Yom Kippur Message

Starting Over

When I first considered leaving my position as a pulpit Rabbi in the US in order to fulfill my lifelong aspiration of moving to Israel, I consulted with a rabbi that I respected already living in Israel. His opinion was clear. “Don’t come,” he said.


He then went on to explain that living outside of Israel I was doing many great things, impacting a lot of people, and contributing to the Jewish community and to humanity in a way that I could not while living in Israel. “Here, rabbis are a dime a dozen and you will be a nobody like everyone else.” Well, I went anyway. Sometimes you just have to do what you know to be right. After 2,000 years of exile, the Jewish people have come home. I wanted to one day be able to look into the eyes of my grandchildren and tell them that I was a part of that.

About 15 years earlier another rabbi and his wife made a similar decision. Seth and Sherri Mandell left their home in Maryland and brought their family to live in the Judean Hills. They were living their dream until a few years later tragedy struck. In May of 2001, their 13-year-old son Koby and his friend Yosef, were viciously and cruelly murdered by Arabs not far from their home. Koby and Yosef had cut school that day in order to spend time in nature, exploring the valley adjacent to their town. Their bodies were found the next day in a cave. They had been so badly mutilated that dental records were required to identify the boys.

A few months later I experienced a tragedy of my own. On September 23rd of 2001, just 12 days after 9/11, I was expecting to become a father for the first time. Instead my son returned his soul to heaven before he even took one breath. It was a pain unlike anything I had ever known. My wife and I had expected to spend that night awake listening to the cries of our baby. Instead, we were kept awake by our own cries. The only thing that gave us comfort that night was by thinking of a way to create some light out of the darkness that we were experiencing. We resolved to raise money in the name of our child in order to bring goodness into the world. And that is exactly what we did.

Seth and Sherri Mandell did the same. After their son’s light was so abruptly extinguished, they resolved to return that light tenfold. Just weeks before Koby was murdered, there had been a different fatal terror attack. Koby had said “I feel sorry for the person who was killed, but I feel sorrier for the people left behind.” So after Koby was killed, the Mandell family founded The Koby Mandell Foundation which is committed to healing the broken hearts of those left behind. They provide healing retreats for mothers and therapeutic summer camps for children who have lost family members to terror. They now plan to expand their services to victims of all kinds of tragedy. These individuals who could otherwise be destroyed by grief are able to come out stronger and healthier. By helping these individuals heal, they are shaping and healing all of Israeli society. Their work is miraculous.

There are two wars being fought against terror. One is on the physical plane. The other on a spiritual plane. The Mandells fight the war on terror every single day with the ultimate weapon; love. All of us, Jews and Christians, have the opportunity to join the struggle everyday in every way. In the name of all of those who have lost their lives around the globe to terror and hatred, we must add love and bring healing to the world. We must increase our acts of kindness. We must add an element of goodness to the world that was not there before. This is how we turn darkness into light. This is how we fight God’s war. It is so easy for the families of the victims of terror to let their feelings of hatred towards the perpetrators take root and transform their entire life. If not addressed, it can cast a very dark shadow literally for the rest of their lives and for a child that is something that we cannot allow. A child whose sibling or parent was murdered experiences our healing camps and is transformed. To spend time with other children who have had similar experiences allows the children to open up and to rebuild their lives. Quick story: A child who had lost a father to terror told his counselor that this was the first time that he had smiled in a year. He was so concerned about his mother’s grieving that he was afraid to smile and to ever look happy for fear that it would upset her. We gave that child his smile back and brought a glimmer of hope to what was a hopeless situation. There are countless similar stories.

When I arrived in Israel one year ago I began the process of figuring out what a rabbi turned ‘nobody’ like me was going to do. I was starting over. It was as if the reset button was pushed on my life and I needed to find a new direction. After months of soul searching, I decided that I was going to work for an organization that spoke to my heart and to my soul. It just so happens that The Koby Mandell Foundation is run out of Efrat, the town in the Judean Hills that I now live in. After meeting with the Mandell’s and the executive director of the foundation I felt that I had found the place that I now belong. I had found a way to contribute. So here I am, impacting the world in a much quieter way, yet I hope, in a much greater way.

Living the Prophecy




The day after Tisha B’Av I spoke to a group of non-Jews. What follows is part of what I said.

“Last night the Jewish people commemorated Tisha B’av, or the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar which is a day of Jewish national mourning. We remember all of the tragedies that befell our people over the millennium and particularly the destruction of the first and second Temples which were destroyed on this day. It is the culmination of a period called “The Three Weeks” in which numerous restrictions are gradually applied until the crescendo of the 9th of Av when we fast, recite Lamentations and observe many other practices of mourning.

