THANK YOU SHALOM MORDECHAI
A Truly Blessed People
By Rabbi Yoseph Kahanov Jax, Fl.
Baruch. . . Shehecheyanu V'kiy'manu V'higiyanu Lizman Hazeh.
If you’re wondering what prompts the preceding invocation of thanksgiving and gratitude – normally reserved for particularly pleasing intermittent occurrences – that’s a good sign. It means that you’ve taken the bait. But don’t feel too bad, you can be sure that there is more to the invocation of this prayer, at this seemingly mundane and uneventful time of year, than mere attention grabbing.
The reason for the Shehecheyanu is because I, among others, have experienced this week something more moving and more pleasing than anything I have witnessed in my entire half century of residency in this world. I offer the Shehecheyanu in recognition of that deep soul rending occurrence.
What I‘m referring to is the unprecedented display of Ahavas and Achdus Yisroel (Jewish love and unity) that has been exhibited in response to the ongoing attempted lynching of a fellow Jew by the name of Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin. Anyone who is not aware of this brewing event needs to examine the nature of his bond with the Jewish community. I shall not squander the limited space of this forum to repeat the details of this soon to become historic “Rubashkin Affair.”
Anyone unfamiliar with the prevailing attempt to Lynch a religiously pious and devoted family man – who is also an extraordinary philanthropist – because of his Jewish heritage and values, must first and foremost get in tune with Jewish current events.
There is no excuse, especially in this age of communication, to find oneself oblivious or ill informed regarding any organized attack against one’s own ethnicity, especially one that is government lead. Next, he ought to swiftly educate himself about this ongoing depravity; it is as easy as doing a Google search or visiting www.justiceforsholom.org.
Suffice it to say however, that this high profile act of injustice contains all the makings of premeditated anti-Semitism and prejudice. It has all the classic signs of the good old fashion “Blood Libel.”It is particularly reminiscent of the notorious “Dreyfus Affair” of 1894.
As most of us know, Captain Alford Dreyfus was convicted of treason when papers discovered in a wastebasket in the office of a German military attaché gave the appearance of French military secrets being passed on to the German government. Captain Dreyfus came under suspicion because he was a Jew and because he had access to the type of information supplied to the German agent.
The authorities declared that Dreyfus’ handwriting was similar to that on the papers. Despite his protestations of innocence he was found guilty of treason in a military court-martial, during which he was denied the right to examine the evidence against him. The army stripped him of his rank in a humiliating ceremony and shipped him off to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island, a penal colony located off the coast of South America.
Dreyfus, who had few defenders, in a time and place where anti-Semitism was rampant, seemed destined go down in disgrace. It was in fact an anti-Semite, by the name of Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart, who could not stand the blatant injustice, that saved his life.
Upon his appointment as chief of army intelligence, Picquart thoroughly examined the evidence and concluded that the guilty officer was a Major named Walsin Esterhazy. To his chagrin, he soon discovered that the army was more concerned about its image than rectifying its error. As a result of Picquart’s persistence the army transferred him to Tunisia. A military court then acquitted Esterhazy, ignoring the compelling evidence.
The affair might have ended there if not for the determined intervention of the novelist named Émile Zola, who published his denunciation of the cover-up. The letter accused the government of anti-Semitism and the unlawful jailing of Alfred Dreyfus. Zola pointed out judicial errors and lack of serious evidence. The letter was printed on the front page of the newspaper, and caused a stir in France and abroad.
In September 1899, the president of France pardoned Dreyfus, thereby making it possible for him to return to Paris, where he was eventually exonerated and his military rank reinstated. “The Affair” had resounding social and political repercussion.
Those following the Rubashkin case can surely detect the many parallels, such as the high exposure, humiliating treatment, lack of initial support and the unlikely source of salvation, (at least within nature), and the like. The fact that salvation has not yet materialized for Rubashkin is only temporary. The current rate of public support and awareness is inevitably causing a growing fracture in the foundation of the libelous prosecution, which leaves the brazen falseness on a respirator with numbered days.
But that’s not the point of this discussion. The focus here is the unprecedented Jewish unity that has grown out of this tragedy.
I’m not known to possess a mystical personality, nor am I prone to mushy flights of exuberance. My deep state of inspiration over the Jewish unity that has emerged in response to this distressing situation ought not be mistaken for a psychologically produced high, or an emotionally stimulating blaze; the kind that might be associated with a rousing piece of poetry. It’s nothing like that.
The inspiration of which I speak, is beyond the shadow of a doubt the direct product of the monumental leap towards the righteousness and renaissance of the Jewish people. To borrow a phrase from the Battle Hymn of the Republic: “Mine eyes have truly seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
To witness the outpouring of care and consideration for an unknown fellow Jew – to watch entire factions put aside respective ideological differences, in support of higher commonality and wholeness – is nothing short of Judaism at its finest, and for this we must give credit to Shalom Mordechai, for as Attorney Nat Lewin pointed out at the massive Borough Park rally, “it is all due to his Shem Tov (good name).”
