Ki Teitzei
On Anti-Semitism
Dear Friend,
It’s not hard to find the relevance to current events of this week’s Torah portion. In Parshat Ki Teitzei, G‑d urges us to remember Amalek’s attack when we left Egypt—the very first act of anti-Semitism that we experienced as a nation.
Between boycotts of Israeli goods, anti-Israel protests throughout the world, hate crimes on the rise, and multiple condemnations by the UN, we are constantly reminded that anti-Semitism is alive and well. Yet there’s a silver lining, argues Rabbi Yossy Goldman in his article, Who Needs Anti-Semites? He contends that they “remind Jews that they are Jewish.”
Of course, xenophobia is evil, and has caused unfathomable suffering for our people over the years. But as Miriam Karp writes in On Prayer, a Stubborn Ego, Ammunition and Peace, “Hamas’s rockets have blasted more than buildings; they’ve blasted through the crust around my soul.”
This Elul, the month in which “I am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me,” let’s reach into the deepest parts of our soul to connect to G‑d and our fellow man. Let’s become a stronger, united nation, one that does not need any external reminders to embrace its Jewishness.
Sasha Friedman,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
For survivors of trauma, the ability to let go of frightful memories is essential to the healing process.
There is nothing superfluous in G‑d’s world. So what is the purpose of an anti-Semite? Just that—to remind Jews that they are Jewish!
A basic principle of Jewish belief is that G‑d rewards us when we carry out His commands. But does it always work like this?
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I got into Jewish things and spirituality around a year ago, and I was feeling really motivated and inspired. But now I just don’t have the passion for it anymore. What happened?
I have learned to train my eyes on Charlie’s brilliant smile and to forget the other children gawking at her on the playground.
Once upon a time there lived a poor orphan, who had neither father nor mother . . .
It's been a harrowing, year-long ordeal for the people of Lugansk and the Chabad emissaries there, Rabbi Shalom and Chana Gopin and their children—a year filled with fear, hope, determination and faith.
The city has shifted hands twice between pro-Russian and Ukrainian sides, with everyone watchful of what’s next
Together with Chabad families, prepping for their work and learning about themselves
Mothers and their daughters talk about their experiences then and now at end-of-summer program
You murmured in your tents, saying, '"Because G‑d hates us, He took us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to exterminate us." (Deuteronomy 1:27)
Really, He loves you, but you despised Him. As the common saying goes, “Whatever is in your heart towards your friend, you imagine he feels ...
