ChabadNewOrleans Blog

Regular readers of these musings know that I firmly believe that Judaism must not be distilled down to Holocaust remembrance/fighting antisemitism and support for Israel. A meaningful Judaism needs to be a broader, richer, deeper, and more uplifting Jewish experience.

At the same time Holocaust and Israel are very important components of that broader Jewish experience. Since the attacks on October 7, these components of our Jewish experience have become even more acute.

Composer, Abie Rotenberg wrote a song called Memories. It is conversation between a Holocaust survivor and his grandson who is inquisitive about the numbers on his arm and frequent tears. (For the full lyrics – www.jyrics.com/lyrics/memories.) Here is the refrain:

“What will become of all the memories, are they to scatter with the dust in the breeze? Who will stand before the world, knowing what to say, when the very last survivor fades away?”

We are living in a time when even the youngest survivors of the Holocaust are in their mid to late 80s. Holocaust denial is rampant and is often intertwined with Israel/Jew hatred. With just over 42,000 survivors remaining in the US (out of 245,000 worldwide), and we are sadly losing more each day, leaving us with fewer and fewer that can bear firsthand witness to the Nazi atrocities, which are being denied with more ferocity and less impunity.   

This is why the opportunity to hear a first-hand account from a Holocaust survivor should not be missed. Our New Orleans Jewish community will have the great privilege of hosting survivor, Saul Dreier, founder of the Holocaust Survivor Band. Chabad of Louisiana is partnering with Chabad of Metairie to bring Mr. Dreier to speak at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, August 14. He survived Auschwitz, Mauthausen, Linz, and several labor camps, including a stint in the Schindler factory. Saul tells his story using the medium of music as well as speech.

We need to fill that space to capacity. It is critical that as many people as possible hear his story so that we will have the capacity to stand up for truth. We need our Jewish community and our non-Jewish allies to come out in full force. Every person that hears these stories can be a partner in the struggle against lies and falsehood and an advocate for love and light.

To register for the event: www.jewishlouisiana.com/saul. If you would like to be a VIP sponsor or patron of the event, please contact me directly at [email protected]. I look forward to greeting you at the JPAC on August 14.

On a similar note, our multi-media Seminar – How Israel Wins - is approaching on August 4. It is a comprehensive fresh look at dealing with the Israel issue through the lens of the Rebbe’s perspective. To register for the seminar and fish fry, www.chabadneworleans.com/israel. I look forward to sharing that experience with you as well.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

The opening theme of this week’s Parsha is the subject of an interesting Talmudic comment on the book of Genesis. As Avraham is engaged in a dialogue with G-d about the destruction of Sodom, he declares before G-d “I am but dust and ashes.” The sage Rava comments, “In the merit of Avraham declaring “I am but dust and ashes” his children were given two Mitzvot, the ashes of the Red Heifer and the dust of the Sotah water.”

The Rebbe argues that the association between the deed and the reward goes beyond the “ashes and dust” component with each, but rather there is a deeper thematic connection.

Avraham exhibited a willingness to help others even at his own expense, physically and spiritually. He risked his life fighting against four mighty kings to save Lot. He was generous to others even at a time when he had no means with which to do so. He was hospitable to wayfarers who he perceived as idolators, even at the expense of cutting short his time with the Divine Presence. He challenged G-d to save even the wicked population of Sodom.

The reward is two Mitzvot that embody that selflessness. The Mitzvah of the Parah Adumah – Red Heifer is a total paradox. On one hand it brings purity to one who has been in contact with a corpse, representing the ultimate disconnect from the Source of Life. On the other hand, each Kohen involved in the preparation of the Red Heifer mixture became ritually impure. The demonstrates that one must be so devoted to the wellbeing of others, even someone who appears to be unworthy, and even at the expense of their own detriment.

Similarly, regarding the Mitzvah of the Sotah waters, Hashem allows for the ink containing His name to be erased, generally a severe transgression, for the sake of potentially restoring peace between husband and wife. With this Mitzvah, Hashem is demonstrating the same devotion to the wellbeing of others who may be regarded as unworthy, even when there is a spiritual “cost” to that devotion.

This worldview is something the Rebbe modeled and encouraged others to live by. One must be ready to risk something of their own to help another. In fact, this is so fundamental to the Rebbe’s approach, that he understands it to be a gift from G-d when one finds it within himself to act selflessly for others, even at a cost to oneself. Rather than seeing this as a “necessary compromise,” it is to be embraced as a loving gift from Hashem.

I am grateful to have been touched by the Rebbe’s encouragement to embrace the gift of meaningful living for the sake of helping someone else. To quote Hayom Yom of Sivan 28, “You only need the main thing - to help another wholeheartedly, with sensitivity, to take pleasure in doing a kindness for another.”

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin