HaMizrachi Weekly (UK Edition) - Parashat Bereishit 5784

BEREISHIT 5784​ The Longest Week ​ abbi Andrew Shaw R Chief Executive, Mizrachi UK

It doesn’t seem possible that just a week ago, we were all joyously preparing for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. My son in Yeshiva was looking forward to Hakafot Shniot at the Kotel and here in London, the sun was shining, it would be a wonderful end to the Yom Tov season.

Then it all changed.

Over the last week we have gone through so many emotions.

Many years I saw a wonderful Pixar film with my children, Inside Out, about the five emotions that govern us - Sadness, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Joy. This week we have been through all of them.

Sadness and grief: The tremendous loss of life, the destruction of families, the murder of babies and the unimaginable cruelty. The Jewish people has not faced such a day of death and destruction since the Shoah. As I mentioned when I wrote on Monday, I cannot and will not look at the horrific footage that Hamas posted of their evil. Just reading the words of news articles is devastating. Hashem yikman daman – May Hashem avenge their blood.

Fear: Yet, despite the horror and the barbarism, there is a shocking rise in Anti Semitism globally. Just yesterday I got a call from a university student to ask if they are allowed to remove their mezuzah from their front door as they are worried about the students protests against Israel coming down their street! In Sydney we were appalled at the protest outside the Opera house when hundreds gathered and ‘gas the Jews’ was chanted. Here in the UK children not wearing kippot on public transport, fear is very much part of the equation.

Anger: There is so much to be angry about. The BBC and their refusal to call Hamas terrorists despite it being their official designation by the British state. Would today’s BBC have described the original Nazis as “militants”?

Also, as Alistair Heath so powerfully wrote in the Daily Telegraph:

‘For once, I’m not blaming the politicians. Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Suella Braverman, even Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden: all have behaved impeccably

these past few days. It’s the footballers, the pop stars, the middle-class virtuesignallers, the knee-takers and emoji posters, the HR activists, the academics, charity workers and “human rights” advocates who are missing in action, days after the worst anti-Semitic massacre in 78 years. Silence does not ordinarily imply complicity. But what if you are one of those people who jumps on every bandwagon and keeps adding flags, logos and messages of support to your Facebook or TikTok page, but had nothing to say about a genocidal attack on Jews, no unequivocal support to proffer to Israel, no interest in properly condemning Hamas? What if you posted Slava Ukraini on your profile, put up a poster for BLM in your front window, and keep spamming your WhatsApp neighbourhood group with political messaging, but cannot conceive of tweeting Am Yisrael Chai?

The FA and FIFA have been silent, as the group Jewish Gooners sent out:

By failing to even acknowledge what has occurred, the football world has demonstrated one thing loud and clear. That Jewish and Israeli lives are not equal to others. The Jewish fans and people of Israel are not part of this so-called family.

Whatever happens now and whatever politically sensitive solution is achieved in football’s corridors of power, Jewish and Israeli football fans knew that when it really mattered, we were not supported.

Disgust: Worse than anger is disgust. And that is reserved for the sickening supporters of Hamas. When will people realise that this is nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the battle against unspeakable evil. There was the disgraceful joint statement of 45 British Muslim organisations, scholars and activists that have ‘defended the Palestinian right to self-defence and resistance against Israel’s illegal occupation and brutal violence.’ Then there were the protests in New York and London, the sickening celebrations of Jewish death. Campuses declaring their support for the terrorists. Despicable and disgusting.

Joy. Joy maybe isn’t the correct emotion, maybe pride, maybe admiration. A sense of Mi Keamcha Yisrael Goi Echad b Aretz. The response of our people in and outside of Israel. The sense of achdut, sense of togetherness. So many videos of incredible scenes. Yeshivot making Tziziot to give to soldiers on the front line, the request to house 6000 families from the south answered within FORTY-FIVE minutes, the kashering of restaurant kitchens in Tel Aviv to be able to send food to soldiers, the return of thousands of Israelis to help the cause and being embraced at all times of the day and night at Ben Gurion. And so so much more.

So, one week on – we come to another Shabbat. Shabbat Bereishit, the beginning of the Torah. Bereishit is one of the most complex sidrot in the Torah. So many ideas relating to the creation of the Universe but very simply we can see from the first few lines, the eternal battle between darkness and light.

Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. (Bereishit 1:2-5) This week has been a week of darkness, yet this week has also been the emergence of light, and a realisation that the battle that began at the dawn of time, is still being fought today.

However, let us look deeper. I heard a wonderful idea this week from Rabbi Berel Wein. If we look at Bereishit as a sefer not just as a parsha. We continue to see the same theme over and over again. There is a battle between good and evil.

We begin with Kayin and Hevel, then Noach’s three children, Shem, Cham and Yafet. Avraham has a Yitzchak and a Yishamel. Yitzchak has a Yaacov and an Esav.

Even when we come to Yaacov’s children, yes, they were all righteous, but there was attempted fratricide, a lack of unity and togetherness. It took a tragedy of a famine to bring, through Yosef, the family back together.

These are the stories from Sefer Bereishit of 3500 years ago.

Yet these are the realities of October 2023.

We are still dealing with Kayin, Cham, Yishmael and Esav. The hatred for our people and our land is not new, this week it has reached a level that I have not seen in my lifetime.

Similar to Bereishit, our unity has only come about due to tragedy. However, we have seen the beauty and the light when it does.

So, what can we do?

I want to suggest three things. That deal with the sadness, the anger and the joy.

First, as many of you may know, our Executive Chair of World Mizrachi, Rav Doron Perez has been dealing with one of his sons being shot by terrorists and the other being missing in action. Rav Rimon and Mizrachi are running a global campaign in the merit of ‘Tzevet Perez’ to provide bullet proof vests, helmets and other lifesaving equipment for our Chayalim– please give generously.

Second to encourage everyone to send letters, pictures and videos to schools and soldiers in Israel. They make such a difference and demonstrate the eternal link of Am Yisrael. (Please see poster below).

Third, to come to the BBC HQ on Monday night where we will be protesting about their continued bias. We also will be saying memorial prayers for the murdered and refuah shleimah for those injured and a prayer for a safe recovery for those kidnapped. I am honoured to have been asked to lead the tefillot. Please join me.

(Again see the poster below).

I began my piece with the five emotions that we as humans are governed by.

There is one more, but it is not an emotion, it is a reality which has risen to the fore across the Jewish world this week.

Emunah Our deep-seated belief in our people, our land, our Torah and our Creator that Am Yisrael Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael have a unique role to play in this world.

Avraham began this role almost 4000 years ago and his descendants have continued to play the role. To champion good, to spread light, to banish darkness.

In twelve week’s time we will say collectively in shuls across the world Chazak, ‘ Chazak, V Nitchazek’.

Twelve weeks is a long time, there is a lot of darkness ahead of us, we need that Chizuk now. However, we have friends in the wider world, we have each other and

we have the promise from Hashem ‘V Hakodesh Barchu Mazilanu Miyadam’ May Hashem bless and protect the remarkable Jewish people.

May Hashem bless and protect the brave heroes of the IDF And May Hashem protect and bless the Holy Land of Israel, the Land of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov and give us chizuk and strength in the days, weeks and months ahead.

We are united, we are determined, we are one.

Am Yisrael Chai Shabbat Shalom

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