What a tough year it has been. Last year so many of us gathered in synagogues to pray on Rosh HaShana for a sweet, healthy new year. Little did we know that a few short weeks later we would be facing the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. We didn’t know that we would spend the next year pouring out our hearts to the Almighty for the return of our brothers and sisters in Gaza. We also didn’t know that we would mourn the loss of hundreds more heroic IDF soldiers who gave their lives for our people. None of us knew that we would face extreme bile and antisemitic hate on campuses around the world, or that North American Jew-hatred would attain unprecedented heights. It has been a rough year, to say the least.
This past Shabbos, I had the honor and privilege to be a Scholar-in-Residence at the synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center in Livingston, NJ. In my travels, I can tell you that this community is one of the warmest that I have ever encountered. They are expertly led by Rabbi James and Rebbetzin Sarah Proops, a dynamic rabbinical couple, who are passionately leading their congregation to connect with the Almighty. They also served as a Rabbinical Campus couple for Aish UK years ago. I would like to share some of the Torah messages that I had the honor of sharing on Shabbos morning with their holy congregation.
The Torah portion starts with a dramatic description of the Jews standing in front of the Almighty to conduct a covenant with Him. The Bible powerfully details that all of Israel was there, even the water carriers and woodchoppers, young and old, to hear the Almighty’s message. The famous Biblical commentary, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki also known by his nom de plume, Rashi raises the following question. Why is this melodramatic description of the Jews standing awaiting a divine covenant juxtaposed to the detailing of almost one hundred curses that the Jewish people would be facing in the future?
Rashi says that a powerful timeless message is being delivered here. Moses tells the Jewish people that he knows that they are scared. They just heard about the horrors that await their descendants. The life of a Jew will be hard and crushing. There will be massacres, pogroms, crusades. Death and destruction will meet the Jews wherever they go. There will be a Holocaust worse than anything the world has ever seen and yes, even an October 7th whose savagery took all of us by surprise. Who would not be filled with despair seeing this future?
Moses then tells them the secret of their existence. Yet, with all you have experienced over the last few hundred years. With the Egyptians enslaving you. Murdering Jewish babies, torturing you, you are still standing. You are standing here today in front of G-d. Your descendants will still rise up and remain standing. That is our superpower. The ability to still stand tall no matter what the world throws at us. We stand tall. We stand proud. We stand as Jews.
I’d like to quote one of our illustrious guests, Floyd Mayweather, who visited us at Aish over the past year, and who has remained strong in his support for our people and Israel over the past year. When Floyd spoke to wounded IDF soldiers, who had numerous devastating injuries to their limbs and bodies after fighting in the war in Gaza, he said that he was 50-0 in the ring and had not been knocked down. Yet in life he had been knocked down numerous times. Every time he got knocked down he got back up. He told the precious soldiers that they too must get back up and live their lives as zestfully as they could.
After Moses gives this powerful message to the Jewish Nation he turned to his disciple Joshua who is about to take on the mantle of leadership. He tells him publicly “Chazak Ve’Ematz”. Be strong and have courage. He then repeats the same advice in private. Why tell Joshua the same advice twice? Moses was telling his beloved student that he must be strong while leading the Jews in public. That strength emanates from a strong heart in private and he should work on his inner strength to match his exterior.
My beloved dear Jewish brothers and sisters. We have been strong and courageous facing an onslaught of hate this past year. We have faced more hate than any other ethnic group in existence. Despite it all – WE ARE STILL STANDING STRONG. We will continue to be strong. We are the Jewish Nation. We will survive and thrive. That is what we do.
This Rosh HaShana I humbly suggest that while we are so strong on the outside that we pray to the Almighty to strengthen our personal hearts. That we take Moses’ beautiful advice to Joshua and we make sure that the heart that directs us day to day is strong as well. That we live a life of kindness and empathy. That our strength doesn’t overtake us and make us cynical or sarcastic. We must walk a fine line of a tough exterior with a strong heart that exudes love constantly.
To all of you I say that I truly and deeply love you all from the bottom of my heart. We will overcome all obstacles that the world will unfailingly place in our path. May the Almighty protect the members of the IDF as they protect us from those that seek to do us harm. May this year see the reunification of the hostages in Gaza with their families. May we all grow in love for each other and in our love for our majestic Heavenly Father. Let us all stand tall with courage and strength.
Wishing everyone a sweet, healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.