The Talmud tells a story of a small group of rabbis walking on a hill overlooking the Temple mount the day after its destruction. As they gaze down upon a smoldering Temple they rip their garments in anguished mourning. When they get to the Temple they see a fox walk across the place where the Holy of Holies – the most sacred part of the Temple – once stood. They begin to weep uncontrollably. At the same moment Rabbi Akiva begins to laugh. Incredulously, the rabbis ask Akiva why he is laughing. He in turn asks them why are they are crying. They respond-"Our Temple is in ruins, foxes are walking through the Holy of Holies, our people are exiled and you ask us why we cry? How can we not cry?" Rabbi Akiva then explained his laughter. When I see the destruction I see the fulfillment of the Biblical prophecies that one day the Temple would be destroyed and that the Jewish people would be exiled from their land. Now that we can say with certitude that those prophecies have been fulfilled we now know that the prophecies of the return to Israel will be fulfilled as well. As it says “Old men and old women shall yet again dwell in the streets of Jerusalem…and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. (Zekharia 8:4)….Once again will be heard in the cities of Judah and within the borders of Jerusalem the sound of joy and rejoicing, the voice of the groom and the bride.(Jeremiah 33:11) The rabbis turned to Rabbi Akiva and they said, ‘Akiva you have comforted us, Akiva you have comforted us.’ “

After finishing this story I then told the assembled that my plane had just landed a few hours ago and that I had come from the cities of Judah and Jerusalem where I had seen these prophecies with my very own eyes. 2,000 years after these prophecies were made, they are occurring, one after another right before us! As I was saying those words, it occurred to me that not only was I seeing those prophecies, I was living them! This year I went to several weddings in Jerusalem and celebrated numerous happy occasions in my new hometown in Judea. In less than a month’s time, I will be officiating at my own brother’s wedding in a hall not more than a mile from where the Temple once stood. I walk in Jerusalem and I see the elderly sitting on benches. I see young men get up on buses so that the elderly can sit while they ride through the Jerusalem streets. On my first visit to Jerusalem’s Old City since I moved to Israel, I witnessed many children playing on those cobblestone streets. Three of them caught my eye as they played and giggled on an ancient excavated road. Those weren’t just any three children. They were mine. They are a living testimony to prophecies made long ago.

800 years ago, Nachmanides predicted that there would be no surer sign that the Messianic Era was imminent, than when Israel would once again be in bloom. Less than 150 years ago Mark Twain had this to say about Israel, then called Palestine: “A desolate country … given over wholly to weeds ... a silent, mournful expanse ... a desolation ... Hardly a tree or shrub anywhere... Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery Palestine must be the prince. The hills barren and dull, the valleys unsightly deserts. Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes ... desolate and unlovely ...” [Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad]. And yet, we find a very different Israel today. "But you mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My people of Israel; for they will soon be coming." (Yechezkiel 36:8) Have you been to Israel lately? We have made the desert blossom! Rosemary, Lavender, peaches, cherries, almonds, lichy, grapes, and olives – and that’s only my small backyard!

I’m not the only one living the prophecies – we all are. You don’t need to visit Israel or buy a Jaffa orange to live the prophecies. Every time you read the news or examine today’s society you are experiencing events predicted long ago. In the 10th Century Rashi (most famous Biblical commentator) commented on the very first verse in the Bible “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth...,” predicting that one day the nations of the world would turn to the Jewish people and say “you are robbers – you stole the land on which you live!” The first verse in the Bible, he explains is to reassure us that God created the world and that the land belongs to Him. He has the power to give it to whom he wishes and He chose to give it to the Children of Israel!” Rashi wrote that 1000 years ago. We are seeing it and living it today as we face a world that is quick to scold Israel and slow to condemn terrorist entities even as they work towards our destruction.

There are many other prophecies. Some that we see more of every day and others that are yet to unfold. Some are encouraging, and some are frightening. We need to learn a lesson from Rabbi Akiva. Just as he saw one prophecy unfold and knew that the rest would come to fruition as well, we need to take notice of the Divine events that we do witness, and renew our faith in the prophecies yet to come. No matter how the story unfolds, we cling to the prophetic promise that one day “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (Isaiah 2:3-4)” and “the knowledge of God will cover the face of the Earth just as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).” Just as we have come to live other prophecies, so to we will come to live these! May that day come soon.

Real Ignorance

In an interview that lasted a little over a minute Rabbi David Nesenoff sparked a firestorm that led to the “retirement” of lifelong journalist Helen Thomas after a nearly 70 year career. What follows is a transcript of the now infamous interview that took place on May 27, 2010 at the White House Jewish Heritage Celebration.

Nesenoff: Any comments on Israel? We're asking everybody today, any comments on Israel?

Thomas: Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.

Nesenoff: Oooh. Any better comments on Israel?

Thomas: Remember, these people are occupied and it's their land. It's not German, it's not Poland ...

Nesenoff: So where should they go, what should they do?

Thomas: They should go home.

Nesenoff: Where's the home?

Thomas: Poland. Germany.

