Core Identity of the Jewish People

As we approach the holiday of Shavuos, the anniversary of the Jewish People receiving the eternal covenant from G-d, known as the Torah, it's important to reflect on our identity. Judaism is not a classical religion in the sense of a set of beliefs that all of its members adhere to. In contrast to other major religions, such as Christianity or Islam, if one rejects the core tenets of those faiths, they will no longer be a Christian or Muslim. Judaism has no such exit clause. One can say they don't believe in G-d or the Torah, and one is still considered Jewish. Judaism is also not a nationality in the traditional sense, as there are American Jews, Iranian Jews, and even Fijian Jews. Judaism is also not a race, as there are White Jews, Black Jews, Hispanic Jews, Asian Jews, etc. If Judaism is not a classical religion, nationality, or race, then as the caterpillar asked Alice in Alice in Wonderland, “Who are You?” ​ Rabbi Saadiah Gaon, one of the greatest Rabbis in our history, wrote the following in the ninth century. Unlike other nations of the world, defined by geographic borders, shared ethnicity, language, or political sovereignty, the Jewish people exist solely because of their adherence to divine law. Because the Jewish people were given the Torah in the wilderness before they had a land or a state, Rabbi Saadiah Gaon argued that their identity transcends geography. The Jewish people are intrinsically tied together by their shared religious and ethical obligations. They are a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" unified by their spiritual mission and collective destiny. His spiritual definition of nationhood was the exact mechanism that allowed Jews to survive thousands of years in exile. Dispersed among other nations and stripped of a homeland, the Jewish people remained unified by their shared covenant, laws, and ritual practices, preventing them from simply blending into the broader populations. ​ The Talmud teaches that the word Sinai is associated with the word Sinah (transliterated from original Hebrew, or hatred. It was at that time that the original Jew hatred was known as antisemitism. For thousands of years, we have been hated by so many precisely because we accepted this eternal covenant from G-d. As we once again celebrate this moment's anniversary, it's important to lean into our core identity and proudly recognize the unique nature of the Jewish people. Have a Peaceful Shavuos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Shabbos 250

We are living in extraordinarily historic times. President Trump, in his declaration of May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month, extolled the contributions of Jewish Americans in shaping the America of today. He also called upon the Jewish People to observe this coming Shabbos in honor of the upcoming 250th anniversary of this great republic. He wrote, “Jewish Americans are encouraged to observe a national Sabbath. From sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16, friends, families, and communities of all backgrounds may come together in gratitude for our great Nation. This day will recognize the sacred Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to the Almighty.” It’s hard to overstate the historic implications of this moment. As a people that have an acute case of PTSD from centuries of outright Jew hatred, this is something we are not used to. In our history of bouncing around from country to country in the diaspora, in the best of times, we were tolerated. In the worst of times, we were massacred and had genocide inflicted upon us. It’s hard to recall a moment when Jews were ever congratulated or celebrated for holding steadfast to our faith. Earlier generations of Jewish immigrants who arrived in America were forced to choose every Friday at sundown between making a living and keeping their faith. In 2023, in a landmark case, Groff v. DeJoy, the Supreme Court unanimously strengthened workplace religious protections, ruling that employers must show a "substantial increased cost" to deny a religious accommodation. This decision rejected the previous "de minimis" (minimal) cost standard, making it easier for employees—including those observing Shabbos—to receive accommodation. Last week's Parsha discussed the Jubilee year in ancient times. The Torah records, "Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof." These sacred words are etched on the iconic Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. It’s no coincidence that a primary American icon features a verse from the Torah. The founders of America were greatly influenced by the Hebrew Bible and still feel that way today. Indeed, the United States is one of the very few countries in the world to mandate the word of G-d on its currency. The Jewish People have journeyed for thousands of years to cities such as Sura, Pumbadisa, Athens, and Rome. We have been met with persecution, hostility, and violence by the vast majority at these stops along our journey. America has demonstrated in word and deed that being a patriotic American and an observant Jew are not mutually exclusive. As we gather around our Shabbos tables and raise our glasses for Kiddush, let us be thankful to G-d for bestowing the gift of America on the world. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Values vs. Feelings

