Andy, it is
so good to be standing in front of the amud with you today. I have always felt that you were an important
member of our synagogue community, supporting Renee in home observances, bring
your sons to religious school faithfully, and being part of the brit milah
ceremony for Kal-El and bar mitzvah ceremony for Parker. What I think is significant about today, is
that it represents the important step of gerut that you have chosen for
yourself. You have spent a significant
amount of time living Jewishly, and studying Jewishly, but now you have
committed yourself to those two activities for the remainder of your life. Now
you are actually obligated to perform mitzvoth and can be counted within each
and every minyan that convenes here.
When we were trying to find a new Hebrew name that would be meaningful
for you, you chose Gavri which means “man of G-d.” You
also chose Chavez (or as you would rather pronounce it Cha-Vez)- which is a Sephardic name meaning “G-d
protects.” I believe you picked a name
which reflects our wish for you. May G-d
always protect your coming and going.
With this name you shall be linked to the Jewish people where you are,
during this lifetime and beyond. May
your name bring respect to you and honor to the Jewish people.
In today’s
Torah portion, we read that “If a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath
imposing an obligation on himself, he shall not break his pledge; he must carry
out all that has crossed his lips.” When
you sat before the Bet Din in Omaha, you were questioned about your intentions
prior to conversion. You mentioned that
Judaism is a religion that speaks to you in a rational way as a path for conducting
your life. One of the Rabbis asked if
you understood that being Jewish often means being subject to disparaging
remarks by others. You replied that you
have known such treatment having grown up in a Hispanic community and that it
wouldn’t keep you from taking on a new step in your life. I have no doubt that
your decision to choose Judaism and to pledge yourself to a life of mitzvoth is
a vow that you will keep. This in itself
makes us very happy for all of Israel, for your decision not only involves
yourself, and your family, but this community and believe it or not, Jewish
communities all over the world. We
welcome you, Gavri Chavez Ben Avraham V’ Sarah.
You came to
the Torah today for your first Aliyah.
It is a symbol that you have accepted the Torah with love and that you
are a full member of the Jewish people.
May you live as a true and righteous member of your people, Israel,
embracing the heritage of our past, sharing both the burdens and joys of the
present, and anticipating the glory of our redemption. May G-d spread his shelter of peace over you
and your family. May you be granted the
treasures of blessings in a life filled with Torah and ma’asim tovim, good
deeds.
I’d like
your family to join me as we all recite the shecheyanu together.
And now for
just a few words about the Torah portion:
Much of what we read in today’s parasha,
Matot, was about the Israelites waging war against the Midianites. It is an
account of Moshe’s last military enterprise. Pinchas, the priest, is placed in
command for the battle, rather than Joshua, because it takes on a religious
character, being a divinely imposed obligation to eliminate those who were
instigators of immorality among the Israelites. It was
not a pretty site by all accounts. Women
and children were taken captive, all animals and livestock were taken as spoil,
all cities and edifices burned in fire. The
instructions given by Moshe, however, had been very specific about
exterminating all the Midianites, including the women since they had led the
Israelites into idolatry and sexual excess.
So we see Moshe becoming very angry with the commanders of the
legion. Why did he be[NC1] come angry with the officers and not
the foot soldiers? It is suggested that
Moshe became angry with the officers because they were responsible for the
actions of those they commanded. They were
to have lead by example.
