A New Generation of Elected Officials

Everyone remembers where they were on Shimini Atzeres/Simchas Torah that coincided with October 7, 2023, when they heard the news. As Yom Tov progressed, we kept hearing bits and pieces of news that grew worse by the minute. The unfathomable news of mass murder, rape, and hostages kidnapped from their own homes felt like a horror movie that couldn’t be true. Not everyone was sad that day or in the days to follow. On October 8, there was a pro-Palestinian rally in Times Square that celebrated the heinous attacks by Hamas. One of the participants at the rally was wearing a keffiyeh and standing next to a poster declaring “Zionism is genocide” was chanting “resistance is justified.” This week, after the mayor of NYC endorsed her, the individual won the Democratic primary in New York's 13th Congressional District and is nearly certain to become a Member of Congress in the upcoming November midterms. With all the problems the people of NYC are facing, it appears that in certain districts running on a Pro Hamas platform is the ticket to victory. ​ It was just about 250 years ago that President George Washington sent his famous letters to the Jewish community. In these letters, he assured the Jewish community that the new United States would guarantee religious liberty, stating it gave "to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." This past week, a Jewish Member of Congress went to a coffee shop. After he left, the management realized who he was and announced that they regretted selling coffee to a “genocide enabler.” ​ In this week's parsha, we read once again about the interesting gentile, Bilaam, who had spiritual powers and prophetic experiences. Bilaam was a rabid anti-semite and wanted to deliver a devastating curse on the Jews as they traveled towards the Land of Israel. G-d thwarted his evil intentions and compelled him to offer kind words and blessings to our ancestors. In one of his forced blessings, he said, הֶן־עָם֙ לְבָדָ֣ד יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן וּבַגּוֹיִ֖ם לֹ֥א יִתְחַשָּֽׁב׃. Translation: “There is a people (Jews) that dwells apart and is not reckoned among the nations.” The practical application is that the Jewish People have an (unofficial) set of rules that don’t apply to anyone else. No nation or people have the rules of war that are expected of Israel. For the most part, this unfair and biased double standard is based on ancient hatred for Jews. This hatred has ebbed and flowed for over 3,300 years since we accepted the eternal covenant at Mt. Sinai. Many nations and peoples still have not forgiven us for becoming the chosen nation. For the last 250 years, from George Washington to today, with some exceptions, America has been a bastion of peace and stability. We are now living in a time where there are unabashed Hamas supporters who are elected to prominent mayoral and congressional positions. Whether this is a blip on the radar or a worrisome sign of the future remains unknown. What is clear is that Bilaam's promise that we are a “people who dwell in solitude” is very much a harsh reality in 2026. The story of the Jewish journey in the United States, and what the future holds for us, is very much an open and unsettling question. ​ Have a peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

One True Ally

The mighty have fallen. This phrase comes to mind after the United States abruptly changed its positions and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was sad to see America so outnegotiated by the Iranians after so much battlefield success. Many have pointed out that an MOU is merely a term sheet and not a long-term agreement. Nonetheless, the Trump Administration’s sudden change of direction doesn’t inspire confidence that the final agreement will look much different. There are so many alarming layers to the MOU, it’s hard to know where to begin. America gave away all of its leverage by revealing its desperation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians succeeded in getting the USA to agree that Lebanon would be part of the ceasefire. Essentially, this gives an opportunity to Hezbollah to rearm for its forever genocidal campaign against Israel. It's inevitable that Hezbollah violates this ceasefire, and Israel is handcuffed by America to retaliate (as happened this week already). The MOU makes no mention of ballistic missiles (POTUS said that Iran should be allowed to have them) or supporting terror proxies. It also facilitates the establishment of a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran. Although America will not officially contribute to this, it will waive sanctions to allow this fund to be established. The regime that continues to chant “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” is unlikely to use this stash of cash for parks and hospitals, as its nefarious intentions have not disappeared with this version of the ceasefire. Israel and its leadership were ridiculed almost daily this week by the President and Vice President. To add insult to injury, the VP attacked Israeli cabinet ministers for criticizing the controversial MOU. He lectured them that they have no better friend than the current president and should just shut up and be grateful for any assistance they received. (The current budget for Israel's military is about $45 billion, and the USA contributes $3.8 billion, which is about 8%.) ​ After about 48 hours of feeling the gut punch, I thought there may be a silver lining in this after all. The Talmud teaches that in the days leading up to the Messianic Era, the Jewish People will realize they have no one to rely on except our Father in Heaven. In recent years, especially after October 7, the hatred and hostility from more and more nations toward Israel and the Jewish people have increased. The last best friend of the Jewish State is the United States. This was an unconditional friendship, practically a covenant, that stood for its shared values. The events of this past week have shown that friendship is now conditional and nuanced. The Vice President himself, as he blitzed through TV interviews, has said multiple times that America is not afraid to diverge from Israel when it feels so. ​ King David writes in Tehilim/Psalms אַל־תִּבְטְח֥וּ בִנְדִיבִ֑ים בְּבֶן־אָדָ֓ם  שֶׁ֤אֵ֖ין ל֥וֹ תְשׁוּעָֽה. Translation: “Put not your trust in the great, in mortals who cannot save.” As mortals continue to disappoint, the reaction is not to seek another supportive leader or party. This is a time to look upward, realizing we have only one true ally—an eternal, unconditional, and covenantal alliance, not subject to political changes. There is a blessing in the daily Amidah: כִּי לִישׁוּעָתְ֒ךָ קִוִּֽינוּ כָּל הַיּוֹם—“We hope all day for Your deliverance.” It is time to not just say the words but cry them from the depths of our souls. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Fork in the Road of History

