Holidays:

Rosh Chodesh 

Parsha:

Toldot 

Description

We are facing unprecedented, existential challenges as a people, and for the first time, I find it challenging to reconcile with some of my Haredi co-religionists who seem to ignore the call to defend our nation during this time of existential threat. How can we reconcile the values of mutual responsibility and unity when segments of our community refrain from fulfilling the biblical mandate to defend our people during this milchemet mitzvah and ignoring the principle of not standing idly by while your neighbor’s blood is being spilt? As we enter the month of Kislev, I wonder: how can one celebrate the heroism of the Maccabees without embracing the responsibilities they exemplified? How do we reconcile the burdens borne by some, while others disengage from the collective responsibility?