to the in the Greater New York Area, and
Worldwide
Rosh Chodesh Adar 5778 (Feb. 15, 2018 c.e.)
Dear Jewish Brethren,
Rarely have we faced a crisis demanding action to save Jewish souls as
the one now confronting our Jewish brothers and sisters from Buchara.
For generations, amidst hostile conditions, their ancestors sacrificed
greatly to maintain their Jewish identity and practice. Ironically, today,
in our free and open society, many of their children are sent to public
schools due to lack of funding. Worse yet, deprived of proper Torah education,
many are intermarrying with non-Jews, presenting an existential threat
to the viability of their future Jewish identity at both the individual
and communal levels.
Recently, a tragic home fire in Flatbush, NY claimed the lives of several
members of a Jewish family. We witnessed many holy Jews mobilizing to
do whatever they could to aid in rescue efforts, and help the surviving
victims. We are a caring people who respond with compassion to those in
trouble.
Please know, a fiery conflagration is raging in the Borough of Queens,
destroying and burning thousands of Jewish souls. We must recognize our
obligation to do whatever we can to save them, just as we would rush to
rescue them from bodily harm.
The previous generation produced two wicked and accursed enemies of the
Jewish people. One was Hitler, may his name be blotted out, who committed
a physical Holocaust upon millions of Jews. The other was Stalin, may
his name be blotted out, who wrought a spiritual Holocaust which destroyed
the souls of millions of Jews.
The world speaks much of the physical Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis.
But in truth, it is more important to speak out against the spiritual
Holocaust enacted by the Communists which caused Torah and Judaism to
be forgotten from the Jewish communities of the former Soviet Union. Its
devastating effects continue to threaten us today, destroying the spiritual
lives of Jewish immigrants from Russia and beyond.
Our holy Sages taught, causing someone to sin is reckoned as worse than
murder. Sin damages the soul, the most important part of a human being.
The body was only created to be a container for the soul during its limited
sojourn on this world.
Thus, someone who rescues Jewish souls fulfills the mitzvah of Ahavas
Yisrael, loving a fellow Jew, and Gemillus Chasadim, charitable acts of
loving kindness, in the greatest fashion possible. Saving souls is included
in the mitzvah of rescuing lives which can override other mitzvos. Shelah
HaKadosh stated that saving Jews from sin is included in the mitzvah of
"do not stand idly by your brother's blood."
Furthermore, saving Jewish souls also fulfills the special mitzvah of
Loving Hashem. Our Sages interpreted the verse, "And you shall love
Hashem your God" to mean that one's conduct should inspire other
people to love God just as Avraham Avinu's example brought masses of people
closer to God.
The
Rambam in Sefer HaMitzvos explains that the Mitzvah of loving God mandates
seeking out people to serve Hashem and believe in Him. One who truly loves
Hashem, will call others to know the Truth and love Hashem as well! Particularly,
the Holy Shechina cries over lost Jewish souls as a parent cries for a
lost child. Restoring the relationship is a great act of kindness toward
Hashem.
This idea is alluded to in this week's Torah reading [Trumah]
in the verse, "and take for Me an offering." Rashi explains
"for Me, for My Name." We are commanded to donate money to build
the Tabernacle for the Sake of Heaven so that people come to love Hashem
through the manifest Divine presence in the Sanctuary and through the
example of the people who served there.
The Mishkan was the place where Kohanim served Hashem. The purpose of
this was to return Jews to Hashem and bring them close to Torah. Navi
Malachi said regarding Aharon HaKohen, "and he returned many from
sin, for the lips of the priest guard knowledge, and we should seek Torah
from his lips."
Some erroneously think they only need worry about people from their own
community. This is a mistake rooted in the time before the revelation
of our master the Baal Shem Tov, zy"a when sharp divisions existed
between various Jewish groups such as between Sephardim and Ashkenazim
and Jews of various lands. Divisions also existed between scholars and
workers. Each group only worried about the members of their own community
and did not care about the conditions of others.
Heaven sent the Baal Shem Tov to strengthen the concept that all Jews
are connected; we are all the Children of God. Jews began to show concern
for all other Jews and worked to ensure that all Jews come close to Hashem
and His Torah, even the simple folk. The Baal Shem Tov said concerning
his mission in life that he came to this world to strengthen three things:
"loving Hashem, loving Klal Yisrael, and loving Torah".
The Baal Shem Tov's disciples, and disciples of his disciples all the
way to our generation worked hard to rescue every Jew from sin, without
regard of their background. Many of our ancestors and teachers such as
the Holy Rebbe R' Elimelech of Lizhensk zy"a and our master, the
holy Rebbe Isaac of Kalov, zy"a, worked harder to fulfill this concept
to the point that they merited transforming entire communities of Jews
who were totally materialistic into Bnei Torah who revere Hashem.
Here in the United States, the state of Judaism was on a very low level
as I saw, for example, when I arrived to America from Romania in 1948.
Only one small mikvah served the entire Boro Park neighborhood in those
days, until Gedolim and Tzaddikim arrived with their followers and built
Torah institutions which brought life to the Jewish souls.
Here in the United States, the state of Judaism was on a very low level
as I saw, for example, when I arrived to America from Romania in 1948.
Only one small mikvah served the entire Boro Park neighborhood in those
days, until Gedolim and Tzaddikim arrived with their followers and built
Torah institutions which brought life to the Jewish souls.
My dear Brethren, the voice of the spiritual blood of our Bucharan Jewish
brethren is crying out to us. We are obligated to help ensure their children
are enrolled in holy Jewish schools and to build new schools to rescue
thousands of Jewish families from falling into the destruction wrought
by the plague of assimilation. If we remain silent at this time, we cannot
claim that our hands did not spill this blood. Where will we run to escape
the pain of our Father in Heaven?!
There is no greater mitzvah than this, as is known from many statements
of Chazal and is spoken of at length in the Holy Zohar on Parshas Terumah,
that through this we will be worthy to all of the blessings spoken in
the Torah.
[signed by Rabbi Moshe Taub, the Kaliver Rebbe]
Translated by Rabbi Yitzchak Kolakowski - Edited by Rabbi Avrohom Shalom
Farber
Photo caption: The Kaliver Rebbe writing this letter after conversation
with Rabbi Yitzhak Israeli, Chief Rabbi of the Bukharian Community
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