A MESSAGE FROM
RABBI M
ICHAEL SIEGEL

 

Friday, August 8
12 Av 5774 

 

A few years after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE the Prophet Isaiah brought an audacious message to the Jewish exiles in Babylonia: "Nachamu, Nachamu Ami", Comfort O' Comfort My People.  What made the message audacious was the seemingly hopeless nature of the situation of the Jewish people.  Their land lay destroyed and they were exiled in Babylonia.  There was little room for hope, much less comfort and yet Isaiah preached the message.  What is so very remarkable about the Jewish story is that somehow Isaiah's words penetrated the broken hearts of our people and they chose to embrace hope over despair and comfort over endless mourning.  These powerful ideas have been taught to each generation through the wonder of the Jewish calendar.  Tisha B'Av was commemorated earlier this week and we sat on the floor and read Aicha and mourned the loss of the First and Second Temple.  This Shabbat is named for the opening words of Isaiah: Nachamu or comfort. In every generation we are called upon to confront the challenges of our age and strain our ears for Isaiah's words of comfort.

 

I had written a message based upon a cease fire that I thought would hold.  Sadly as the Sabbath of Comfort descends on Israel the guns are blazing, the sirens are blaring, and people are in danger. At this difficult juncture permit me a different message. I would like to share with you things that I take comfort in despite the uncertainty of the moment.

 

The first is that while it is important to commemorate the destruction of the Temples, we do not live in either 586 BCE or 70CE.  

 

This point was brought home to me at a gathering held at our Israeli Counsel General's home a little more than a week ago.  Janet and I were invited to a gathering of the families of Lone Soldiers in the Chicago area.  Lone Soldiers are those young people who make Aliyah and serve in the Israel Defense Forces while their families remain abroad.  With more than 50 people in Roey and Nitza's living room the parents went around the room and spoke of where their children are stationed.  Some are new Olim, still in basic training and others are have been in Israel for a while.  One mother told us that her son is an officer in the paratroopers and has more than 20 soldiers under his command. He is in Gaza and she had not had any communication with him for more than two weeks. When IDF soldiers go into Gaza their cell phones are taken until their return to Israel. This is not an easy time for these parents.  Each time the phone rings there is a mixture of the anticipation of hearing your child's voice on the other end and the concern that the call may contain news that is not positive. The stories that we heard about the children and the dedication of the parents was truly inspirational.

 

I was humbled to be called upon to speak to the group.  My message to them was that we are in the midst of the Nine Days leading to Tisha B'Av. While it is important for us to reflect on the destruction of the Temple and the state of our covenantal relationship with God, there is another reason for our focus.  Tisha B'Av represents an opportunity to reflect on the precarious nature of Jewish history.  Before the Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE, the Israelite community likely believed that such a catastrophe was unthinkable. The Ninth of Av has served as a reminder to Jews throughout history of the danger of complacency.  Now that we have returned to our land, the lesson of Tisha B'Av is powerfully relevant.  The people of Israel well understand the importance of vigilance in the face of their enemies.  While the IDF is strong, Jewish history reminds us that we must always be aware of how quickly things can change.

 

Looking at that group of parents who had raised their children with a deep love and connection to the land of Israel I told them that it is vital to remember that while we are not living in 586 BCE and 70 CE, we live in 2014 and that we have a strong army, and the ability to protect ourselves.  The modern State of Israel has changed the trajectory of Jewish history. With the help of God we have come home to create the modern miracle of Israel.  We are no longer the "suffering servant" sacrificed on the altar of Jewish history.  The children of the parents in that room are parents of that sea change.  When they don the uniform of the IDF they are living reminders that we have taken our destiny into our own hands.  This is part of the miracle of the tenacity of the Jewish people; a people who have chosen life.  

 

The change of the trajectory of Jewish history gives me comfort on this Shabbat Nachamu. 

 

The second source of comfort is the inspiration of IDF and Israelis.  Rather than me describing the remarkable spirit of our brothers and sisters in Israel, I want to share two emails from people in Israel. I received the first one from Sheryl Tarkoff who shares the words of friends in Israel and the other is from Brielle Collin whose writings I have shared with you in the past.