If your dog and a stranger were both drowning, and you could only save one, whom should you save? This hypothetical question is posed by Dennis Prager in his recent book, “If There Is No God: The Battle of Who Defines Good and Evil.” Prager uses this example to highlight the difference between making a decision based on values vs. feelings. While one’s feelings would more likely lead him to save his dog, as he has a personal relationship with it, one’s values would lead him to choose the opposite. Values might lead a person to save a human life despite not having a prior relationship with him, because human life has a higher moral status. This moral thought experiment is instructive as our Western sensitivities push back when we perceive that values are imposing on our feelings. I recently heard someone advocate a controversial position on a certain issue and asked them to explain the reason for it. He replied, “My compass in this matter is common sense and fairness.” Who can possibly disagree with common sense and fairness? The challenge with that argument, especially when it’s based on feelings, is that they are subjective and usually based on personal emotions, attachments, and instincts. On the other hand, values are moral principles that should guide behavior even when emotions pull in another direction. ​ As a community of faith steeped in a tradition dating back over 3,300 years to Mt. Sinai, we received our values through the divine transmission of the Torah. In Pirkei Avos, the section of the Mishna which teaches us about ethics and moral conduct, the Mishna begins with the following words: משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי. Translation: “Moshe received the Torah at Sinai.” One of the primary commentators on the Mishna, Rabbi Ovadiah of Bartenura, writes the following. “ The principles and morals which are in this tractate were not fabricated by the hearts of the Mishna’s sages; rather, they too were stated at Sinai.” In other words, all of the ethical teachings of Judaism are not just feelings of well-intentioned people. It comes from the Divine source that we received at Sinai when we accepted this eternal covenant. Our Parsha this week is called Behar, which literally means "at the mountain." For thousands of years, the big and little decisions we have made as a people have been driven by the values we received at Sinai. Perhaps, now more than ever, we need to be reminded of this timeless wisdom. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Sitting Shiva on an Empire

“A man whose job is to do nothing in particular and to do it very well.” This quote has been to describe the King of England. There has been a lot of attention paid to King Charles this week as he paid an official state visit to the United States. The British Monarchy is a most interesting institution as it’s largely ceremonial with little practical authority. The cost of funding the royals' lifestyle is not cheap. According to many estimates, the total annual public cost could exceed $ 600 million once security and related expenses are included. Many have observed that this is a boatload of money to spend on a ceremonial Head of State who is busy kissing boo-boos of children. Far be it from an outsider like me to weigh in on such an important issue. Over the course of King Charles' visit, I have been reflecting on Britain's significant contribution to world civilization. There have definitely been very positive influences from Britain over the years. The Magna Carta, issued in 1215, influenced the development of American constitutional ideas, including principles later reflected in the American Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Legal researchers have found that the Magna Carta has been cited more than 100 times in Supreme Court opinions. Over the centuries, the British exerted a positive influence worldwide. For example, the British ended the practice of Sati in India in the 19th century. Sati was a practice in parts of India in which a widow was burned alive on or beside her deceased husband’s funeral pyre. The reasoning behind this was that a woman had no value if their husband was no longer. When the Indians resisted ending Sati and claimed it was their tradition, Charles James Napier, a British Governor, had the following response. “You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn women alive, we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom.” The practice of Sati quickly ended. Of course, we can never forget the influence and leadership of Winston Churchill, who rallied the West to defeat the Nazis. ​ Over the recent decades and years, Britain has regressed in its positive influence on civilization. Once an empire, it is now a mere shadow of its glorious past. More troubling is its recent turns towards Islamization. It was jolting to see last year an individual scale the iconic Big Ben statue and drape a keffiyeh and a Palestinian flag on this historic structure. While one incident may not tell the whole story, it’s certainly an anecdote that captures the climate of extremism gripping the United Kingdom. This week, a terrorist stabbed two Jews in a prominent Jewish neighborhood in broad daylight. The nation that was a haven for Jews for so many years has turned upside down. As Britain continues to go down the abyss, it may be time to sit Shiva on this once mighty empire. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Is the United States on its way to abandoning Israel?

In what seems like a lifetime ago, in 2014, Israel was waging war against Hamas in Gaza. Israel reached out to the United States, and the U.S. Senate held a vote on whether to provide its beleaguered ally in the Middle East with military assistance. The vote passed unanimously. Last week, the Senate voted on whether to send bombs and bulldozers to Israel. The vote on the bombs had 36 senators vote to block sending them, while the vote on the bulldozers had 40 senators vote to block sending them. It’s worth noting what these bulldozers are primarily used for. A major function is neutralizing improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Bulldozers can push through or trigger explosives safely. It is also used to clear paths for troops. In dense urban areas like Gaza, streets can be blocked or deliberately obstructed, so bulldozers help create access routes during operations. There have been far too many funerals of young soldiers in the IDF who have been killed because a bulldozer was not there to neutralize an explosive device in urban combat. The ask for these bulldozers was apparently too much for these 40 senators. It should be worth noting that several of those senators who voted to oppose the aid to Israel were Jewish, and the senator from Vermont who led the effort to oppose the aid was also Jewish in name only. ​ One does not have to be a political analyst to observe this seismic shift. It was once a given that America’s support for Israel was rock solid and bipartisan. While the current administration has been strongly supportive of Israel, we are seeing large swaths of our elected officials, mainly from one party, abandon the Jewish State. ​ There is a part of me that finds this reassuring. The Torah refers to the Jewish people as הֶן־עָם֙ לְבָדָ֣ד יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן וּבַגּוֹיִ֖ם לֹ֥א יִתְחַשָּֽׁב. Translation: “ They are a nation that lives in solitude, and amongst the nations they are not counted.” For some time, we had deluded ourselves into believing that with the modern Jewish State, we had permanently turned a corner on hostility to the Jewish People. It is now all too apparent that despite all of the major contributions of Israel to the world in so many areas, from medicine, agriculture, hi-tech, and so much more, it will always be viewed with suspicion as the Jew among the nations. Israel just celebrated its 78th anniversary as a modern state, although the Jewish connection to the Land was established nearly 4,000 years ago. It is in the subconscious of so many people and nations to be unforgiving to us for having the audacity to claim this territory as our ancestral land. The reason that the Jewish People have merited this privilege is that the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has declared that the descendants of these Patriarchs should inherit the land. For thousands of years, our ancestors fantasized about having the privilege of being Next Year in Jerusalem. For the seven million (and growing) of our brothers and sisters, this dream has become reality. May we continue to be worthy in the eyes of G-d of having this privilege from generation to generation. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Indifference from the Vatican

