were the favorite scapegoats of Christian Europe. They were blamed for any calamity or unsolved murder. But in the specific case of the Black Death there was an additional reason that fueled these false suspicions: Jews were less affected by this disease than their non-Jewish neighbors.

WHY JEWS DID NOT DIE?

In medieval Europe, the importance of hygiene in disease prevention was unknown. The streets were dirty, full with live or dead animals, parasites, fleas and lice that facilitated the transmission of diseases. People did not bathe regularly. Monks, for example, were forbidden to bathe more than 2 or 3 times a year. Jews, however, have a rule that has been observed for thousands of years ago, no matter the circumstances: bathing in honor of Shabbat. Thus, in ancient times, Jews would take a bath or clean themselves thoroughly at least once a week, something absolutely exceptional for the average person in those times.

NETILAT YADAYIM

Perhaps, the most important element that prevented the spread among Jews was the Jewish tradition of washing our hands.

Jewish law states that the first thing you should do every day when you wake up in the morning is to wash your hands, before touching your face, your eyes or your mouth with your hands.

Jewish tradition also mandates to wash our hands before praying, that is two (or sometimes three) more times a day.

One is also required to wash his or her hands before eating bread or before consuming any food that has been dipped in a liquid condiment or sauce (דבר שטיבולו במשקה). Keep in mind that at that time people ate with their hands (there were no forks!)

Jewish law also states that one should wash his or her hands when leaving the bathroom.

A Jew, thus, washed his hands several times a day. And this, which seems normal to us today, was not the practice of ordinary people in medieval Europe, since running water did not exist.

THE FIRST ADVICE OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Modern medicine, thanks God, helped us find the solution for the Black Death and other infections diseases that were once deadly. In addition to that, in most of the world’s homes today, hygiene standards are very high and effective. But still, in these moments when the whole world is watching with horror how the dangerous “coronavirus” spreads from country to country , it is important to redouble our efforts to keep our hands clean.

On that note, it is so interesting that the first guideline to minimize the transmission of the coronavirus is to keep our hands clean.

As we have said this last Shabbat in our prayer announcing the new month,may HaShem help us so that this epidemic does not continue to spread (לרחם על פליטתנו ולעצור המגפה והמשחית מעלינו) .

May it be His will that all human beings will enjoy good health.

May it be His will that all those who are sick, Jews or non-Jews, will soon recover and return to their families with health and joy.

AMEN.

The Soft Heart of my Father in Law, Rabbi David Carciente z’l

The Mishna in Pirqe Abot 2:9 says that Rabban Yohanan ben Zakai assigned five of his students with an unusual mission. Find out “what is the right path by which a person should lead himself?” Rabban Yohanan was referring to the area of a person’s character and personality that we should aspire to perfect and improved. The question then was, what is the main area of our character that we should try to improve? The students returned with five different opinions: “Ribbi Eliezer said: a good eye,” that is, altruism and the absence of envy. “Rabbi Yehoshua said: having a good friend”, since our friends exert a great influence on what we do, think, value, etc. “Rabbi Yose said: having a good neighbor”, since the neighborhood in which we live will determine the community to which we belong, our children’s friends, their schools, etc. “Rabbi Shimon said: foreseeing what is going to happen”, that is, being aware of the consequences of our actions and decisions, and never act impulsively. “Rabbi El’azar said: a good heart,” referring to kindness, warmth and empathy. And Rabban Yohanan ben Zakai agreed that “a good heart” was the noblest of all human qualities, and it included, directly or indirectly, all other virtues.

And I always asked myself what did Ribbí El’azar ben Arakh exactly mean by a good heart? Why choosing kindness and warmth above all other options? “A good heart” sounds cliché and nice. But unlike all other virtues, does not seem to be well defined…

And this is why knowing the character and personality of my beloved and distinguished father-in-law, Rabbi David Carciente z”l, is essential to understand this point.

The good heart of my father-in-law was very visible, in the first place, when he greeted a person. Because my father-in-law did not greet people, he blessed them. When he greeted someone the name of HaShem came out of his lips together with a myriad of good wishes and prayers. Human beings need affection and somehow, my father-in-law was always in the giving end. He had unlimited emotional reservoirs of warmth that would gift to others without asking for anything in return. When Rabbi David opened his heart he never distinguished between the one that has more and the one who has less; the wise and the ignorant; a neighbor or a dignitary; men, women, children, old people, Jews or Gentiles. He greeted and treated with affection, sweetness and an endless smile acquaintances and strangers. And once someone met my father-in-law, he would surrendered, as if hypnotized, to his warmth. It was impossible not to perceive his big and kind heart.

His pure heart also manifested in the way he prayed. Or in the way he “read” the Tora. I remember when my father-in-law arrived at the first community I served as a rabbi, CHALOM, in Buenos Aires for the Berit Mila of one of my son David (my father-in-law, apart from being a Rabbi was also a Shohet, Hazan and a Mohel, and he did the Berit Mila of all his grandchildren. In the case of my son David, named after him, he was the Mohel and the Sandaq ). It was Perashat Vayigash, and my father-in-law, an expert ba’al qore, was called to read the Tora. This Parasha tells the end of the dramatic story of Yosef and his brothers. And it is full of emotion. The climax occurs when Yehuda begs clemency from the viceroy of Egypt, without knowing that it was Yosef. Yosef breaks, emotionally, and reveals his identity to his brothers. The Tora says: “AND YOSEF COULD NOT CONTAIN HIMSELF ANYMORE…(from crying) “, and he demanded all the Egyptians to leave the room. Then, Yosef approached his brothers and said: “I AM YOSEF. IS MY FATHER STILL ALIVE? AND HIS BROTHERS COULD NOT RESPOND…. (they were speechless)” . When my father in law read these lines ולא יכול יוסף להתאפק … his tender heart trembled. And he identified so much with what he was reading that, like Yosef, he could not withhold his emotion. His deep voice began shaking, his words were breaking up… and he would start crying.… I remember that everyone in the Synagogue was in shock, confused and a bit worried for what they were witnessing. And then, I will never forget this, everyone spontaneously began to cry …. perhaps, not knowing exactly why… but who could resist such emotions?

The president of Chalom, Mr. Salomón Notrica z “l, approached me with tears in his eyes and a little alarmed, and he asked me with all innocence:”Rabbi Bitton, what is going on? Why is your father in law crying? Why are we crying?“ And how was I going to explain to Mr Notrica the incredible tenderness of my father-in-law’s heart. And that he could not help but get emotional, like a child who listens the story of Yosef and his brother for the first time. Rabbi David felt like he was there, with Yosef, when he decides to forgive his brothers. Or with his brothers, crying in shame. Or he felt what must have felt Ya’aqob Abinu, when he heard for the first time that his beloved son Yosef is alive, and when he sees that finally all his children are reunited and in peace, and he cries …. How could I explain anyone that my father-in-law did not read the Tora: he lived it!

His kind and warm heart has stopped, but his example will continue to inspire many generations to come.

Yosef Bitton

Ashdod, ISRAEL

Shebat 5778

Donald J. Trump: A President of Biblical Stature

THE INEVITABLE END?

The Jewish people were going through one of its worst crises. Jerusalem had been destroyed decades ago, in 586 BCE. Jewish refugees living in Babylon were assimilating at a galloping pace. They married pagan refugees; they no longer spoke in Hebrew; and they had begun to practice pagan rites. The land of Israel had almost no Jews. The Babylonians sent there pagans, from several conquered civilizations, and without a defined identity, to work the land and prevent its desertification. This new ethnic group, the Samaritans, who were now natives of Israel, were very comfortable in the Holy Land. The Babylonians had no intention to authorize the Jews, let alone encourage them, to return to their land. It seemed that the prophecy of Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah), who anticipated that God would bring His people back to Israel, was not going to be fulfilled…. Without a land and a Temple, the complete integration of the Jews into the Babylonian society was only a matter of time. The end of the Jewish people was, seemingly, imminent.

THE HEART OF THE KINGS, AS PER PROVERBS 21:1

And then a “miracle” happened. It was not a supernatural event like the opening of the Red Sea. It was a historical-military event, something that could be considered a “normal” historical development. In 538 BCE the Persians defeated the Babylonians and took their empire. A new emperor emerged: Koresh (Cyrus). At first, no one knew what Koresh policy with the Jews would be. But the uncertainty did not last long.

To relate what happened next, something totally unexpected, I am going to copy below what the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) says, literally, in its last 2 verses: “In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, at the time that the Divine promise that Yirmiyahu had prophesied should be fulfilled, HaShem awakened [= inspired] the spirit of Koresh [Cyrus], king of Persia. And [Koresh] proclaimed this statement, which he also recorded in a document, saying. “Thus says Koresh king of Persia, HaShem, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build for Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judeah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may HaShem his God be with him and let him go up [=back to Israel.’”

I would like to analyze the implications of Koresh’s proclamation:

Koresh recognized Israel as a people, a nation in exile, with a geographical and historical reference. Something that the many Jews had already begun to forget.

Koresh recognized that the Jews of Babylon had a historical right to the land Israel, which exceeded the right of the Samaritans who were brought there to work the land.

Koresh explicitly mentioned Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people, the place where the “House of God”, the Bet haMiqdash, should be rebuilt.

Koresh not only declared and wrote a document expressing his willingness to rebuild Jerusalem for the Jews, and help them to live there in peace, protected from their numerous enemies. Koresh also took care of financing this project. He directed funds from the prosperous Persian Jewish community for this purpose, and contributed funds from his own royal treasury.

Koresh sent some of his guards to accompany the Jews who emigrated to Israel, to protect them on the dangerous roads, and he provided those who travel to Jerusalem with provisions, wood and other construction materials for the job.

Koresh exceeded the expectations of all Jews when he did this: The Babylonian king Nebukhadnetsar, who had destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, took all the vessels of the Bet haMiqdash, the utensils and sacred objects made of gold and silver, to his royal treasure. Koresh, in an unprecedented act, restored all these vessels to the Jews, and sent them back to Jerusalem to be used again in the Bet haMiqdash.

It is interesting to note that King Koresh never claimed he was Jewish or of jewish descent. But as the Biblical text clearly says, he proclaimed that HaShem “had awaken his spirit” and inspired him to help the Jews to return to their land, rebuild it and defend it.

The prophet Yesha’ayahu (Isaiah) also referred to Koresh in chapters 44 and 45 of his book. Yesha’ayahu described Koresh as the king that God had crowned to help His flock to return to its original pasture lands: Israel.

What did President Donald Trump do for Israel and for the Jews since he was elected ?

President Trump recognized Jerusalem by Congressional Law as the indivisible capital of the State of Israel and moved there the US embassy.

President Trump canceled the nuclear agreement that President Obama signed with Iran, which was considered extremely dangerous for Israel.

President Trump imposed severe economic sanctions on the Iranian government to prevent the extremist regime from obtaining or developing nuclear weapons, and to stop its aggressive expansion in the Middle East. The state of Israel considers the Iranian regime as the greatest threat to its existence.

President Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty in the Golan.

President Trump recognized the legality of Jewish cities and towns in Judea and Samaria. No more “occupied territories”.

President Trump ordered the suspension of economic aid to the Palestinian authority in Ramallah, and to UNRWA, for supporting terrorism. For that same reason he removed the representative of the Palestinian Authority in Washington.

President Trump encourages and fosters the normalization of diplomatic relations between Arab states (Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, etc.) and Israel.

President Trump enacted a new law against anti-Semitism in American universities.

לב מלך ביד ה’ על כל אשר יחפץ יטנו

The heart of the kings is in the hands of God, He DIRECTS [theIR HEART] at His will

Proverbs 21: 1

The difference between Auschwitz and Jerusalem

“More than 40 world leaders gathered in Jerusalem to honor the victims of Nazi extermination, on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.”

Question: What is the most important part of this title?

Answer: “in Jerusalem“

Why? The world’s leaders converged in Jerusalem, in what was the largest diplomatic event in the history of the State of Israel. But some leaders were not there. I do not mean the leaders of Iran or the Arab countries. I mean Poland. The Polish government wanted the commemoration of the Liberation of Auschwitz- where 1.1 million Jews were killed- to take place in Auschwitz. Auschwitz is located in the district of Oświęcim, which is Polish territory. In Oświęcim there are many monuments as well as a very significant place: the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, where according to the Polish government the ceremony should have been held.

What is the difference between celebrating the liberation of Auschwitz in Auschwitz or in Yad Vashem, Jerusalem?

The ceremony at the Auschwitz museum would have been a great honor towards the dead. Visitors could have watched and felt the very horror of the death trains. Seen the infamous piles of thousands and thousands of suitcases in which the prisoners brought their valuable possessions; of which they were immediately stripped. The burned pieces of the Tora scrolls, which some Jews, risking their lives, had carried with them to the camp. In Auschwitz, the main world leaders could have seen and felt everything the Nazis did to murder the Jews and destroy their legacy.

In Jerusalem, these VIP visitors saw something very different. They saw the children and grandchildren of the survivors of Auschwitz and the Shoa “live” in Israel.

They saw that the descendants of the survivors built in Jerusalem a very modern light train that crosses the vibrant city from one end to another. The honorable visitors saw the thousands of passengers who daily take those trains to their jobs, their errands or their homes.

In Jerusalem they also saw that there are blonde Jews, brunette Jews, white Jews, and Jews of color. And that they speak French, Spanish, Russian, Ethiopian and Hebrew. They saw that millions of Jewish immigrants arrived with their suitcases to stay in the land of their ancestors, and that they are not planing to leave.

Visitors also saw that in Jerusalem the Tora is not in pieces, or burned, or in a museum. The Tora is alive. It is heard through all of the streets, corners and markets. It guides the steps, actions and thoughts of millions of citizens of Israel. And its voice resonates not in Latin but in its original Hebrew. Stronger than ever.

Commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz in Yerushalayim is a powerful message. The people of Israel are not in a museum. The Jewish nation rose from the ashes of Auschwitz and live now in the warm land that God had destined for His people.

Rabbi Yosef Bitton

THE TRAIN TO AUSCHWITZ

https://youtu.be/mNaGaknaalk

THE LIGHT TRAIN IN JERUSALEM

How to pray?

In the Talmudic tractate of Ta’anit page 23, the Gemara tells us about Abba Hilqiya, an extremely honest man, who worked hard to make a living, and lived a life of poverty. His daily meal consisted of a piece of bread, which he shared with his wife, his two children, and any poor and needy who came to his house to ask for a morsel of that piece of bread. Abba Hilqiya was also known for possessing a very special “gift”: his prayers (like those of his grandfather Honi haMe’aggel) were reputed to be answered.