Pandering for votes during an election campaign is as old as democracy itself. Nonetheless, it’s pretty jarring to see this upfront and in the open. Political candidates may sell out their most cherished values in exchange for a fleeting moment of perceived popularity. As the moral compass of our society at large continues to hit new lows, I am continually surprised by the level of pandering. Recently, a Jewish New Yorker running for Congress paid a visit to a mosque in NYC. The Imam of that mosque had in the past expressed that the Holocaust had been “greatly exaggerated” and, after the attacks of October 7, had praised Hamas. This individual, who shall not be named, after reciting verses from the Koran in broken Arabic, declared that “I believe, as a proud Jewish New Yorker, that Israel’s genocide in Gaza is a desecration, is a violation of the understanding that everyone is created in G-d’s image.” This individual is currently leading in the polls and appears to be the next congressman in a NYC district with a strong Jewish population. ​ This individual is just one of many who seek to curry favor with others, and goes out of their way to explain that they are not anti-Jewish but rather anti Zionist. Their version of Judaism apparently does not have the Land of Israel as part of its article of faith. Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon. In 1845, there was a major rabbinic conference of the Reform movement in Germany, in which Samuel Holdheim declared, “Berlin is our Jerusalem.” Holdheim, a leader of the Reform movement, wanted to avoid charges of dual loyalty. The Jewish commitment to sovereignty in Israel brought into question the allegiance of Jews to the Germanic state, where they were striving to be citizens. (We see from history how well this worked out.) In this week's parsha, we study the Parsha in which a group of Tribal Leaders intentionally demoralize the Jewish population about their excitement to enter the Land of Israel and settle there. They even went so far as to say they wanted to appoint a new leader who would take them back to Egypt. I imagine they did not intend to abandon the observance of the Torah and Mitzvos in Egypt. They argued that they would continue observing Shabbos, keeping kosher, etc. They just wanted nothing to do with the Land of Israel. Essentially, they were the first anti Zionists who believed that Judaism can exist independently of the Jewish connection to its ancestral homeland. The aftermath of the episodes was not pretty. 3,300 years later, our generation is confronting a conundrum very similar to the one it faced. In an effort to blend in nicely with Western society, we can renounce our emotional connection to Zion and the Land of Israel. Or, despite the increasing headwinds, we can make the choice to continue believing that Judaism and a Jew's emotional connection to its ancestral homeland are at the very core of our identity. At this most important fork in the road of history, we can ill afford to blow the moment. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

My Commencement Speech

We are in the season of graduations. There is much to celebrate (in most cases) as we see the next generation educated, ready to graduate to the next phase of life. There is also a practice to have a commencement speech. A commencement speech is a formal address delivered to graduating students at a graduation ceremony. This past week at the graduation ceremony at Yeshiva University, Mike Huckabee, the American Ambassador to Israel, delivered these remarks. This is a quote from his speech. “The Jews around the world, representing only 0.2% of the world‘s population, have created an outsized impact on the world, and unfortunately, there are people who hate you for that, but I determined that they really more than they hate you, they hate the G-d who chose you 3800 years ago as his people and gave you a place called Israel and gave you a purpose which was to present the law and the light to all the world. Your being faithful to that task is not simply something that you should do. It is something that you must do. There's no one else to whom the Creator of the universe has given such a mission.” These compelling remarks hopefully give the next generation of Jewish leaders some context for reframing the challenges of the present and future. I have been thinking about what my commencement speech would be to the graduates. For clarity's sake, I have never been invited to deliver remarks at a graduation ceremony, except at Torah Academy. I am working on a commencement speech for my archives in case I am ever asked. This would be my message. ​ Dear Graduates, as you enter a new phase in life, you have been primed and are ready to conquer the world. Indeed, in the story of Creation recorded in Bereishis/Genesis Chapter 1, G-d tells Adam to be ‘fruitful and multiply and conquer the world.’ However, in Chapter 2, G-d places Adam in the Garden of Eden to watch and guard this sacred garden. So what is the focus of Man supposed to be? Should he go out and conquer the world, or should he stay in the garden and focus on spiritual development? Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, in his book The Lonely Man of Faith, answers the question of what Torah is teaching us, and one can think of this as Adam 1 and Adam 2. He is not describing two different people, but two dimensions of every human being. Created in the image of God. Adam 1 is commanded to "fill the earth and subdue it.” Adam 1 seeks achievement, mastery, creativity, and dignity. Adam 1 seeks achievement, mastery, creativity, and dignity and builds civilization, science, technology, business, medicine, and culture. Adam 1 asks: "How does the world work?" and measures success through accomplishment and influence. On the other hand, Adam 2 is placed in the Garden "to work it and guard it." Adam 2 seeks meaning, redemption, and relationship. Adam 2 experiences loneliness and existential questions. Adam 2 asks: "Why am I here?" and "What does God want from me?” Adam 2 Lives through covenant, humility, prayer, and faith. Adam II is less concerned with conquering nature than with standing before God. He seeks holiness rather than power. Modern society overwhelmingly speaks the language of Adam I—efficiency, success, technology, productivity, and measurable results. The religious person, however, also hears the voice of Adam II. Others have described it this way : Adam I is the self that builds your résumé. Spend enough time building the person who appears on your résumé, but don't neglect the person people will describe in your eulogy. ​ Have a Peaceful Shabbos, ​ Rabbi Yaakov Fisch