The current round of hostilities with Iran has featured some compelling sideshows. One of these areas has been the recent spat between President Trump and Pope Leo. The Pope has strongly condemned the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, calling it a "senseless and inhuman violence" fueled by a "delusion of omnipotence" and "idolatry of profit". He has specifically declared that "God does not bless any conflict" and has condemned the use of religious language to justify the war as "unacceptable." One might conclude from these comments that the theology of the Catholic Church condemns conflict, especially towards innocent civilians. That takeaway is not aligned with the historical reality. The era of the Crusades began with a call from Pope Urban II to liberate Jerusalem from the infidels and was declared with the cry of “Deus vult!” or “God wills it!” As the Crusaders traveled to Jerusalem, they especially attacked and killed Jews. The Rhineland massacres of 1096 alone, conducted by the People's Crusade, killed roughly 2,000 to 3,000 Jews in cities like Worms and Mainz. The Rhineland is a beautiful and picturesque area in Germany, and it also has Jewish blood seeped in its soil for nearly a thousand years. The number of unarmed civilians killed in the combined Crusades, while debated by historians, is at least a few million by conservative estimates. In more recent times, as the atrocities of the Holocaust were unfolding, many Jews beseeched the Vatican for the Pope to intervene and at least make a public condemnation. Pope Pius XII largely remained silent as millions of Jews were sent to gas chambers. The Vatican officially maintained a policy of “Neutrality Strategy.” The Vatican believed that maintaining a public stance of neutrality was the best way to keep channels of communication open while acting behind the scenes. Official records from the Vatican archive indicate that the Pope was briefed on the killings of thousands of Jews daily, with specific mention of Auschwitz and Belzec, as early as December 1942 and chose not speak up. ​ Which brings us to the current situation with Iran. For decades, the Iranian regime has declared that Israel must be wiped off the map. This was not just empty rhetoric. The Iranian Regime redirected many resources away from improving its society and invested in a military and nuclear program. It unveiled a Doomsday Clock in Palestine Square in Tehran, showing how much time will be until all 7 million Jews living in Israel are destroyed. The regime engaged and propped up proxies all over the region, from Lebanon to Gaza to Yemen, who were aligned with their worldview of making the Land of Israel into a Judenrein territory. This was the context in which Israel and the United States launched preemptive attacks on Iran. ​ It appeared we had turned a corner on indifference to jewish suffering from the Vatican. In 1986, Pope John Paul II improved Catholic-Jewish relations by fostering unprecedented dialogue, apologizing for past persecution, and condemning anti-Semitism as a sin. He even visited the Great Synagogue in Rome and declared the Jews as his “beloved brothers” and “elder brothers in faith”. The recent statements from Pope Leo are more aligned with much darker times. In times of confusion, people look to leaders of faith for moral clarity. There are 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide who look to the Pope for this guidance. The world can not afford another Pope to blow the moment. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Once Proud Nation Loses it Way

If there were a Top 10 list of great and consequential leaders of the last century, most people would put Winston Churchill at the top. Churchill, nicknamed the "British Bulldog" by the Russians, rallied the British people and Western society to defeat the Nazis. It is easy to forget that England faced immense political and military pressure to negotiate or surrender in 1940, especially after the fall of France. A faction in the War Cabinet, notably Lord Halifax, pushed for peace talks or surrender to Hitler. But Prime Minister Winston Churchill insisted on absolute defiance and rejected any surrender. Churchill famously declared: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'" Within this context, it was surprising to hear that the Bank of England announced plans to remove Churchill from the five-pound note and replace him with a squirrel or a beaver. ​ A nation can only continue to thrive if it knows its past and the story that forged its identity. As Pesach approaches, it is once again an opportunity to retell our story to the next generation. The story of how Avraham followed the word of G-d when he left his homeland to walk toward his destiny. His grandchildren traveled to Egypt and endured pain and suffering before experiencing arguably the greatest event in world history with the Exodus. The Jews formalized their covenant with G-d at Mt. Sinai and, after some delays, marched proudly into their homeland. ​ As accusations persist that we are occupiers and colonialists, it remains vital to share our story with the next generation. Failing to do so carries consequences too severe to contemplate. We can look at Churchill being replaced by a squirrel as a nation that has lost its way. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch