RSS
Blessings, Curses and Opportunities
Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Photo: Wiki Commons.
JNS.org – The prominent Yiddish writer B.Z. Goldberg once visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe and, as he entered the Rebbe’s study, he said, “Lubavitcher Rebbe, you look well.”
The Rebbe responded, “Since when is that a Jewish compliment? Usually, Jews ask each other why they look so bad.”
The Rebbe’s sense of humor notwithstanding, it does seem traditional for Jews to complain. God knows, we’ve had ample reason to over the centuries, including right now. Has there ever been a time in our history when there’s been a shortage of Yiddishe Tzorres, problems and persecutions, troubles and torment?
This Shabbat, we read in the final chapters of Vayikra that if we follow the way of God our lives will be blessed, but should we stray from the good path we will experience curses and calamities second to none.
Parshat Bechukotai opens with a wonderful promise: “If you will follow My decrees and observe My commandments … the rains will come in time … and the land will give its produce … and you will dwell securely in your land.”
But is that really true? What about all the righteous who have suffered and the wicked who have prospered? Is life really so simple? And doesn’t the Talmud state that reward and punishment are reserved for the next world?
Rambam, the great Maimonides, explains it this way: These blessings are not the reward for our good behavior. Rather, they are how God provides us with the necessary tools to live a full Jewish life.
You might think, “It’s hard to be a Jew,” but if you have no money, it’s much harder! Living Jewishly can be expensive. Just recently, a congregant who has fallen on hard times confessed that they stopped keeping kosher because it was too expensive. Tuition fees at Jewish day schools are much higher than state schooling. The prices of matzah and an etrog keep going up, and so on.
And yet the Rambam says the blessings at the beginning of our parsha are not our reward, but rather God giving us the material means by which we will be able to afford to live a Godly life.
When do we earn these blessings? When we indicate by our concrete actions that it is our desire and intent to live such a Godly life. When the Almighty sees our sincere and genuine good intentions, He then assists us in fulfilling these righteous desires by providing us with the necessary wherewithal to do so.
Concrete action means more than just “joining the club.” We must indicate our genuine commitment to following the good path in real, tangible terms. It’s more than just standing up to be counted. We need to put these ideals into practice in our daily lives.
Here are two examples: People want to keep Shabbat, but work often gets in the way. I knew a plumber who once confessed that he was trying to observe Shabbat but, somehow, every Saturday he would get an emergency call. It took him a while, but he finally worked out a system with other people on standby. He has now been a serene Sabbath observer for many years. But he made the commitment first.
Too many of our young people are struggling to find their bashert, their life partner in marriage. Sadly, many have succumbed to the “easier” solution and broadened their search beyond the Jewish community. Yet I have seen many who held their ground and never lost focus, as difficult as it was, and eventually did find a wonderful Jewish partner in life. Again, they made the commitment, stuck to it through thick and thin, and in time, they were blessed.
Yes, Shabbat can appear to be a challenge to our seeming prosperity. Having strict shidduch principles can seem like an obstacle to getting married. But in the end, if we stick to our values and principles, God Almighty will come to our assistance, sometimes in ways we would never have imagined.
True stories abound. I see it all the time. Those who exhibited faith and trust in God and closed the shop on Saturdays survived and flourished, even though the numbers didn’t add up. Those who refused to compromise in their courtships are today happily married and raising beautiful Jewish families.
There is a relevant line in this week’s Haftorah from the Prophet Jeremiah: “Baruch hagever, blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem, then Hashem will be his security.”
Some years ago, this line became a popular song. May we sing it and, more importantly, live it.
The post Blessings, Curses and Opportunities first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
North London Synagogue, Nursery Targeted in Eighth Local Antisemitic Incident in Just Over a Week
Demonstrators against antisemitism in London on Sept. 8, 2025. Photo: Campaign Against Antisemitism
A synagogue and its nursery school in the Golders Green area of north London were targeted in an antisemitic attack on Thursday morning — the eighth such incident locally in just over a week amid a shocking surge of anti-Jewish hate crimes in the area.
The synagogue and Jewish nursery were smeared with excrement in an antisemitic outrage echoing a series of recent incidents targeting the local Jewish community.
