As an Arab Christian, and victim of radical Islam during the Lebanese Civil War, 1 refuse to stand by

and

let the same thing happen to my adopted country, the United States. Even after 9/11 there

To Life!

are those who say that we must "engage" our terrorist enemies, that we

TORAH PORT ION

must "address their grievances". Their grievance is our freedom of

religion. Their grievance is our democratic process. Islamic
religious authorities and terrorist leaders repeatedly

state that they will destroy the United States

Who Do We Miss?

and Western civilization, and replace it with

Shabbat Vayetze:

the only true religion, Ilant. Unless we
take them at their word, and defend

Genesis 28:10-32:2;

ourselves, they will succeed.

a • a

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46

November 30 a 2006

N

Hosea 12:13-14:10.

here's an
departure would have
old joke
been meaningless and
related to this
would have gone unno-
week's Torah portion.
ticed. If so, we must also
Question: How do we
ask ourselves: Who do we
know that Yaakov Avinu
miss? What values does
(our forefather Jacob)
our society stress? What
wore a shtreimel and
leaders do we mourn?
a bekeshe (the fur hat
and long coat worn by
What We Value
Rabbi R euven
many Chasidim)?
In the past few weeks,
Spol ter
Answer: The Torah
Special to the
we've read of the deaths
says, "Vayetze Yaakov
of a number of prominent
Jewish News
m'be'er Sheva"
and public individuals:
— "and Jacob left
Milton Friedman, the
Beersheva." Do you think that Yaakov Nobel Prize-winning economist,
would walk out without his shtreimel whose theories might very well
and bekeshe?
have contributed to the fall of
While perhaps only mildly amus-
Communism, died last month. His
ing, the joke helps highlight a textual death rated a short article in the
problem with the beginning of our
news section.
Torah portion. Why does the Torah
Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, the
need to tell me that Yaakov left
author of a 21-volume work of
Beersheva on the way to Haran? One
responsa on Jewish law mostly relat-
cannot arrive at one location without ed to medical questions, died last
leaving another. What then do We
week. He was a giant in his field, and
gain from reading that "Yaakov left
issued decisions affecting thousands
Beersheva?"
of Jewish lives. Yet, most readers of
Rashi, answering this question,
this column have probably never
teaches us a powerful lesson. "The
even heard of him.
verse teaches that the departure of a
And then there's Bo Schembechler.
tzaddik (a pious, righteous person)
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm
from a place makes an impres-
quite certain that Bo was a wonder-
sion. For, when that tzaddik is in
ful man and a great coach. He was
that place, he constitutes its glory;
upstanding, tough and determined.
he is its splendor; he is its crown.
But if he were all of those things and
But when he departs from there, its
still lost football games, he would
glory, splendor and crown depart
have died in relative anonymity.
with him." In telling us that "Yaakov
Michigan revered him for one thing:
left" Beersheva, the Torah teaches •
winning.
us that the people of his city felt his
But with the media coverage and
departure. They missed him — his
full-page spreads and public out-
holiness, his spirituality and the
pourings of grief — as if he had
splendor he brought to their lives."
was a world leader or scientific
• But, as much as Rashi teaches us
pioneer or a great religious guide
about the special qualities of Yaakov, — our community says far more
it also teaches us about the people of about itself than it does about Bo
Beersheva who he left behind. A city
Schembechler.
can only miss a tzaddik's departure
Winning isn't everything. It's the
if it appreciates and value that tzad-
only thing. E
dik. Had its citizens not cherished
him and understood and respected
Reuven Spolter is rabbi of Young Israel of
the values that guided his life, his
Oak Park.