An Excerpt from R. Yaakov Bieler’s Remarks

upon Being Presented, along with Dr. Joan, with the Shomer Yisrael Award

at a Brunch on Behalf of Israel Bonds

May 16^th, 2010

Joanie and I would like to thank all those who have come this morning, and Liz and Dan Duman for devoting their time and efforts to assure that this event would be a success. Purchasing Israel Bonds constitutes participating in one of the most meaningful ways by which those of us still residing in Chutz LaAretz can show our support for Medinat Yisrael. I deliberately said “those of us still residing in the Diaspora,” in order to squarely reflect what should be part of all of our aspirations, at least theoretically, i.e., to go on Aliya and take up residence in Israel Such an assumption assumption is reflected in one of the subtle changes we made to the Tefilla Le’Shlom HaMedina, the prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel, when we started KMS over twenty years ago. The standard text that was originally written by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, according to R. JJ. Schachter, perhaps R. Herzog, ZaTzaL, and understandably reflecting an attitude towards the Diaspora Jew, that he is the “other,” the “outsider” reads,

"ואת אחינו כל בית ישראל פקד נא בכל ארצות פזוריהם"

“And our brothers, all of the House of Israel, Remember them in all of the lands of their dispersion,”

"ותוליכם מהרה קוממיות לציון עירך ולירושלים משכן שמך"

“And Cause them to quickly and uprightly go to Zion Your City and Jerusalem the place where Your Name Dwells.”

The text that we have been reciting every Shabbat , Yom Tov, Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim practically since the Shul’s inception, reads instead:

“ופקדנו נא בכל ארצות פזורנו,

“And Remember us in all of the lands of our dispersion,”

ותוליכנו מהרה קוממיות לציון עירך ולירושלים משכן שמך.

“And Cause us to quickly and uprightly go to Zion Your City and Jerusalem, the place where Your Name Dwells.”

We should keep in mind that we are not only and not even primarily praying for someone unknown to us who might be living in a land in which anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination are rampant and whose physical day-to-day survival is under threat; we are praying for ourselves.

As an aside, I would add, perhaps if we had been ready to be more audacious, we would have changed this prayer even further. The text suggests that it is up to God to Bring us to Israel, as if we have no personal choice in the matter.

“כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַת משֶׁה עַבְדֶּךְ: (דברים ל:ד-ה) 'אִם יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ ה' אֱלקיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶךָ:

וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ ה' אֱלקֶיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָרְשׁוּ אֲבתֶיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְךָ מֵאֲבֹתֶיךָ:'

“As it is written in Your Tora: (Devarim 30:4-5) ‘If you will be scattered to the ends of the Heavens, from there the Lord, your God will Gather you and from there He will Take you. And the Lord, your God will Bring you to the land that your fathers inherited and you will inherit it and He will Be good to you and He will Multiply you beyond the numbers of your ancestors.”

While for some Jewish communities, whether or not they end up on Israel depends exclusively on a Divine Miracle of massive Kibutz Galuyot (the ingathering of the exiles) —which some say has taken over the course of the last few generations with respect to the coming to Israel of Edut HaMizrach, as well as so many members of the Russian and Ethiopian communities—this is not the case with regard to ourselves. Due to our political freedom and general financial situation, the choice for most of us with respect to moving to Israel is a function of our inner will rather than our outer surroundings. Therefore to attribute such a decision entirely to God’s Intervention is at least somewhat disingenuous. Admittedly, we haven’t been prepared to make that kind of change to the prayer, and thereby wade into this theological debate just yet. Perhaps it is something that we should now begin to consider.

But even with respect to the small changes that we have already made in this prayer, I think that we can all take pride in the fact that in the new Koren Siddur (pp. 518-9) intended to be used primarily in the Diaspora, and arranged and translated by R. Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, the KMS revision of the prayer for the welfare of the State of Israel has become the primary text, with added in parenthesis the phrase" "בארץ ישראל 'פזוריהם, ותוליכם' (in the land of Israel, .”their dispersion, and Cause them to go”.)

The number of families from our community, who either have already moved to Israel over the course of the last few years, or are contemplating relocating in the near future, and particularly younger people, who upon completing their college studies and even before, are going on Aliya, including, most meaningful for our immediate family, our youngest son Avi, speaks volumes regarding the value that our synagogue as well as the greater Washington community places upon living in the land of Israel. Naturally, not everyone is in a position to take on the challenges of uprooting himself from a lifestyle and culture with which he is familiar, and start anew in Israel, however great a Mitzva doing so is considered to be. In that regard, it is understandable that individuals who are very young, who are not yet married or are newly married, who have as yet not begun a permanent career track, who have young children as yet not in school, who have not become routinized regarding standard of living and creature comforts, are in a much better, more comfortable position to make this transition, and כן ירבו (so their numbers should increase.) However, this does not relieve those of us who remain in Chutz LaAretz from our responsibility to not only support our immediate family members, as well as the individuals and institutions in need in the Greater Washington area, but also the State of Israel, or perhaps, better said, to redefine our “family members” as the Jewish people in general, which obviously includes those living in Israel. Joanie and I therefore appreciate this honor which essentially creates a context for providing some of that significant and needed support.

In closing, I have cited the following Talmudic passage a number of times over the years: In Eiruvin 65b, the Gemora states,

אמר רבי אילעאי: בשלשה דברים אדם ניכר: בכוסו, ובכיסו, ובכעסו. ואמרי ליה: אף בשחקו.

Said R. Ilayie: A person’s essence can be seen by means of literally his cup, his pocket, and his anger. And some say, even his recreation or the jokes that he laughs at.

All of these states of mind and resulting behaviors take place when one’s inhibitions are down, when one is acting in accordance with his inner true self, rather than values or commitments that are undertaken because of what others might expect this person to do. “Kiso” represents “his pocket,” i.e., how he spends his money. In other words not the lip service that he gives, the unredeemed promises that he makes, but rather his actual sacrificial contributions where he takes resources that he could easily have spent upon himself and his own family, and instead directs them to causes that he considers truly worthy and essential. While in Pesachim 50b we also read:

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב: לעולם יעסוק אדם בתורה ובמצות אף על פי שלא לשמה, שמתוך שלא לשמה - בא לשמה.

Said R. Yehuda in the name of Rav: A person should always engage in the study of Tora and the performance of Mitzvot even if for an ulterior motive, because from performance due to an ulterior motive can come the commitment to perform for the purist of motives.

In other words, regardless of the motivation, at the end of the day, any contribution to a worthy cause is dramatically helpful, and therefore deeply appreciated. Nevertheless, we hope that our community’s example and the values that are attempted to be conveyed by KMS as well as other local institutions

have contributed to meaningful, heartfelt and idealistic support of Israel.

Joanie and I thank all of you for what you have done today, and we look forward to going forward together, sharing Semachot, as well as ever reaching higher from Chayil to Chayil (strength to strength.) in walking in the Derech HaShem, (the Way of God.)