Opinion

It has become a routine of mine here in Baltimore to attend the weekly Motza’ei Shabbos history lectures given by Rabbi Dovid Katz in Congregation Shomrei Emunah. Currently, Rabbi Katz is focusing on modern Israeli history. The best way to describe Rabbi Katz is that he is very similar in style and substance to Rabbi Berel Wein. Both are known to be fine talmidei chachamim (Torah scholars) while being experts in Jewish history. Both are as entertaining as they are informative and have a very earthy way of communicating.

By today’s definition of racism, I am a racist. It is irrelevant that I had three African American neighbors back in Queens whose skin color was not even a consideration. They were good people. Period. That’s all that counted.

On December 23, it was reported that about 330 American clergy from Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructive movements issued a “Call to Action” (fatwa or cheirem) to ban members from the Religious Zionist Alliance from speaking in their synagogues or anywhere in their communities.

Many years ago, in my early days in the rabbinate, in a community called Twin Rivers, New Jersey, we ran into some troubling adversity.

My father’s second yahrzeit is 27 Kislev, the third day of Chanukah. My father would often observe that the Chashmona’im were the first army in history to engage in battle not for a military victory, nor a territorial conquest, or even for political reasons. Their motivation was purely for ideological reasons. The survival of Torah was their only concern. Their battle was with the Syrian-Greek overlords as it was with the Hellenist Jews who looked to uproot the Torah as the spiritual force behind Judaism. This is alluded to in the Al HaNisim, in which we thank Hashem for delivering the wicked into the hands of those who are dedicated to Torah.

The parshah we just read, Toldos, is undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic in the Torah. We are told of Rivkah favoring Yaakov, while Yitzchak favored Eisav due to “his game that was in his mouth” (B’reishis 25:28). Subsequently, we are told of the highly unusual story of Rivkah advising Yaakov to dress up in goat’s skin in an effort to parade as Eisav and usurp Eisav’s brachah from the unsuspecting Yitzchak.