 

Moshe and Lynn Rosman are Americans who made Aliyah some years ago.  Their son Meir was injured in Gaza.

 

Dear Family and Friends,

 

As most of you already know, on Friday August 1st, around 15:00, our son Meir was wounded in the conflict in Gaza.

 

A piece of shrapnel lodged deep into his right thigh. It did not reach the bone or sever any major nerves or blood vessels.

 

He was evacuated to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon where he was operated on Friday night.

 

The surgeon cleaned out the wound but decided to leave the metal in situ as removing it risked causing serious additional damage. Several orthopedists have since confirmed that this was a wise decision.

 

On Saturday night the army transferred Meir to Tel Hashomer-Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv.

 

The injury is not life threatening. Meir has already begun physical therapy and is walking with crutches. The plan is to release him from the hospital today.

 

Meir is upbeat. Shirly has held up well. Aviv has been a great therapist.

 

He is expected to return to normal functioning within two months.

 

Words cannot express our gratitude and happiness that Meir's injury is relatively not serious. He is whole and will be healthy. (Of course he will now set off metal alarms.)

 

In the course of these intensive days in the hospitals two experiences stand out.

 

The IDF has been amazingly sensitive and efficient. There is a whole administration for tending to the needs of the wounded and their families. Everything from providing Meir with clean socks, to providing us with hotel rooms, to transporting Shirly and Aviv to the hospital, to arranging the hospital transfer, to bringing in specialist doctors for consultation, etc. And everything done with competence, graciousness and generosity.

 

In both hospitals we, and all of the soldier-patients and their families, have been inundated with well-wishing visitors: older wounded veterans, all sorts of people bearing gifts of food, clothing, candy, books, and more, children with hand written letters, whole classes and youth groups.  

 

The stream of people is continual. Everyone wants to express their thanks to the soldiers for what they are doing to protect the people of Israel. It is a spontaneous outpouring of love and gratitude. A welcome contrast to the way our soldiers are being portrayed, and libeled, in the international press.

 

And there is the overwhelming response from all of you who knew about what happened.  We apologize that we have not been able to respond to each email and phone call and that we are sending this as a group message. Please know that we deeply appreciate your expressions of concern and your demonstrations of solidarity with us and with Israel at this fateful time.

 

Today is Tisha B'Av, always a portentous day for the Jewish People. We are struck by the Ahavat Hinam (Love given freely and unconditionally) that the hospitalized soldiers have been experiencing as opposed to the Sinat Hinam (senseless hatred) that the Rabbis felt led to the destruction of Jerusalem.

 

After so much has been lost on both sides, perhaps this year Tisha B'Av will mark the beginning of a new political arrangement that will enable us to live in peace.

 

I received the second email from Brielle Collins this morning. The needs in Israel are great and our congregation continues to encourage members of our community to donate to the Israel Emergency Fund of the JUF as well as to United Hatzalah.  Brielle discusses the current need of the first responders: 

 

Dear Rabbi,

 

It is with great pride that I share with you that we are very close to reaching our goal for the emergency bullet proof vest and helmet campaign. One of the largest communities that supported this campaign was the Chicago Jewish community and the Chicago community at large. Throughout this campaign we were receiving constant donations from the Chicagoland area.  As a Chicagoan living in Israel, having the support of my community back home has given me a tremendous amount of comfort and pride.

 

It is during these times of crisis that we see one's true colors. Having so much funding from the Chicago community only confirms what I have always known, which is our community is unlike any other.  Not only did individuals become huge advocates for this campaign, but so did great Chicago institutions such as Anshe Emet Synagogue, The Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, Milt's BBQ for the Perplexed Restaurant and the Elements Boutique. It is wonderful to see those who have a platform using it to help protect the men and woman volunteers of United Hatzalah.

 

The Chicago community is already more connected to United Hatzalah than some may realize.  One of our volunteer medics, Yogi Rimmel, a native Chicagoan has been a medic for United Hatzalah for over eight years.  Just a few days ago, on his way home from the Kotel on Tisha B'Av, Yogi responded to an emergency that was two minutes away. As one of the first on site, Yogi began pulling family members out of the two damaged cars. One family was Arab, the other Jewish.  Yogi immediately started treating the families and helped stabilize them before the ambulances arrived twenty minutes later.  Over the phone, Yogi explained to me the feeling of knowing he helped save those who otherwise might not have been saved as one of the most powerful things he has ever felt.  Your donations helped keep Yogi protected over the course of the war while he was responding to calls.  Your continued support and donations help ensure all of our 2,300 volunteer medics are protected and provided with the equipment needed to help save lives throughout Israel.  I thank all of you for your dedication to United Hatzalah.

