As we read the parshiyiot of yetziat mitzrayim, and reflect on the leadership of Moshe Rabbenu, we remember the very first sign that Moshe was destined to become the first and greatest shepherd of the Jewish people. The Torah tells us, “and it was in those days, and Moshe grew, and he went out to his brethren, and he saw their suffering…”
Rashi comments that Moshe did not merely see the suffering of the Jewish people with his eyes, but with his heart as well. While he had every reason to sequester himself in the comfort and privilege of palace life, destined for Egyptian royalty, he made a fateful choice: he would go out and confront the suffering of his brothers and sisters. This, to be sure, would change the course not only of his personal destiny, but the arc of Jewish history itself.
The Bergen County Unites for Israel Mission from February 20 to 22, in partnership with Sulamot and Mizrachi, is an attempt to follow in the footsteps of Moshe Rabbenu. We are all aware that our brothers and sisters in Israel face challenges that have not been seen since the very founding of the first Jewish state in 2,000 years. And yet, it is one thing to know it, and another thing to see it. As Chazal said, “One cannot compare hearing of something to seeing it,” שלא תהא שמיעה גדולה מראייה.
Like many other missions, we will have three days filled with opportunities to visit with soldiers, both those on active duty and those grievously wounded in battle, to comfort bereaved families, to meaningfully volunteer, to visit Hostage Square, and to meet with families of hostages if that should be necessary. Yet, there are two further aspects which make this mission unique, to the very best of my knowledge, amongst all missions that have taken place to date.
As its name indicates, this is a unity mission. We do not represent just one shul or school, but an entire community. I am so fortunate to be joined on this mission by cherished colleagues Rabbis Daniel Feldman of Ohr Saadya, Larry Rothwachs of Congregation Beth Aaron, Chaim Strauchler of Rinat Yisrael, and Rebbetzins Michael Goldberg of BMOB and Chani Krohn of Young Israel of Teaneck, and of the over 60 registrants so far; we have representatives of shuls from all over Bergen County.
The concept of a unity mission is not merely a way of generating a larger group. Far more significantly, it reflects the conviction that so many of us hold, with humility, that the current eis tzarah is, in one way or another, related to the devastating machlokes which consumed klal Yisrael in the months and even years prior to October 7. Legitimate disagreements over policies led to inflamed rhetoric in which fellow Jews demonized each other with the most extreme language, employing terminology conferring the status of actual enemies to members of Am Yisrael with different ideas.
We are now, thank God, a People who stand united against a true enemy, whose barbarism knows no limits, and our unity mission reflects the critical role that achdut plays in achieving victory in this war for the survival of Am Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael.
Second, this unity mission is not limited to three days in Israel. The second day of our mission will be spent both meeting the displaced residents of Kerem Shalom, and seeing this community, which is the closest town to the Gaza border.
In conjunction with Sulamot, the extraordinary organization led by Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon, shlita, the broader Bergen County community has committed to adopting Kerem Shalom and raising the funds that will be necessary to enable our brothers and sisters to return to their homes in safety and security.
We are totally united in our resolve never to grant the Nazis of Hamas the victory of having even one Jewish town in the Land of Israel remain, God forbid, judenrein, and we will not rest until each evacuated community is filled with the sounds of laughter of Jewish children and families.
We look forward to beginning to cultivate this relationship with Kerem Shalom, even before we arrive, as those who register will be able to virtually meet our brothers and sisters from Kerem Shalom. We further look forward to spending meaningful time with Rav Rimon on the mission, and being inspired by his remarkable work on behalf of Am Yisrael.
To access registration details or see the detailed itinerary for the mission, please do not hesitate to be in touch with your shul rav or directly with me at [email protected]. While the mission is filled with meaningful activities, from morning until night, we have worked extremely hard to ensure that it is accessible, with a base mission price of $500, not including hotel or airfare.
It is our deepest prayer that our efforts on this mission will be a source of great strength for our brothers and sisters in Israel, and for us as well. And yet, we have even greater aspirations.
When Moshe went out to see his brothers and sisters, and looked at them with his eyes and his heart, this had a dramatic impact on Hashem’s response to the suffering of his People. To that point, there was a state of deep hester panim, of distance between God and His People. And yet, once Moshe went out to look with his heart and eyes, נָתַן עֵינָיו וְלִבּוֹ לִהְיוֹת מֵצֵר עֲלֵיהֶם, Hashem seems to have reciprocated. As Rashi explains, He no longer averted neither His eyes nor His heart, נתן עליהם לב ולא העלים עיניו. When the Almighty sees his children looking after each other, no matter the geographic distance, apparently, He can no longer look away.
We are filled with the deepest faith that our mission will help bring about a similar response from above. We hope you will join us.
Rabbi Daniel Fridman is the rabbi at The Jewish Center of Teaneck.