It is quite obvious that this week’s unprecedented display of unity and love was the result of a confluence of factors, not the least of which is the character of the man at the center of it all and his sterling reputation. Had his and his family’s reputation been anything less than pristine, had they not been so involved in caring and sharing, who knows if this miracle would occur.
So, Shalom Mordechai dear brother, you ought to know and take great comfort in the fact that you are the source of untold inspiration for me and many others. You have restored hope in the Jewish principle of Ahavas Yisroel and Achdus Yisroel and thereby certainly hastened the Geulah. I don’t mean to be flippant or insensitive when I say that you are a lucky man to have such powerful Zechusim.
To those who are thinking: “What Chutzpah this guy has to tell a man who had such a “Klap” this week, that he is a Lucky man.” I say in response, it is not I who makes this assertion, but rather the Almighty himself. We are all familiar with G‑d’s words to Aharon upon his tragic loss: “B'krovai Ekodeish” – G‑d chooses those who are close to him when it comes to the holy mission, the sanctification of His name.
“Well,” I can hear some readers insisting, “It’s good and fine for G‑d to say that, but you should not be ‘A Guteh Oif Yenem’s Cheshbon ,’ which translates to ‘You have no right to be a good guy on someone else’s account i.e., to rationalize away someone else’s hardships.’” To this I respond: “If you listened to the words Shalom Mordechai’s son Getzy, who spoke during the aforementioned rally, on behalf of his father and family, you would now that the Rubashkin family fully share this position, which brings us to another reason to thank SM.
His and his Family’s exemplary Emunah – faith in the Almighty, in spite of the overwhelming circumstances once again serves as a beacon of light to us all. Most of all however I want to thank SM for allowing me to have a new appreciation for a Jew.
Our Parsha this week discusses how Balak son of Zippor, king of Moav, grew alarmed at the Israelites’ military victories among the Amorites. He consulted with the elders of Midian and sent elders of Moav and Midian to the land by the Euphrates to invite the prophet Balaam to come and curse the Israelites for him. Balaam told them: “Spend the night here and I shall reply to you as the Lord may instruct me.” G‑d came to Balaam and said: “You must not curse that people, for they are blessed.”
The Parsha proceeds to describe how Balaam, thinking he could outsmart G‑d, saddled his donkey in the morning, and departed with the dignitaries, but G‑d was incensed at his going and placed an angel in Balaam’s way. A dramatic situation ensues in which Balaam’s donkey ends up scolding him.
Balak proceeds to meet Balaam on the Arnon border, and asked him why he didn’t come earlier. Balaam told Balak that he could utter only the words that God put into his mouth. They went on together. After several failed attempts to curse the Jewish people, Balaam asked Balak to wait while he went off alone to see if G‑d would grant him a manifestation. G‑d appeared to Balaam and told him what to say.
The scenario repeats itself. Balaam says: “How can I damn whom God has not damned, how doom when the Lord has not doomed? . . . Balak complains again and Balaam replies that he could only repeat what God put in his mouth. . . When He blesses, I cannot reverse it. In the end Balaam heaps the most beautiful blessings upon the children of Israel.
While this is a beautiful and highly dramatic Parsha, the theme, as is repeated by Balaam himself, is abundantly clear: “You must not curse that people, for they are blessed…” “How can I damn whom God has not damned, how doom when the Lord has not doomed?”
How providential is it that the curse of a sentence should be handed down during the week of Parsha’s Balak, the Parsha which informs us of our inherently blessed status; the narrative that proclaims our un-cursable essence.
This week I gained new insight to the meaning of the phrase: “For they are blessed,” something I have not always understood. Yes we can be a stiff necked people. Yes we can be pushy and sometimes over aggressive and, dare I say obnoxious, but despite any of these outer flaws we possess the most beautiful soul. We have by far, the holiest purest and most generous hearts of any people on earth.
There is no kindness like the kindness of a Jew and there is no giving like the giving of the Jew. We are unpredictable in how stubborn we can be with our kindness and how aggressive we can be with our giving. I guess that makes us obnoxiously beautiful.
We are truly blessed!
And I owe this new insight and appreciation for the magnificence of the Jew to Shalom Mordechai Halevi ben Rivka Rubashkin.
In the merit of how much you’ve taught the world directly and indirectly – in the merit of all the increased Ahavas Yisroel and Achdus Yisrael that you have caused directly and indirectly may you be rewarded with G‑d’s abundant blessing beginning with the immediate Yeshuah , which will hopefully lead to ultimate and general Yeshuah of Klal Yisrael with the coming of the righteous Moshiach BBA .
