1.
In 1963, twenty years after the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943, the Polish government was still under Soviet rule, as one of the Warsaw Pact countries, and decided nevertheless - as if to show a face to the West - to mark the twentieth anniversary of the uprising and the fall of the ghetto.
The event was planned for Sunday. Therefore, on the Sabbath before, the Sabbath of Parshat Shemini, a handful of Jewish leaders from around the world were invited to the Nozick Synagogue. The Nozick Synagogue was the only one of the hundreds of synagogues in Warsaw that stood intact and was left in ruins after the Great Akeda and the destruction.
Among the important figures, a Jew from Czechoslovakia was invited to speak - Rabbi Eliyahu Katz, later the Chief Rabbi of Beer Sheva. At that time, the Czech Republic and Slovakia were united under the communist regime of the Soviet Union. And since there was not much Jewish life in the Soviet Union, two KGB men were attached to him, so that they could guard him and keep a close eye on him so that he would not reveal the difficult truth to everyone.
When his turn came, Nozick took to the stage of the synagogue. His speech was very impressive, even though it contained only two words. He began by saying: Since my name is Katz, which stands for the initials: Kohen Tzedek, I will say only two words from the parsha, which describe the behavior of my grandfather, Aharon the Kohen, and they are: "Vaidum Aharon," this is my sermon. He did not add a single word. Neither in Yiddish nor in Hebrew. But everyone understood exactly what he meant...
2.
Imagine, a whole year has passed since the Exodus from Egypt. For a year, the people of Israel waited and expected to build a tabernacle. On the most solemn day, the eighth day of the dedication of the tabernacle, in the midst of the joy, Aaron the High Priest enters the tabernacle with his two eldest sons, Nadav and Avihu. And leaves alone. Fire comes out from the Lord, and they both suddenly die.
And what is the father's reaction to the death of the two sons, the two brothers? Silence. Without remorse, without complaint, without reflection and without appeal.
There are many things around us and within us that are a focus for questions, a source of wondering, and, God forbid, a source of doubt.
Aaron the Priest, who is the guide, Aaron who loves people and brings them closer to the Torah of faith in the ways of God, teaches us to accept everything with faith and love.
3.
Many of the people of Israel, unfortunately, are among the victims of hostility and other national disasters, some directly and some indirectly. These two words accompany quite a few of them to this day. They have not yet healed from the reflections and thoughts after the burning that God burned. They recognize this 'Vaidum Aharon' as a way of life. They accept the judgment with love, despite and perhaps precisely because they do not understand.
In 2023, before the outbreak of the 'Iron Swords' War, there was a severe and deep division in the people of Israel. Meanwhile, in one week, brothers Hillel Menachem and Weigel Yaakov Yaniv were murdered in a terrorist attack, and brothers Yaakov Israel and Asher Menachem Pelai were murdered. Later, sisters Maya and Rina Di were murdered, and then brothers Maayan and Sahar Asor perished in the massive flood in the Tzichor River.
The ways of God are hidden. But there are occasional signs of revelation along the way. Sometimes through great miracles but sometimes, unfortunately, through great disasters.
Throughout the history of the Jewish people, the equation has been and remains clear. When we were united, we won wars and prospered as a nation. On the other hand, when there were divisions and hatred among us, we were thrown off our land, trampled, slaughtered, and became the lowest of the nations. But the human mind always manages to give an interpretation according to the way of nature about what is happening in our world.
Even in those days, some relied on various conspiracies to explain the reason for the bloodbath in the current wave of terrorism, which has plagued us for nearly a year.
It was possible to accept that the enemy recognized a weakness on the opposing side. It was understandable that his anger was burning within him due to the multitude of "provocations" that were on our side at the time. But did he also manage to aim for a consistent result of fratricidal death?!
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