“The desecration of another local synagogue and a children’s nursery with excrement is a vile, deliberate, and premeditated act of antisemitism,” Shomrim North West London, a Jewish organization that monitors antisemitism and also serves as a neighborhood watch group, said in a statement.
“This marks the eighth antisemitic incident locally in just over a week, to directly target the local Jewish community,” the statement read. “These repeated attacks have left our community anxious, hurt, and increasingly worried.”
Local law enforcement confirmed they are reviewing CCTV footage and collecting evidence to identify the suspect and bring them to justice.
This latest anti-Jewish hate crime came just days after tens of thousands of people marched through London in a demonstration against antisemitism, amid rising levels of antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In just over a week, seven Jewish premises in Barnet, the borough in which Golders Green is located, have been targeted in separate antisemitic incidents.
According to the Metropolitan Police, an investigation has been launched into the targeted attacks, all of which involved the use of bodily fluids.
During the incidents, a substance was smeared on four synagogues and a private residence, while a liquid was thrown at a school and over a car in two other attacks.
As the investigation continues, local police said they believe the same suspect is likely responsible for all seven offenses, which are being treated as religiously motivated criminal damage.
No arrests have been made so far, but law enforcement said it is actively engaging with the local Jewish community to provide reassurance and support.
The Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, condemned the recent wave of attacks and called on authorities to take immediate action.
“The extreme defilement of several Jewish locations in and around Golders Green is utterly abhorrent and deeply distressing,” CST said in a statement.
“CST is working closely with police and communal partners to support victims and help identify and apprehend the perpetrator,” it continued.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) also denounced the attacks, calling for urgent measures to protect the Jewish community.
“These repeated incidents are leaving British Jews anxious and vulnerable in their own neighborhoods, not to mention disgusted,” CAA said in a statement.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, the United Kingdom has experienced a surge in antisemitic crimes and anti-Israel sentiment.
Last month, CST published a report showing there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK from January to June of this year. It marks the second-highest total of incidents ever recorded by CST in the first six months of any year, following the first half of 2024 in which 2,019 antisemitic incidents were recorded.
In total last year, CST recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents for 2024, the country’s second worst year for antisemitism despite being an 18 percent drop from 2023’s record of 4,296.
In previous years, the numbers were significantly lower, with 1,662 incidents in 2022 and 2,261 hate crimes in 2021.
RSS
Germany to Hold Off on Recognizing Palestinian State but Will Back UN Resolution for Two-State Solution
German national flag flutters on top of the Reichstag building, that seats the Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, March 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Germany will support a United Nations resolution for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but does not believe the time has come to recognize a Palestinian state, a government spokesman told Reuters on Thursday.
“Germany will support such a resolution which simply describes the status quo in international law,” the spokesman said, adding that Berlin “has always advocated a two-state solution and is asking for that all the time.”
“The chancellor just mentioned two days ago again that Germany does not see that the time has come for the recognition of the Palestinian state,” the spokesman added.
Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium have all said they will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, although London said it could hold back if Israel were to take steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and commit to a long-term peace process.
The United States strongly opposes any move by its European allies to recognize Palestinian independence.
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US has told other countries that recognition of a Palestinian state will cause more problems.
Those who see recognition as a largely symbolic gesture point to the negligible presence on the ground and limited influence in the conflict of countries such as China, India, Russia, and many Arab states that have recognized Palestinian independence for decades.
RSS
UN Security Council, With US Support, Condemns Strikes on Qatar
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned recent strikes on Qatar’s capital Doha, but did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members, including Israel‘s ally the United States.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with the attack on Tuesday, escalating its military action in what the United States described as a unilateral attack that does not advance US and Israeli interests.
The United States traditionally shields its ally Israel at the United Nations. US backing for the Security Council statement, which could only be approved by consensus, reflects President Donald Trump’s unhappiness with the attack ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Council members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar. They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar,” read the statement, drafted by Britain and France.
The Doha operation was especially sensitive because Qatar has been hosting and mediating negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
“Council members underscored that releasing the hostages, including those killed by Hamas, and ending the war and suffering in Gaza must remain our top priority,” the Security Council statement read.
The Security Council will meet later on Thursday to discuss the Israeli attack at a meeting due to be attended by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.