Rabbi's Blog

Dear OZ family,

The Apter Rav, Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel (his famous grandson bore the same name), was known as the “Oheiv Yisrael”, because all of his Drashot were dedicated to the love of his people. He said that the true secret of the Parah Adumah, the red heifer, the subject of which opens this week’s Torah reading, whose ashes purify death defilement, is Ahavas Yisrael, the love of one Jew to another. He said this in light of the fact that involvement in the purification process of a death defiled individual, renders the purifier impure. Surely the commandment to do so, must be the essence of love. The word for love in Hebrew, “Ahava” is “Hav”, to give. The gift of purification in this case is all the more meaningful considering what is at stake for the purifier. Perhaps we can imagine every single person refusing to be inconvenienced this way until every single Jew is ritually impure. Perish the thought. We are commanded to leave no one behind.

This is the time to stand up for Israel. The drive to marginalize Israel in the media, academia and in the public square is vicious. With all the territorial disputes around the world, the rabid attention paid to Israel to the exclusion of other disputes is nothing short of Anti-Semitic. A petition from professors and alumni of CUNY will shortly be distributed for signature. As soon as this is available, I will publicize it. Perhaps we should already be accustomed to the way Israel will be treated from the outside. Let us start by doing all we can to follow in the steps of the Apter Rav and counter all the hate with love on the inside.

Please join me in wishing Mazel Tov to Deni and Joe Helmreich on the birth of a baby girl. Mazel Tov to great-grandmother Helen Gross, and to grandparents, Mindy and Steve Kolatch, and to grandmother, Helaine Helmreich.

Mazel Tov also to Dan Kimchi and Miriam Silverstein on the marriage of their son, Ron to Rebecca Friedman, and on Ron’s aufruf this Shabbos at OZ.

Stay well. Be safe and healthy.  Be excellent.

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Congregation Ohab Zedek

118 West 95^th Street | New York, NY  10025-6604

Phone 212.749-5150, ext 200 | Fax 212.663-3635

E-mail ras@ozny.org

Website:  www.ozny.org