 

Wishing everyone Shabbat Shalom.

 

Brielle Collins

 

The link below is a thank you video from myself and colleague, Dovi Maisel at United Hatzalah headquarters: 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjsRuB68xsE&feature=youtu.be

 

Follow the link below to donate to the emergency campaign. We are so close to reaching our goal!

 

http://www.israelrescue.org/protectiveedge

 

On this Shabbat Nachamu I receive comfort from the spirit of our Israeli brothers and sisters to care for one another.

 

Finally, there is the moral plane that gives me comfort at this time.  Like all of you my concern for our brothers and sisters in Israel does not blind me to the death and destruction that became part of the landscape of Gaza.  I am reminded of Golda Meir's words to a 1969 press conference in London, she added: "When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their son".  I am quite sure that God will never forgive Hamas for forcing us to kill children while Hamas terrorists hide in protected areas.  The shame that more children have died in Gaza than Hamas terrorists speaks to the immoral nature of our enemy.

 

I share with you the words of the Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel who placed a full page ad in major national publications:

 

Jews rejected child sacrifice 3,500 years ago.  More than three thousand years ago, Abraham had two children. One son had been sent into the wilderness and was in danger of dying. God saved him with water from a spring.

 

The other son was bound, his throat about to be cut by his own father. But God stayed the knife. Both sons - Ishmael and Isaac - received promises that they would father great nations.

 

With these narratives, monotheism and western civilization begin. And the Canaanite practices of child sacrifice to Moloch are forever left behind by the descendants of Abraham.

 

Except they are not.

 

In my own lifetime, I have seen Jewish children thrown into the fire. And now I have seen Muslim children used as human shields, in both cases, by worshippers of death cults indistinguishable from that of the Molochites.

 

What we are suffering through today is not a battle of Jew versus Arab or Israeli versus Palestinian. Rather, it is a battle between those who celebrate life and those who champion death. It is a battle of civilization versus barbarism.

 

Do the two cultures that brought us the Psalms of David and the rich libraries of the Ottoman Empire not share a love of life, of transmitting wisdom and opportunity to their children? And is any of this discernible in the dark future offered by Hamas to Arab children, to be suicide bombers or human shields for rockets?

 

Palestinian parents want a hopeful future for their children, just like Israeli parents do. And both should be joining together in peace.

 

But before sleepless mothers in both Gaza City and Tel Aviv can rest, before diplomats can begin in earnest the crucial business of rebuilding dialogue... the Hamas death cult must be confronted for what it is.

 

Moderate men and women of faith, whether that faith is in God or man, must shift their criticism from the Israeli soldiers - whose terrible choice is to fire and risk harming human shields, or hold their fire and risk the death of their loved ones - to the terrorists who have taken away all choice from the Palestinian children of Gaza.

 

I call upon the Palestinian people to find true Muslims to represent them, Muslims who would never voluntarily place a child in danger.

 

I call upon President Obama and the leaders of the world to condemn Hamas' use of children as human shields.

 

And I enjoin the American public to stand firmly with the people of Israel who are in yet another struggle for survival, and with the suffering people of Gaza who reject terror and embrace peace.

 

Let us return child sacrifice to the darkest corner of history, and work towards a brighter future with those who choose life, Arabs and Jews alike, all of us Abraham's children.

 

Let us return child sacrifice to the darkest corner of history, and work towards a brighter future with those who choose life, Arabs and Jews alike, all of us Abraham's children.

 

On this Shabbat Nahamu let us find comfort in the fact we are no longer living in 586 BCE; let us find comfort in the strength of caring and unity of our people. Our people, let us take comfort in the moral rightness of our cause against the true evil of Hamas and the destruction that they continue to bring on their own people.

 

Comfort, O, Comfort my People.

 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Michael S. Siegel