Remembering Raphael Cutler ל׳׳ז

Remembering

Raphael Cutler ל׳׳ז

Raphael Cutler ל”ז was a very special person. With his wife Carmel we were close neighbours for 10 years, living in the same building, until they left Netanya shortly before Pesach this year, to begin a new phase of their lives in a retirement facility in Yerushalayim. Sadly Raphael passed away three days after Tisha b’Av, just four months later.

We are saddened by his passing and will miss him.

For ten years, the community was blessed by Raphael’s presence – when he layned, he was telling a story that we had to follow, and no matter that it took longer than usual; when he gave a lecture for the library his knowledge of history, nature, architecture and Judaism all rolled into an unforgettable evening; and his love of history, his humour and creativity left their mark on all who knew him.

Among his attributes was his ability to deliver a good sermon, which he did with modesty and humility, in McDonald’s shul, usually during the summer when Rabbi Katz was away. Raphael would write his script by hand, and rewrite it till he was satisfied, and from the pulpit he would read it - slowly and clearly; loudly and expressively; capturing his audience with his original ideas.

With Carmel’s permission I have transcribed the sermon Raphael gave on Shabbat 6th July 2019, תקח תשרפ. Raphael had his own style, and nothing has been edited. Be it many commas, hyphenating the words ‘to-day’ and ‘Yahr-zeit’ or his shorthand ‘&’s, here is an unforgettable message. – Elizabeth Dorfman

“To-day could well be called the תבש of anniversaries. Firstly, in the Hebrew calendar, to-day’s date is the third day of Tammuz, which commemorates the 25th Yahr-zeit of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, better known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

In the secular calendar, to-day is the nearest תבש to the fourth of July, which is, of course, American Independence Day. But July 4th is also the anniversary of the day when, in 1976, Israeli commandos rescued 102 Israeli citizens, who were held hostage, waiting to be exchanged for Palestinian

terrorists.

July 4th 1776, & July 4th 1976 are therefore the same day in the year, but separated by 200 years, that celebrate, in different ways, a defeat for tyrants, & the gift of freedom to those recently captured or enslaved. The word tyranny, is not out of context, just as the first seal of the American Republic, after the revolution, depicted the overthrow of Pharaoh in the Red Sea, with the motto “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to G-.”

Clearly, the revolutionaries viewed the English king, George III, as the tyrannical pharaoh, & themselves as the Children of Israel, seeking freedom to establish a theocracy.

When the American Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776, it was accompanied by the ringing of the Liberty Bell, so called, because it was inscribed with the verse: “You shall proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all its inhabitants”. (Lv. 25:10).

Biblical influence is also evident in the very wording of the Declaration, such as: “All men are created equal, & are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness”. And if George Washington was the American Joshua, leading his army towards independence, then descendants of the ancient Israelites either served under him, or provided financial assistance.

As previously stated, 200 years after the Declaration of Independence, the necessity of opposing a tyrannical despot, once again became apparent. On this occasion, the despot was an African dictator, called Idi Amin, who had instigated a reign of terror in his native Uganda. He worked in league with Arab & German hijackers, who forced an Air France airliner, bound from Tel-Aviv to Paris, to land in the Ugandan airport of Entebbe.

When the non Jewish captives were freed, it was reminiscent of a W.W.II concentration camp selection, when Jews who [were] about to die, were separated from those allowed to live. Eventually 102 hostages were retained against the release of terrorists, held mainly in Israel.

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It says in the Book of Samuel (2S.22:17), “He sent from above, He took me”, & this verse has been used to describe how, despite the vast distances involved, (2,500 miles or 4,000 kms), Israeli commandos were flown to & from the heavily guarded airport, to bring back the hostages. This was one of the greatest rescue operations, ever carried out.

During the operation, Yonatan Netanyahu brother of Israel’s present Prime Minister, lost his life. But undoubtedly, the rescue struck a blow against terrorism, & raised Israel’s esteem at home & abroad.

All the soldiers who participated in the Entebbe operation were volunteers, & none had more admiration for them, than the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose Yahr-zeit is today. He spoke of the bravery of the soldiers, who had risked their lives, (being volunteers), to save the lives of others. And he even praised the greatness of those who go out to war, to protect the Jewish people, over those who study the Torah.

Common to all Fourth of July celebrations is the underlying theme of deliverance from various kinds of tyrants. And so, on the Yahr Zeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, let his own words point out the lesson for all these various acts of deliverance. And so he states: “In every generation, an Amalek rises up against us, but G- ensures that every tyrant in every age, who seeks our destruction is himself destroyed. The Jewish people lives, only by virtue of divine protection. Time & again, the Jews in Eretz Yisroel have been threatened with destruction. Time & again they have floundered & stumbled … Yet time & again, with G-’s help, they have weathered every storm, withstood every test, & at the end of the day, emerged stronger than before. That is Divine Providence (החגשה)”.

But in addition to the well being of the Jewish people, the Rebbe’s concern embraced all mankind, especially in the realm of education. And so in 1983, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, the U.S. Congress proclaimed the occasion Education Day, & awarded him the National Scroll of Honour. Even the phrase “The Chosen People”, the Rebbe interpreted as meaning, that the Jews were chosen to teach mankind about G-. And so it is, that through the Jews, the concept of One G-, has become known throughout the world.

And finally, after his death in 1994, the Rebbe was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest awards an American can receive for contribution to American life. The first such medal was given to George Washington, thereby associating the name of the Rebbe, with the greatest of historical figures.”

May his memory be for a blessing. ךורב ורכז יהי. n