Words From Rabbi White

When I relate the following, there are tears in my eyes. A mixture of tears of happiness and tears of sorrow. You see, my wife, Sara Devora, daughter of Raizel, a"h, passed away shortly before Passover. And just before Lag ba`omer, a week ago Thursday, my granddaughter Rosy gave birth to a girl. And this past Shabbat, her husband Elchanan named the baby in his shul: Sarah Devorah, also daughter of Raizel. May they merit to raise her [notice the letters "rai"] to Torah, Huppah, and good deeds, to love of the People and of the Land.

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I was saddened to hear of the passing of Jacques Shwartz, who was one of the first people I met when we moved to Montreal in '76. [He was at the time French coordinator at Herzliah.]

Que sa mémoire soit pour une berakha!

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We all remain saddened by the terrible tragedy at Mount Meron. To make matters worse, when we read reports, it seems that everyone is blaming everyone else.

Now, In the book of II Samuel (10:12), the general Yoav says "hazaq ve-nithazzaq be`ad `ameinu u-`ve- ad `arei 'eloqeinu." "Let us be strong and resolute for the sake of our people, and for the sake of the cities of our God."  And the verse continues, that if we do that, "the Lord shall do what he deems right."

That verse is the source of our custom, that when we conclude the Book of Leviticus this Shabbat, we say "hazaq ve-nithazzak." The lesson seems obvious: only when we are unified, and work together, and avoid mutual recriminations,

HaShem will see that we are safe and strong.

Shabbat shalom