Nesenoff: So you're saying the Jews should go back to Poland and Germany?

Thomas: And America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries? See?

There is a lot to be said about this incident but what is so striking is how quickly Helen Thomas’ career came to an abrupt end. Almost overnight she lost her agent, her coveted seat in the White House and her job with Hearst Publications. But what is at the root of it all? How did a news icon like Helen Thomas unravel so quickly? What follows are some thoughts and lessons that we can take away from this unfortunate episode.

Lesson #1-Someone is always recording what we say. Imagine if we would inculcate into our belief system with clarity that our words were being recorded and that one day they would be played back for us to hear? This is a basic Jewish belief that we are accountable for our words and deeds. Helen Thomas learned this the hard way and that was only one episode in her life that lasted a little over a minute. The playback of our words and deeds will be a lifetime of conversations, comments, remarks, jokes etc!

Lesson #2-Age does not exempt anyone from offensive comments and accountability. Remember that Moses was 80 and his brother Aaron was 83 when they began their careers. The elderly are capable of making wonderful contributions to society and we do not write anybody off. Likewise, if they chose to harm society, they are fully responsible. As part of Operation Last Chance the Simon Wiesenthal Center is hunting down Nazi’s in a last ditched effort to bring to justice the criminals of the Holocaust. As long as the mind is sound, even if the body is frail, age exempts no one.

Lesson #3-Discussing Israeli politics or the Arab-Israeli conflict is legitimate. Anti-Semitic outbursts however have no legitimacy in the dialogue. Make no mistake. Helen Thomas was not castigated because of her anti-Israel stance. If that were the case half of the Obama administration would be gone! It was the fact that telling Jews to go back to Poland and Germany, overtly implying that we have no right to live in the land whatsoever, is an anti-Semitic position. In fact, on the opposite side of the coin the Kach Political party in Israel was banned as racist because they advocated removal of the Arab population.

Lesson #4-And finally…Ignorance is extremely dangerous. If I had to boil it down to one thing that is really getting under the skin of the Jewish community I would definitely say that it is Helen Thomas’ incredible ignorance regarding the Bible and history. Here is what Jay Leno had to say:

“She said Jews should leave the Middle East and go back to where they came from.

The problem is that’s where they came from.

It’s the Middle East.

It’s in a book called the Bible. And a great movie too!”

After the Helen Thomas video surfaced it became abundantly clear from e-mails to Nesenoff’s website that there are many people that actually believe that the history of Israel began in 1948. It is as if the Jews showed up from outer space and displaced the Arabs in the land of Israel with absolutely no trace of any attachment to the land whatsoever! In an interview after the flotilla incident I actually saw a young man proclaim with complete assurance that the Jews came to Israel in 1948 because they were upset about what had happened to them in Germany and so they decided to come to Israel to take out their frustrations on the Palestinian people. No one likes a bully. If that were the true narrative, I would also be against Israel. However that is not the true story. Not by a long shot. When asked about the Jewish presence in Israel before 1948, like King Solomon in the bible, the boy’s response was “I don’t know about that stuff.” There are a lot of people in the world that “don’t know about that stuff.” But what is most frightening about starting history in 1948 is its implications. It causes intense hatred and the will to harm innocent people. It causes a perversion of justice and rewards evil. This is the danger of ignorance. Not only in regard to Israel but to the world in general.

In this short article I cannot give you a long lesson on the history of the Jewish people and the Middle East but I can give you the overall context. The Bible clearly states in numerous places that God gave the land of Canaan (Israel) to the Jewish people. Since our entry into the land close to 4000 years ago there has been a constant Jewish presence. Period. Even when we were exiled by our enemies -- the first time by the Babylonians and then again by the Romans -- there were always those that remained. The Jewish people that did have to leave the land never left willingly and have always dreamt of returning. Since the last exile 2,000 years ago Jews prays 3 times a day for the return to Zion, and the direction that he faces is not Mecca. It is towards the only Jewish capital that there ever was and ever will be; Jerusalem. Even for those who don’t believe in the Bible the constant presence of Jews in the land for 1000’s of years is proof enough of our claim to this land. It just takes a simple cursory understanding of the Bible and/or history to see the strength of the Jewish claim to Israel.

We are living in a time of extreme confusion. It is up to each and every one of us to shine the light of truth wherever we go. Educate yourself. Share the knowledge with your loved ones. Know how to answer those who don’t know -- or don’t want to know -- the real story. The future of the world is being written now. We can play a role in how the story unfolds by exposing lies and affirming truth. King Solomon, once the King of Israel, writes in proverbs 12:19 that “the lips of truth are established forever while the lying tongue is but for a moment.” The Helen Thomas’ of the world may have their moment, but in the end they slip away. A lifetime of achievement and admiration is gone in a single instant. In contrast, all we need to do is pass on the truth in a sentence or two or three. Our words may not be much, but their impact is forever.