Words From Rabbi White

THE WAR HITS HOME

Dear friends,

We were so saddened to hear of the killing in Lebanon of Shulamit Foxman’s nephew: 43-year-old Captain Rabbi Avi Goldberg, son of Shulamit’s sister Rivkah. Rivkah had made aliya in ‘75. Avi leaves behind his wife and 8 children. Actually, as the Foxmans report, he didn’t accept being just a Rabbi, but insisted in fighting alongside his fellow soldiers. Indeed, he fell trying to rescue the body of a comrade. He was also an accomplished musician, and a beloved person in his community and beyond.  As was reported on Arutz Sheva, there was not a dry eye when his children recited kaddish at the funeral. So many people came to his shiva that a huge tent had to be set up outside of their house.

At the shiva (which can be seen on Hebrew Arutz sheva) Rav Avi’s wife Rachel spoke passionately about the need for the need for unity between dati and chareidi; and between religious and secular: worlds which Rav Avi tried to bridge.)

As it happens, Rabbi Avi was Rabbi of the school where Zev Kaufman, a grandson of the Gehrs and son of Elinor (who was our student at Herzliah,) is a student.

Elinor wrote the following, and I am reprinting it with permission:

“Every day, we hear of more soldiers and reservists who are being killed up North. And it is sad and horrible, but then it becomes personal, and it is worse. Yesterday, while my son was in math class, they received the news that the Rabbi of his high school, Rabbi Avi Goldberg z"l, was killed in action in Lebanon. Zev didn't know him, since he is in the middle school, but he watched as his math teacher fell apart at hearing the news, and had to be replaced by a substitute because she couldn't keep teaching.

And while I am relieved that he didn't lose a teacher whom he knew personally, I am also so angry. Angry that he and his classmates will never get to learn from this amazing man, who, from what I have read, was an amazing educator, who genuinely cared about his students and their wellbeing. He was also a musician, and of course, the Rabbi. We had picked Himmelfarb school because we knew that Zev would be educated and inspired by a wonderful staff who, above all, cared about the well-being of their students. We knew that when we couldn't, they would help take care of his spiritual wellbeing as well as his educational needs. And now, this inspirational spiritual figure who potentially could have had such an influence on his life has been stolen from him.

And who am I to complain? Rabbi Goldberg (z"l) left behind a wife and 8 kids, and a classroom of Gr. 10 students, all of whom love him and probably can't imagine going on with life without him.

And yet selfishly, I mourn a connection my son doesn't even know he will be missing.”

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Last Shabbat, on the third day of the three-day extravaganza (Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah, Shabbat,) we began the new cycle of Torah readings.  Sadly, we read of the first fratricide, as Cain killed his brother Abel.

The verse states: “...and it was when they were in the field, and Cain got up to his brother Abel, and killed him.” There is a midrash which seems most relevant to the contemporary situation. (Genesis Rabba 22:17) The midrash was wondering; from where did Cain get up? So, the midrash tells us that Abel was stronger than Cain. They had been fighting, and Cain was on the ground. But Abel had pity on his brother, and, swelling up with mercy for his brother, allowed Cain to stand up. At this point, Cain must have sucker punched (or rather sucker knifed) his younger brother, and killed him. The midrash continues that from this there came a popular saying, “don’t do good to a bad guy, for the bad guy won’t reciprocate good to you.”

As I was reading that midrash, I couldn’t help but think of the contemporary situation. The people who were killed and captured at the Gaza border back on Oct 7 of last year were, for the most part, “peaceniks,” who strove for good relations between Jews and Gazans. Sadly, these feelings were not reciprocated.

And we continue to pray for peace. Shabbat shalom, shalom `al Yisrael

Rabbi Menahem White