Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah
March 20, 2025
15 Adar 5785
Parashat Vayakhel
Shabbat Parah
Twenty years ago on Shabbat Parah, I came to Summit, NJ with my family to interview for the position of rabbi at the SJCC. At that time, Israel was wrestling with the issue of withdrawing from Gaza. The Knesset had approved the plan to disengage in October 2004. By August 2005, all Israelis had left Gaza—some of them had to be forcibly removed by the IDF. But with the disengagement still 5 months away, I didn’t talk about Israel at all during my visit to Summit.
I can’t imagine visiting a synagogue today, auditioning to be their rabbi, and NOT talking about Israel. It would be impossible. Today in 2025, some weeks, I can’t pick which topic related to Israel I want to discuss. It seems as though it’s all I want to talk about. This is one of those weeks.
I want to make sure that everyone knows about the film “October 8.” It examines the explosion of antisemitism that took place (and is still taking place) on college campuses before Israel even had a chance to secure her borders and count her dead. It is playing at the AMC Mountainside and the AMC East Hanover. Jodi and I are going Saturday night. Everyone I know who has seen it has said it was extremely powerful. Everyone should go see it if you can
I also want to let everyone know about an opportunity to hear directly from an October 7 survivor. Luis Har, grandfather of 10, was kidnapped on October 7 from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak along with three other family members. He survived captivity and was rescued from Gaza in a heroic IDF operation after 129 days. He will be speaking in Livingston next week. For more info and to register, click here
On May 2, we are going to participate in JNF’s Shabbat for Israel. Jews across the country will be hosting Shabbat dinners as a symbol of our support for Israel. There are more details about how we are going to organize it below. To register with JNF, you can click here
Lastly, I want to remind everyone that the World Zionist Congress elections run through May 4. I don’t want to repeat everything I wrote last week. So, if you need a reminder of why this is so important or you need the instructions on how to vote, click here
In the special Haftarah that we chant this Shabbat in the leadup to Passover, the prophet Ezekiel says the following about the Land of Israel: “And it shall be said, ‘That land, once desolate, has become like the garden of Eden; and the cities, once ruined, desolate, and ravaged, are now populated and fortified.’” Similarly, we too can imagine a better day with Israel rebuilt and with antisemitism on the wane. And maybe, 20 years from now, I’ll look back at my sermons and blog posts from 2025 and wonder why it is that I don’t write about Israel as often as I used to.
Shalom,
RAF.
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