When I first
read this section, I thought about the Defense Operation currently taking place
in Gaza by the IDF and how the leadership in the IDF is so careful to lead by
example. Israel has been painstakingly
trying to avoid civilian casualties by telephoning civilians in the Gazan areas,
leafleting civilian residences, and dropping warning charges prior to using
force to eliminate the tunnels, munition storage sites, and rocket launching
areas in that strip of land. Even with
those facts highly established, I was still forwarded a letter about whether or
not members of the Jewish community here recognize the genocide of the
Palestinians being committed by the Israelis and whether one of the spiritual
leaders of this community would want to join in a protest against Israel on the
capitol steps later this week. Somehow
it has become a popular myth to say that that Israel, the “Zionist entity”
desires to eliminate all Palestinians, men, women, and children by laying siege
to their cities. Somehow when civilians are
dying in Gaza, the world begins counting the deaths as if it were keeping score
on a football field because the Iron Dome is doing a miraculous job of
protecting Israelis from thousands of rockets being sent their way. What the world fails to remember is that this
defensive move on the part of Israel began as a result of the rockets being
lobbed at her citizenry. The intent of
Hamas in doing so, was not to bring its own people to the peace table nor to
keep them out of harm’s way. The purpose
was in line with its desire to “eradicate Israel and its Jews.” (Krauthammer).
Yet once
again, we see the leadership of Israel trying to ensure that it is the infrastructure
of the Hamas terrorist organization that is targeted and not the civilians in
Gaza who are being used as human shields.
We see that it is the leadership of Israel that has made an investment
in protecting its people by perfecting the Iron Dome. It is the leadership of Israel that condemned
the death of the young Muslim boy who was brutally murdered by Jewish fanatics. And it was the leadership of Israel that
pursued arresting the individuals who committed that crime. It was also the leadership of Israel that sat
in the tent of mourning along with other citizens trying to ensure that even
Palestinians should know that the loss of a child on either side of the
political spectrum is one child too many.
I once heard
it said that the motto of the IDF officers is “Acharai” ….”After me” when
moving into battle. Officers believe in
making sure that their actions remain on the moral course as they lead so
others will follow in a similar manner. I believe with all my heart, the
leadership in Israel and the IDF cares about protecting its citizenry from
terrorist attacks, cares about dismantling the infrastructure of an
organization that desires the elimination of the Jewish state, and also cares
about inflicting as little death and injury as possible among the civilians in
Gaza while carrying out its mission.
When I see Israel agree to a ceasefire and an initiative for a
humanitarian truce, while Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel, I know
without a doubt that the leadership of this country can indeed be described by
the following words Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used about the IDF:
"The IDF is a moral military
without peer; it does not aspire to harm any innocent person. We are operating
only against terrorist targets and we regret any inadvertent civilian
casualties. It is the terrorist organizations – which attack our cities and our
civilians and use their civilians as human shields – that bear the
responsibility for casualties among non-combatants.
Now I know that in such campaigns, global public opinion always
receives a distorted picture of the campaign. This is unavoidable. But, unlike
in the past, this time there are many in the international community who
understand that it is Hamas – and Hamas alone – that is responsible for the
victims. This is important for the State of Israel."
His message continued:
I would like to appeal to you, citizens of Israel. A terrorist
war has been forced upon the state and this time as well, we will meet the
challenge. Your steadfast fortitude gives us the ability and the time to take
strong action against our enemies, and we are all proud of you. And again, I
must ask that you strictly follow the instructions of IDF Home Front Command. I
think that, today, it is hardly necessary to say how important this is, and I
know that you understand this.
I
have met with the commanders who are leading the IDF operation, uncommonly brave,
determined and motivated commanders, with strong values. I am impressed by the
motivation of our soldiers, both conscripts and reservists, and their desire to
take part in the campaign. They understand that their mission is to defend
Israel's citizens. Our fighters all know that they are fighting for the most
just of goals – the defense of our shared home. At this time, we are all united
behind the soldiers and commanders of the IDF. And I know that I speak for all
of us as we support them in their mission and pray for their welfare."
Personally,
I would like to conclude by saying that as we think of our brethren in Israel,
we pray for a speedy resolve to this most difficult of situations. We pray for the well-being of all those who
are striving to defend HaAretz and for all the children, women, and men,
desiring to live in peace without fear. We can be proud of the moral clarity of
the leadership in our Jewish Homeland that truly does believe in choosing
life. May all of Israel never have to
lie down in fear again.
Amen.
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