The Gemara tells us that, during a particular year of a severe drought, the Sages of Israel sent a delegation of two Rabbis to see Abba Hilqiya to ask him to pray for rain. Before even talking to the sages, Abba Hilqiya had already called his wife and, very discreetly, without saying anything to the Sages, went up with her to the rooftop, and began to pray, together: each at a different corner. Incidentally, this beautiful imagery, that of a husband and a wife praying together in different corners, appears as a theme also in other places: this is the way a Jewish couple prays together for the same thing. Separated but united. In this week’s Perasha, Toledot, the Tora (and the Midrash) describes very similarly how Yitzhaq and his wife Ribqa prayed for a child (לנוכח אשתו).

Returning to Abba Hilqiya, soon after his wife and he started to pray, a cloud appeared in the sky bringing the desired rain. The Gemara notes that this cloud did not come from the side of the rooftop where Abba Hilqiya was praying. The cloud arrived from the side where his wife prayed, hinting that the rain had come mainly because of her merit.

Abba Hilqiya came down from the roof, without being seen by the Sages, and claimed: “Well, I presume you came to ask me to pray for rain. If so, you can go home now, because, as you see, it already started raining on its own.” This beautiful story continues describing the dialogue that took place between the Rabbis — who knew that Abba Hilqiya had actually prayed– and Abba Hilqiya (the full story can be seen here).

Several important lessons are learned from this episode of Abba Hilqiya that can teach us how we should pray.

Let’s start with the most obvious.

1. As the Gemara itself cares to show, personal virtues that a person has are correlated with such person’s prayers being answered: honesty, integrity and assisting people in need, seem to be at the top of this list.

2. There is another element that, although less explicit, also is clear. The modesty of Abba Hilqiya, who did all what he could in order not to take credit for the rain.

3. The point I want to stress most is one that is more subtle: If Abba Hilqiya was so poor, and he knew that his prayers were heard by God, why did he not simply pray for his own material well-being? Honestly, I don’t know the answer (please, email me if you have read any commentary about this point). But I can think of two possibilities. a) That Abba Hilqiya cared so little about materialism that one piece of bread a day was enough for him, and he did not consider it necessary to pray for more than what he needed to live. And perhaps, this extreme simplicity was yet another merit that made him and his wife deserving of God’s attention. b) That HaShem listens to our prayer especially when we pray for others. That is, when we pray for the welfare or good health of another person, or for the success of Am Israel in general, as Abba Hilqiya did at the time all Israel was suffering for the lack of rain.

On a more personal note, our family had the merit of knowing a woman whose behavior was very similar to that of Abba Hilqiya and his wife: that was ORO BAT ESTER z ”l, my wife’s mother.

√ During the numberless derashot that took place these days in her honor in Ashdod, Israel, it was heard, for example, that she always asked her daughters to bring with them some nice perfumes when returning from traveling abroad. But she never used any perfume. They eventually came to find out that, when she learned of any bride without financial means, she would very discreetly hand her an envelope with money along with a perfume with a nice bow that she had made herself. She was always doing good things for others, and in total discretion.

√ One of her grandchildren said that he once got up in the middle of the night and found “Abuela Nori” z “l in a corner of her humble apartment doing Tefila and crying. When he asked her what was wrong, she replied that she was crying because the Chayalim, the young soldiers of the Israeli army, were exposed to too much danger those days, and she was begging HaShem with all her heart to protect them.

√ In our family, we all used to share with her all our challenges and problems, big and small, because we knew that she would pray for us. She was the one in our family with all the merits to be heard by Bore Olam! And it was a very poorly-kept secret that, if HaShem listened to our Tefilot, and our problem was somehow solved, we all knew that “the cloud of rain” must have had arrived from Abuela Nori’s side of the rooftop.

How to live?

Every so often I wonder: as a Jew, to what kind of life should I aspire to live? How can I improve my connection with God? And once and again I reach the same conclusion: the secret lies in a verse from the book of Tehillim (Psalm 16): שויתי ה ‘לנגדי תמיד. With this verse, King David claimed: “I have set God in front of me, always”, with emphasis on the word “always”.

FEARING GOD

Having God in front of us means having God in mind. It means to visualize (without visualizing God, ח”ו) that He is seeing me. Think for a moment of an employee that works at an important company. He handles money, solves conflicts and deals with customers. If the employee knows that his boss, the company’s owner, is constantly watching his every movement through the security cameras, this employee will hardly fall into the temptation to behave dishonestly with money that does not belong to him; or fighting with another employee; or disrespecting a customer. With time, the good behavior of this employee, which began as a reaction to being watched by the security cameras, would become his habitual behavior. As the saying goes in Hebrew: what begins as a habit becomes a second nature (הרגל נעשה טבע).

Now we can better understand what King David said in Tehillim: if I am convinced that God sees what I do, hears what I say and knows what I think, I will be naturally inclined to do only what is right in the eyes of God. And as long as I don’t stop noticing that I am “being observed by God” I am surely immune from acting in ways I know are not proper.

DOING HIS WILL

Knowing that God observes me not only protects me from being tempted to do what is wrong in His eyes, even when I am alone and nobody else sees me. When I become aware that God is following me closely, I must assume that God is not indifferent to my life and to what I do with it. And this in itself is a very empowering idea: If He is noticing me, it is because I matter to Him. And since He knows my full potential, He also knows the great things I can achieve. If I reach the level of feeling that God is watching me, and I don’t lose sight of this feeling, then I also have the greatest motivation to try and reach for what I can potentially become. And when, beyond believing in God’s existence, I become aware of His constant presence, then I will surely decide to make my will be His will: to spontaneously wishing to do whatever it is that He wishes me to do.

LOVING GOD

Finally, if God watches me, it is because I am a person of interest to Him. His interest in me cannot be a function of God’s benefit or any other earthly thing like that… what could I possible give Him or benefitting Him? Thus, His interest in me is totally disinterested. And we, as humans, call this disinterested interest “love.” God cares about me because he loves me. As the Tora says, God loves us as a father loves his children. Is any feeling more powerful than knowing that you are loved? And God’s love, when one genuinely feels it, engenders a natural reciprocity. Those who, like King David, are able to feel that God loves them, in good times and in bad times, end up loving God back. And this begins a self-propagating cycle of being loved, and loving. Realizing even more tangibly how much one is loved, and then loving even more, etc. Just like a bride and groom, who cannot stop thinking about each other. In that state, when I realize that God watching me translates into His love for me, and for which I love Him back, my mind gets fixated on Him, the object of my love, and all material distractions vanish from the brain. This is how and when we reach King David’s spiritual level: שויתי ה ‘לנגדי תמיד

THE WORST ENEMY OF THE TRUE FAITH

What we just described is David HaMelekh’s formula for our spiritual growth, or, dare I say, a brief summary of the purpose of the life of a Jewish individual. Living under God’s eyes. An knowing it. Fearing disobeying him for fearing to disappoint Him. Naturally wishing to act as He wills. Feeling loved by Him and loving Him to the point of not being able to stop thinking about Him…

There is only one problem. All what I wrote is relatively easy to explain with words. But it is very difficult to do. More precisely, it is incredibly difficult to act in this way with any sort of consistency. It is doable to “live under God’s eyes” for a few moments: while praying, while studying Tora (and sometimes even in those moments is difficult to focus). The greater challenge is the “always” Kind David was telling us about. Living aware of His presence “constantly”… How many people, apart from King David, can reach this level of a permanent awareness of God, without succumbing to the enemy number one of Emuna: being distracted from God’s Presence?

THE EXCEPTION

To be inspired to write this, I had only to think of my dear mother-in-law, ORO BAT ESTER z”l. She embodied King David’s motto: שויתי ה‘ לנגדי תמיד. Without studying Gemara or Jewish philosophy, she articulated this facet of EMUNA, beyond words, with her permanent devotion to HaShem. Aware of God’s will that the needy be helped, she volunteered to be that vehicle for God’s will and assisted those who were truly needy people, those whom no one knows are poor, because they feel too embarrassed to ask.
She understood God tends to those who need help, and so that is what she did: taking care of the sick, comforting the mourners, helping the widows, protecting the orphans or helping the brides to be.

I will never forget the immense gratitude and joy that she always showed for all that God gave her, which–for that uncommon humility that only those who are very close to HaShem feel–she never felt she deserved.

Knowing that God was watching her, and over her, she always acted with total and explicit acceptance of many and great difficulties she suffered, for which she never complained.

My dear mother-in-law lived permanently in the presence of God. And what is more (and uncommon): her behavior and her actions made others too notice His presence.…

Her life was dedicated to respect and love HaShem and His people; to love and care for her beloved husband Ribbi David Carciente z”l , and for their expansive and beloved family.

Today marks the seventh day following her departure from this earth.

May she be the inspiration for my children and grandchildren and for all those who wonder how to live in God’s presence.

37 Years Without a Grave

In 1982, during the first Lebanon War, the young sergeant Zachary Baumel z”l, fell together with his brothers in arms who operated the same tank, in the battle of Sultan Yaaqov. For years it was presumed that Baumel was no longer alive, but his body did not appear. Last week, soldiers from the Russian army stationed in Syrian territory, exhumed Baumel’s remains and took them to Moscow, where they were positively identified by Israeli pathologists. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was urgently called to Moscow where, on Thursday, April 4, Russian Army General Valery Gerasimov led the ceremony in honor of Baumel, being the first time in Russian history that the highest command of the army carries out a service of this level to honor a foreign soldier. The remains of Baumel, along with his talit qatan, were taken from Moscow to Israel and buried with all the honors in the Har Hertzel military cemetery.

This Shabbat I was thinking about the Baumel family and what it meant for them to have been able to bury their son.

To understand a little better the great relief they will have felt, I had to remind myself what I experienced in 1994. I was the rabbi of Agudat Dodim, a Syrian community in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I spent almost 10 days in the basement of Ayacucho Street (the Rambam School) with more than 80 families who were waiting to receive news of their missing loved ones. We all sensed the worst, yet there was something inexplicable, an illogical hope, that can only be understood when one lives through these extreme circumstances. The families, almost without exceptions, clung to the illusion that their loved ones were alive, that they had survived the explosion, that somehow they had left the rabbles and were walking around the streets, disoriented, in shock and amnesia, waiting to be found. Everyone embraced this “irrational fantasy”, a deep denial; fruit of the deep love we feel for our loved ones, that refuses to disappear.
Now imagine being in this torturous state of mind, but for 37 years. Imagine Miryam Baumel, Zachary’s mother, and the uncountable times she has clung, awake or in her dreams, to the illusion that her son is alive, in prison, or lost, disorientated, with amnesia or abandoned.
It is impossible to conceive the psychological torture that a a family member, especially a parent, lives in a situation like this. Burying the body of a loved one brings that relief, and allows the true mourning to begin, even 37 years later.

Beyond the deep emotional aspect, the recovery of the remains of Baumel is seen as a victory for the state of Israel. Why? Because in this case Israel did not have to pay any “price” to recover the body of a fallen soldier. For example, Israel freed 1,000 terrorists in exchange for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. These released terrorists, it has been demonstrated, involve the risk of more terrorism against Israel. And still, at the moment of truth, Israel was willing to pay that price for the life of a soldier. What is less known is that Israel has also released terrorists in exchange for “the bodies” of Israeli soldiers. Simply to bury him in the Holy Land (qeber Israel) and bring some relief to his family. Our enemies know our nobility (which they see as “weakness”) and exploit it infinitely. To this day, Hamas has in its possession the remains of two Israeli soldiers – Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul – which they cynically keep as bargaining chips for “future negotiations”. In the case of Baumel, Israel did not have to release any terrorists for his body. The Russian army gave Israel the remains of Sargent Baumel z”l, without asking for anything in exchange, and with all due respects.

יהי זכרו ברוך

WE, THE RABBIS. Inspired by Mr. Al Gindi’s letter.

Yesterday I got an email from the president of my community, and my good friend, Mr. Albert Laboz. The email had an attachment: a letter written by Mr. Al Gindi, z”l, who passed away a few days ago. Mr. Gindi was famous for his acts of philanthropy, his integrity, and his endeavors to strengthen the religious values of the Syrian community.

The letter was addressed to Mr. Ezra Ashkenazi, a well-known community leader, and benefactor. The subject of the letter was not a personal conversation between these two community giants; instead, the title of the letter was “Hilool HaShem”- the desecration of God’s name- and the letter was directed to the rabbis.

In his letter, Mr. Gindi urges the rabbis of the community to address more directly matters related to morality, business ethics, and justice. In his opinion, we -the rabbis- are too focused on matters related to ritual and ceremony and do not give enough attention to character development. Clarifying that he is not saying, God forbid, that ritual is not important, Mr. Gindi writes that rabbis, must find a balance between teaching about Mitsvottoward God and preaching about Mitsvot relating to interpersonal interactions. Rabbis should dedicate more time and more public speeches to teach the community about integrity, he posits.

And why should we -the rabbis- focus our attention on matters of Jewish ethics? Because the community needs it. In the world of business Mr Gindi a”h witnessed predatory practices, abuse, mistreatment of gentile employees; etc. These bad habits are not just intrinsically wrong. These practices also give a bad name to the Jewish community. And such behavior leads to the worst conceivable sin: the desecration of the name of God or “Hilool haShem”, the sin that occurs when in our daily lives and behavior we Jews “misrepresent” the Tora that we are supposed to faithfully “represent”.

Although his letter is from 2004, the message is loud, clear and still relevant in 2018. In Mr. Gindi’s missive he kindly tried explaining why rabbis are not speaking out about this issue. He said that Rabbis probably are not aware of what their congregants do in their business. That is why they don’t address the issues. We need to let the rabbis know what’s going on, so they can teach us what we should do.

Mr. Gindi’s letter moved me to dedicate today’s Halakha of the Day to his important message.

His worries resonated in my mind like an old echo of the words of Yesha’ayahu, Isaiah the Prophet, the words that we read in the Haftara before Tish’a beab and on the morning of Yom Kippur.

Yesha’ayhu, more than any other prophet, denounced very strongly the moral situation and the social injustices prevalent on his time. He accused the people of Yerushalayim of material greed and lack of integrity

Your silver coins are counterfeits, your wine is watered down.

Your political leaders are corrupt… They sell themselves to the highest bidder, and grab any bribes. They do not stand up for the homeless, and do not stick up for the defenseless.

(Isaiah 1:22)

Very shocking words, indeed. But the most shocking aspect of the words of Yesha’ayahu is that he denounced that in his times many people would use religious rituals like sacrifices, to cover up their bad behavior in business. To use a modern term, Yesha’ayahu accused his contemporaries in Jerusalem of “religious hypocrisy,” showing yourself as pious in the Temple, and behaving like a thief in your business.

