Time to Build Our Own Table

Every once in a while, we might receive a jolt that shakes us in many ways. We might wonder whether the jolt is due to new information or to knowledge we've had for a while, and whether the way it is presented now makes it feel different. I am wrestling with this question after listening to the widely reported speech by Bret Stephens on the “State of World Jewry.” Stephens, a noted columnist whom I have been reading for over 20 years since his days at the Jerusalem Post, delivered some compelling remarks recently at the 92nd St. Y in NYC. Stephens argued that the conventional approach to combat antisemitism, which focuses on advocacy, Holocaust education, legal definitions, and monitoring hate, has largely failed to reduce antisemitic beliefs or violence, even as those dedicated resources have grown. He questioned whether decades of education, polling, and advocacy have meaningfully lowered antisemitism. Additionally, he argued that antisemitism isn’t primarily rooted in ignorance or misinformation that better education alone could fix. Rather, he framed it as a deeper, almost irrational resentment. While many of us disagree with or struggle to digest this, the reality is that Stephens is now aligning himself with traditional rabbinic thought. Rashi, in his commentary on the Torah, describes an encounter of Esav embracing Yaakov. He writes that it is a well-known halacha that Esav hates Yaakov. It was just at that moment that Esav had a temporary moment of compassion, but that moment was over just as it began. For centuries, the biological and ideological descendants of Esav have hated the descendants of Yaakov. This hate is sometimes interrupted with periods of less hostility, but even in those times, the anti-Semitism is merely lurking beneath. I am surprised by how shocked some in our community are about the resurgence in hatred of Jews and Israel. Stephens, in describing the plight of Jews in modern times, also quoted Phillip Glass, “If there’s no room at the table, build your own table.” While this can have different applications, I believe it applies to all of us to make a concerted effort to reconnect with our roots. In this parsha, we read once again about the covenant given to the Jewish People at Mt. Sinai. From that moment on, the nations of the world have never forgiven us. While we have tried so hard to prove to the nations that we are not occupiers or colonialists, it has had a limited effect. We really need to focus on building our own table. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch