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MIZRACHI SCHOLARS-IN-RESIDENCE TORAT MIZRACHI

looking at you and soon translators of people who said ‘I wrote you letters.’ • ּורֹמ ְ ׁש ִּ ת י ַ תֹת ְּ ב ַ ׁש ת ֶ א ְ ו – You shall
will come up here to translate the ques- People from many countries, including keep My Sabbaths.
tions, because you do not even have a the countries you come from. Men and
common language between you... So women, young and old, housewives and • ּובֹנ ְ ג ִּ ת אלֹ – You shall not steal.
what unites you all? professors, Rabbis and even those who • ֹותי ִ מ ֲ ע ַּ ב ׁשי ִ א ּור ְּ ק ַ ׁש ְ ת אלֹ ְ ו – neither
did not know aleph bet. Each person
I was once a Prisoner of Zion. I lived different from the other, but united. shall you lie to any of your
in a country that, Baruch Hashem, They knew there was a Jew out there neighbors.
no longer exists – the Soviet Union. whom they didn’t know, and perhaps • ך ֲ ע ֵ ר ת ֶ א ק ׁש ֲ ע ַ ת אלֹ – You shall not
ָ
ֹ
I taught Hebrew and Judaism. I did would never know, but they had to fight oppress your neighbor, nor rob
not have knowledge like yours, but I for his release. him.
knew a little, and that was enough to
teach other Jews in secret. It did not We do not need false unity, but true • ל ׁש ְ כ ִ מ ן ֵּ ת ִ ת אלֹ ר ֵּו ִ ע יֵנ ְ פ ִ ל ְ ו – Do not
ֹ
end well. I was put in jail and then in a unity, and you already have it – unity put a stumbling block before
labor camp. I was completely discon- around the most authentic common the blind.
nected. I knew nothing about what was denominator we have: the Book of
happening outside, beyond the barbed Books, the Bible. I ask you, on Yom • ט ָּ פ ְ ׁש ִּ מ ַּ ב ל ֶ ו ָ ע ּוׂש ֲ ע ַ ת אלֹ – Do not
wire fence, at the end of the world in HaAtzmaut: keep spreading this pervert justice.
Siberia. One day we returned from hard common denominator of ours. If we ָ
labor in the woods. After 11 hours in know it and internalize it, we will • ך ֶ תי ִ מ ֲ ע טֹ ּ פ ְ ׁש ִּ ת ק ֶ ד ֶ צ ְּ ב – Judge your
the freezing cold, I crossed the camp achieve true unity.” neighbor justly.
with a row of inmates when the officer • ךי ֶּ מ ַ ע ְּ ב לי ִ כ ָ ר ך ֵ ל ֵ ת אלֹ – You shall not
ְ
ָ
For the Glory of the State of
in charge of discipline – a man you 4 gossip among your people.
wanted to avoid – called me out. Israel | Perhaps we should ask ָ ָ
Israel the typical birthday ques-
I approached him and he said: ‘Just so tion: What do you want to be when you • ך ֶ ב ָ ב ְ ל ִּ ב ךי ִ ח ָ א ת ֶ א אָנ ְ ׂש ִ ת אלֹ – You
shall not hate your brother in
you know, the safe in my room is full of grow up? After birth and adolescence, your heart.
letters for you from all over the world.’ after the wondrous physical construc-
ָ
ָ
Then he smiled such a sadistic smile tion of the State, where are you going • ך ֹומ ָּ כ ך ֲ ע ֵ ר ְ ל ָּ ת ְ ב ַ ה ָ א ְ ו – Love your
and said: ‘By law, you are not allowed now? What are your aspirations and neighbor as yourself.
to receive letters from abroad and you goals? It seems to me that in Parashat
will not see a single letter.’ Kedoshim we have part of the answer. Sounds like an excellent manifesto for
We may know the verses by heart, but the glory of the State of Israel.
No-one could have been happier than
I was at that moment. in Iyar we can read them again as the
basis for building a regenerated Jewish
He didn’t know it, but thanks to him society. Here are just a few examples: Sivan Rahav Meir and Yedidya Meir are
popular Israeli media personalities and
I suddenly learned that Jews from all • ּוי ְ ה ִּ ת םי ִ ׁשֹד ְ ק – You shall be holy. World Mizrachi’s Scholars-in-Residence.
over the world were writing me letters.
He was right, this sadist. I never did • ן ֵ קָז יֵנ ְּ פ ָּ ת ְ ר ַ ד ָ ה ְ ו – You shall respect A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
see a single letter, but later I met a lot the elderly. mizrachi.org/speakers

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