Emuna: A Holocaust Kaddish for All

by Rav Ehud Achituv, Rabbi of Bnei Dekalim, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Today, the Tenth of Tevet, is one of the five minor fast days instituted by the Sages of old, and it has received extra significance in modern times.

On this day some 2,500 years ago, shortly before the destruction of the First Holy Temple, the Babylonian siege on Jerusalem began. As the Prophet Yechezkel wrote (24,1-2): "G-d's word came to me in the ninth year [of King Tzidkiyah's reign], in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, saying: 'Son of man, write for yourself the name of the day, this very day; the king of Babylon has besieged Jerusalem on this very day.'"

The beginning of this siege that led to destruction and exile marks the start of the "hiding of G-d's countenance" from Israel. This is as the Talmud tells us (B'rachot 32b):

"From the day that the Temple was destroyed, an iron wall divided between Israel and their Father in Heaven, as G-d said to Yechezkel (2,4): 'Take for yourself an iron skillet and make it an iron wall between you and the city.'"

G-d continued to hide His countenance from us, in varying degrees, not only with the destruction of the First Temple, but even during the period of the Second Temple, to a certain extent – and of course very notably throughout all the tribulations of our long bitter national exile since then. The climax was reached during the devastating Shoah of the past century. The famous words of the Piaseczna Rebbe, R. Kalonymus Kalman Shapira of Poland - who himself was murdered al Kiddush Hashem, sanctifying G-d's Name, during the Shoah -  speak for themselves regarding how historically catastrophic was this period. In one of his inspiring talks during the height of the horrific years of the Holocaust, he said:

"The unprecedented tribulations and terrible methods of death innovated by the evil murderers upon us, the House of Israel, from the end of 5642 (summer 1942) – according to my knowledge of the words of our Sages and of the general history of Israel, they have no precedent in the chronicles of Israel. May G-d have mercy upon us and save us from them in the blink of an eye."

So too did Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, relate to the terrors of the Holocaust. It was his custom to recite the Av HaRachamim prayer, which was composed in memory of the victims of the Crusades, every single Shabbat, even on those when it is not customary to say it.

This is why the Chief Rabbinate instituted the 10^th Day of Tevet every year as the General Day of Kaddish, for the holy martyrs of the Shoah – because the "hiding of G-d's countenance" that began on this day reached its climax with the liquidation of a third of our nation by the accursed Nazis and their accomplices.

The Kaddish for All

It is commonly and mistakenly believed that the Day of General Kaddish is a memorial day only for those whose date of death in the Holocaust is unknown, so that they will have a day on which their relatives can say Kaddish and observe all mourning customs for them.

However, there is even more to the General Day of Kaddish. The Rabbinate's 10^th of Tevet regulation continues:

"This day is a memorial day for the myriads of families that were totally wiped out without a trace, leaving no survivors to say Kaddish for them. For these people, the entire House of Israel is their redeemer. Each person must therefore light, on the night of the 10^th of Tevet, a memorial candle in his home. In addition, one whose parents are not alive should take part in the recitation of Kaddish for all those families who have no one else to say Kaddish for them."

In this spirit also wrote one of the members of the Chief Rabbinate Council in those days, Rabbi Mordechai Fogelman, Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Motzkin, north of Haifa. He wrote in his work of responsa: "The 10^th of Tevet was declared by the Chief Rabbinate to be a date for reciting the General Kaddish. We say the Kaddish all together in the synagogues in memory of the millions of brothers and sisters who were killed and destroyed in the Holocaust years of the European exile."

Similar sentiments were expressed by Rav Katriel Fishel Tchurash, another member of the Chief Rabbinate Council at the time. He wrote: "It is clear that even one who does not have relatives who were killed in the Holocaust, but is only an observer taking part in the communal sorrow, should try to do something on behalf of the victims' souls and say Kaddish for them."

The Vizhnizer Rebbe agreed, saying that on this day, "the entire congregation recites the Mourner's Kaddish."

For this reason, the current Chief Rabbi of the city of Ramat Gan wrote to arouse the public: "We must try and try again to have the public not forget that which the Amalek of our generation did to us. Everyone should say Kaddish on this day… and at least those whose parents are not alive should derive a kal vachomer [an a-fortiori argument] for themselves and join in as well for the communal Kaddish."

May it be G-d's will that we merit to see the fulfillment of the Prophet's words: "The fast of the fourth and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the tenth [month, Asarah B'Tevet] will be for the House of Judah rejoicing and happiness, and may you [plural] love truth and peace" (Zechariah 8,19).

Vayechi: Oh, to be Blessed Like Joseph's Sons

by Rav Dov Lior, former Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba and Hevron, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Vayechi (beginning in B'reshit 47,28, ending at the end of Chapter 50 and the end of B'reshit) begins by telling us that the Patriarch Yaakov lived for 17 years in Egypt, until his death at age 147. These 17 years for Yaakov were, for a change, devoid of problems; they were truly a fulfillment of "Vayechi," he lived. As opposed to his earlier years, when he faced the difficult tribulations of Esav's designs to kill him, Lavan's deceptions, and 22 sad years of mourning in vain for Yosef, his beloved son whom he thought was dead – his final years in Egypt provided him with solace, serenity, and joy. He was able to dedicate himself to teaching Torah to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and preparing them to face the challenges of survival as loyal Jews in the darkness of exile.

This is why Yaakov blessed Yosef's sons and said that in the future, all of Israel will bless their sons to be like them: "May G-d make you like Ephraim and Menashe." What was so special about Ephraim and Menashe? The answer is that they grew up in an idol-worshiping culture in the royal Egyptian palace and environs, and yet remained loyal to the Torah education they received from Yosef and Yaakov. Yaakov's blessing was that all his future descendants should be like those two boys in their steadfast loyalty to Torah values – even if they happen to find themselves far away from their parents' home and values.

Yaakov Avinu also saw far ahead in terms of the Land of Israel. He made sure to have Yosef vow that he would bury him in Eretz Yisrael, and not in Egypt – thus emphasizing to future generations their deep connections with the Land. If he would have been buried in Egypt, his great-grandchildren would be liable to say, "Our own ancestor Yaakov is buried here, we might as well remain here as well." He wanted all his descendants to know that Egypt can never take the place of Eretz Yisrael as their home.

Today, there are still Jews who leave the Holy Land in order to visit and pray at the graves of righteous rabbis. The great Rav Kook wrote (in Mishpat Cohen 177) that such journeys should be avoided, because although they have importance – as we learned from Calev ben Yefuneh, who stopped at the Machpelah Cave on his way to take part in Moshe Rabbeinu's mission to scout out the Land of Israel for the Israelites – this still cannot justify violating the prohibition against leaving the Land of Israel. This is especially true given the fact that there are plenty of righteous people buried in Eretz Yisrael, to whose gravesites one may go to pray.[1]

This is also why Yosef had his brothers swear to him that, when they are one day redeemed from Egypt and return to the Holy Land, they would take his remains with them to be buried there: Yosef wished to enforce the bonds between the people of Israel and the Land of Israel.[2]

We live in a period when, for some of our fellow Jews, the topics of the Redemption of the Land and settling the Land do not carry great weight. It is therefore incumbent upon us to develop and encourage love for our holy Land, and to do whatever we can in order to settle it and make the desert bloom. It goes without saying, of course, that we must certainly seek to ensure that no part of the Land is given over to the terrorists. And in this merit, we will be privileged to see the Redemption of our nation and our entire Land, speedily in our days.

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[1] Translator's note: It is told of R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (d. 1995) that when he was asked about visiting the graves of tzaddikim outside the Land, he said, "Why leave the Holy Land? You have plenty of tzaddikim buried right here in Jerusalem – on Mt. Herzl" [a reference to the soldiers killed in Israel's wars and buried in the military cemetery there]!

[2] Translator's note: The commentators discuss and explain why Yosef asked to have his "bones" brought for burial in the Holy Land, but did not ask to be buried in Eretz Yisrael immediately upon his death.