Page 7 - Mizrachi RZC Sefer Berachot 5783

Holding Hands for the Future
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky
Dean, Ida Crown Jewish Academy

Back in the '70s, the shaliach to Bnei Akiva Chicago was Amnon
Shapira. Today, Amnon is retired and lives on Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi,
where he continues to write and be involved in numerous causes.
Last year, after the passing of Rav Adin Steinsaltz, ל״צז, Amnon
wrote a brief letter to the editor. "Much has been written about Rav
Steinsaltz," he wrote, "but one thing was missing. As is well known,
Rav Steinsaltz was reared in a secular communist home."
“How did he become a towering figure in the Torah world? In his
own words, Rav Steinsaltz wrote: ‘because many years ago, a small
boy, born in Yerushalayim entered a neighborhood shul, tugged at
the hem of an elderly man and bothered him with a question. The
man, instead of shooing him away, answered him with warmth.'"
Wrote Amnon: "From this, I have one request, if a small child who
you don't know bothers you in shul with questions, answer him as if
he was your grandchild, maybe from that child will blossom another
Rabbi Steinsaltz."
On Rosh Hashana, we read two stories of parents and children - the
story of Hagar and Yishmael and the story of Avraham and Yitzchak.
What makes both of these stories remarkable is that they are
enveloped in silence. Hagar said nothing to Yishmael. And for three
days, Avraham and Yitzchak walked towards Har HaMoriah with
only one recorded conversation when Yitzchak asked הלועל השה היא
- where is the lamb for the offering?
According to Rav Hirsch, ל״צז, Hagar's actions and silence were a
failure of parenting, while Avraham's were the ultimate act of faith.
Because Hagar when faced with an existential crisis, רענה תא חלשתו
- she cast off the child away. But when Avraham faced his
existential crisis - וידחי םהינש וכליו - walked together with his son.
Often, it's not the words we say, but how we interact with others, the
hands we hold, or care we share. For a young Adin Steinsaltz, that
care made all the difference in his life, a life that impacted the lives
of countless people.
For generations, Mizrachi, Bnei Akiva and Camp Moshava have
lived these lessons not only for the children of the Jewish people but
also for the future of the Jewish people. Together they shaped our
community and have been a driving force for aliyah, Torah learning,
and love of Medinat Yisrael.
May the coming year be a year we continue these traditions, holding
the hands of those in need, caring for each other, and supporting our
beloved State, our sacred Torah, and all of the Jewish people.