The current situation of the community, Baruch HaShem, is obviously very different from what Yesha’ayahu described. The community overall has a very good name and prestige. Community members are known to be honorable, extremely generous, family centered and principle driven. But the words of Yesha’ayahu and the letter of Mr. Gindi should make us realize the potential dangers of not paying enough time and attention to matters of religious integrity.

Much is already being done. Multitudes come to Tora classes. And virtually all community members attend Synagogue regularly. This “act of presence” alone helps people to feel a better and stronger connection with HaShem. And at the end of the day, a solid connection with God is what makes people behave with honesty and act with integrity. Mr Gindi z”l, his family and many, many other successful Jewish businessmen are a great example of how the Tora we learn in the Synagogue stays with us, and guides us when we leave the walls of the Synagogue.

But what Mr. Gindi z’l is saying in his letter that we the rabbis should aspire to do more…. We need to speak more explicitly and directly about integrity. In in addition to inspire our congregants to have a lasting sense of awareness of God’s Presence outside Synagogue, we should also aim to equipe them with more detail and examples of what the Tora expects our behavior to be in our business, workplace and mundane affairs.

I will try to do my share.

Who is behind Trump, Putin, Cyrus?

ובשנת אחת לכורש מלך פרס לכלות דבר ה’ בפי ירמיה העיר ה’ את רוח כורש

VICTORY DAY

May 9, 1945 Nazi Germany capitulates and signs its surrender to the Allied forces, ending officially the Second World War. For the Soviet Union this day was so special that declares May 9 as Victory Day. It is no wonder that Russia celebrates so enthusiastically May 9th since of all the countries that participated in this horrible war, Russia is the one that suffered the most material and human losses. It is estimated that there were more than 20,000,000 soviet victims. Timothy C. Dowling estimates that in the 1,417 days of war, the Soviet Union lost 800 lives per minute. The greatest losses were at the beginning of the German attacks in 1941 and in the heroic defense of Leningrad, where more than a million soldiers and a million civilians were killed defending the city.

MAY 8th and 9th , 2018

Today, May 9, in the morning, Moscow celebrated the 73rd anniversary of the victory of the Allies over the Nazis. It was celebrated with a military parade, where Rusia presented its new and powerful weapons and aircraft, as it does every year. But this year there was something special in Moscow: the presence of the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu. If I am not mistaken, this is the first time that a prime minister of Israel is invited to this ceremony. The symbolism is very powerful: Jews and Soviets suffered the evilness of the same monster. Although of course, in the case of our dead, all were civilians (see correction below*). And they did not die defending their land or on the battlefield: they were systematically assassinated in the worst ethnic deliberate genocide known to mankind.

In this very symbolic ceremony you could see the moment in which Putin, together with Netanyahu and Serbian president Alexander Vujcic, honor the memory of unknown soldiers, millions of young fighters who sacrificed their lives for stop the bloodthirsty Nazi machinery. The most emotional part of the ceremony, for me, was listening to the music of HATIKVA, Israel’s anthem in the Red Square (minute 1.43).

Russia: Putin, Netanyahu and Vucic pay tribute at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

All this happens within 24 hours that President Donald Trump declared the nullity of the pact of the USA with Iran. This has been seen in Israel as an unprecedented act of friendship and loyalty on the part of the U.S. towards its ally: Israel. Trumps courageous decision to sop the Iran deal means for Israel, I believe, even more than his extraordinary decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem. And although it is well known that “whatever is good for Israel is also good for America”, I feel that we should be very grateful to president Trump for his remarkable continuos support for Israel.

PRAYING TO ASK OR PRAYING TO THANK?

Although it is extraordinary that also Russia, Iran’s main ally, is seemingly in such good terms with Israel, I know that we cannot be overly optimistic. Today, the mood in Israel is tense. Very tense. No one knows how or when Iran will react. The citizens of northern Israel were called to prepare their miqlatim, the shelters, and the army reserves were called. At this moment, instinctively, the first thing that comes to our mind is to pray to HaShem and ask Him to protect us and help us in our struggle against those who seek our destruction. But there is something we must not forget: This morning, when in the Amidah (individual prayer that is said standing and silent) I read the text of Shomea’ Tefilá, where we introduce our “special requests to God” I could not help but think that we should also, or first, thank HaShem for inspiring the hearts of the leaders of the world, and opening their eyes. We Jews believe this is one of the ways that HaShem performs His miracles to us, like Shelomo haMelekh said: לב מלך ביד ה’ על כל אשר יחפץ יטנו (The heart of the Kings is in the hands of HaShem, and He moves their heart at His will). This happened with King Cyrus (Koresh) of Persia 2,500 years ago. The prophet Yirmiyahu had assured that HaShem would make us return to Israel after the destruction of the Bet haMiqdash. And HaShem did it, by inspiring the spirit of King Cyrus. As the last words of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) say, indicating one of the greatest (and best documented) miracles of our incredible story:

“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a House for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’ ”

May HaShem inspire the hearts of men and women of good faith

and open their eyes to see the just cause of our people

*CORRECTION: Not all Jews who perished in WWII were civilians. About 1.5 million Jews fought in Allied armies, including 500,000 in the Red Army, 550,000 in the American army, 100,000 in the Polish army and 30,000 in the British army, according to Israel’s Holocaust museum Yad Vashem.

Approximately 500,000 Jews fought in the Red Army against the Germans and many were killed and wounded. The State of Israel recognized these Russian Jewish heros and a museum about them is planned in the near future. (thanks to Jordan B. Cherrick from St. Louis, MO for helping me to correct my involuntary mistake).

A Kippa and a Belt in the Streets of Berlin (Part 2 of 2)

In our last note (see THIS ) we talked about the case of a 21-year-old man, Adam Armush, who was walking through the streets of Berlin wearing a Kippa, and was brutally attacked with a belt by a 19-year-old Syrian refugee.

There are some interesting elements in this special case:

√ The young man who was attacked, Adam Armush, is not Jewish. Adam is Arab (it was not clear to me if he is a Muslim Arab or a Christian Arab) born in Israel. And according to his own statements (see HERE) Adam was wearing a Kippa to show a (Jewish?) friend in Israel that it was not dangerous to wear a Kippa in Berlin

√The attack, and the aggressor, were filmed by Adam while he was attacked. The video was uploaded to Youtube (search for “Adam Arbush”).

√ The aggressor is Syrian and Sunni. At this moment the only country that is helping the Syrian Sunnis in their terrible fight against the bloodthirsty Assad Shiite regime is Israel. So far this war, 6-7 years, Assad has already killed more than half a million Syrians, mostly Sunnis. Israel, apart from having attacked Assad’s positions, has already treated more than 5,000 Sunni Syrian wounded (see this fascinating article about the renewed popularity of Israel among Sunni Syrians) .

BERLIN and THE GOOD SAMARITANS

In my opinion, the most worrying of this attack is that, according to the victim, while he was attacked in a affluent neighborhood in Berlin, there were about 50 people around, and with the exception of a woman who threatened to call the police, no one reacted or dared to intervene or to do something to defend the young man with Kippa.

The spontaneous reaction of the most important political leader of the Jewish community in Germany, Josef Shusster, was to recommend that the Jews NOT wear the Kippa in public places.

This attack, and the inopportune recommendation of Shusster, provoked the indignation of many people who on this past Wednesday organized in Berlin a march of solidarity attended by more than 2,500 individuals: Jews, Christians and Muslims, all wearing Kippa. This gesture, of course, is very encouraging, but I’m not sure it’s enough.

RADICAL ISLAM

The new European anti-Semitism is not the anti-Semitism of the extreme right: nationalist anti-Semitism. This new anti-Semitism is entirely religious. As it happened for centuries with Christianity during the Middle Ages, eliminating Jews was the best (or the only way) to eliminate the “mother religion” that resisted being replaced in a nice way, i.e., (conversion). Today, in the 21st century, radical Islam feels that it needs to prove that it is superior to Judaism. Islam is the youngest Biblical religion and therefore the most fragile , and defensive, in theological terms. The foundational idea that Muhammad was greater than Moses and that is Islam came to replace Judaism, can only be fully justified if Judaism disappears or if the Jews, until they disappear or convert, live as dhimmis, that is, subjected politically to Islam, as happened for centuries. But the stubborn Jews insist on surviving! Additionally, they have the chutzpah to resist submission (“Islam” means submission) and they even dare to have their own state!

In my opinion, this is the root not only of radical Islam’s anti-Semitism but also of the Arab countries are reluctance to accept a Jewish State.

THE END OF THE JEWISH REFUGEES

Going back to Berlin, the present situation of the Yehudim, Barukh HaShem, has changed radically. Unlike 1940-1945, when the Jews were “stateless” and had to run from city to city seeking refuge and compassion, as of 1948, a Jew who does not live in Israel is no longer a refugee: he is a voluntary exilée. EVER SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MEDINAT ISRAEL, THERE ARE NO MORE JEWISH REFUGEES. WE HAVE OWN OUR STATE AND WE ARE CITIZENS OF FACTO OF ISRAEL, ALTHOUGH WE DO NOT LIVE THERE, JUST FOR BEING JEWISH (btw, this is because we are a NATION, not a RELIGION)

If I am right, and this new Muslim anti-Semitism has its origins in religious radicalization, attacks and incidents of this nature are not going to end when the last European Jew removes his Kippa or moves to Netanya. When that happens, Phase 2 will begin in Europe. Radicals will begin to get rid of the other European infidels, Christians, with belts, bombs or with a “pacific” demographic explosion. Maybe, then, some Europeans will try to seek refuge in the only country in the world that has the guts to fight successfully radical Islam: the State of Israel.