Today's date and time:

Sermon on the occasion of the
Youth Shabbaton - April 2007
by Rabbi Geoffrey Hyman

First may I just say that our hearts and souls and our prayers are with the people of Virginia, in the terrible massacre of innocent people by a deranged killer.

A warm welcome to our lovely young people who have joined us today in the main Shul for our Youth Shabbaton. Its a real pleasure!!!

May I welcome and thank Michael Rainsbury whose initiative this was, joined by his fellow youth leaders, including a few Israeli Madrichim, who are here involved with the Yom Haatzmaut programme organized by Revital, the Redbridge Shlichah. Also Ben Levene - next year's Bnei Akiva’s Southern worker. I thank the United Synagogue’s Tribe offices for their support for this event, and David Halperin and his team for helping to organize this Shabbaton for our Youth: a warm welcome to you all.

The story is told in the Midrash that a person was once travelling from Babylon, and sat down to rest by the road, when he saw two birds fighting with each other and it ended up that one of them killed the other. The surviving bird then did a strange thing, it went and fetched some herb and placing it on the other, revived his dead mate. After witnessing this amazing thing, the man collected some of the herb and stated: "Let me go, with this herb ve-acheye bey metaye de-ara de'Yisrael - and revive the dead in the Land of Israel."

As he was running along on the way, he came across a dead fox that was decaying on the road side. It would be a good thing, he thought, if I try it out on this fox. So he placed the plant on the fox and lo and behold the fox stirred and came to life. When he arrived at Sulma Tzur (the ladders of Tyre) - an area referred to by the Talmudic Rabbis which was the coastline between Tzur and Acco in Eretz Yisrael, he came across a dead lion that was decaying, so once again he used the miraculous plant and revived the lion. The lion came back to life, jumped upon the wretched man and ate him all up!!! Says the Midrash: this bears out the old saying, “If you have done good to the bad you have done a bad thing!”. (Levit. Rab. 22; Kohelet Rab. 5).

So - its a lovely parable but what does it mean?

Let me share with you the powerful message this Midrash is telling us. This was inspired by something I read on this Midrash by a certain Rabbi Berzon.

This story of the Midrash is really telling us about Jewish survival and the rebuilding of Israel. The Midrash is set at the times of the Roman occupation of Eretz Yisrael, and the story is a reprimand to the Jews of those days, for after the first temple was destroyed and they were exiled to Babylon they enjoyed life there, they became good citizens and discovered that they possessed a great herb, the secret strength to survive and revive life around them - to rebuild what they had (symbolized by the two fighting birds). They built their Jewish communities in Babylon and were happy. But there were some who realized that their mission should be to go back and rebuild Eretz Yisrael and so it was that Ezra and Nehemiah took them back.

Not many went but enough to restore Israel; they rebuilt the Temple and made a new life and were successful. The years went by, centuries of survival and then they saw the lion, Greek culture, and later Roman culture. Many were enthralled by it and thought it was good - they used their powerful talent of being able to revive and rebuild and put all their energy into building the power of Rome - then alas the great lion rose up - Rome had enough of the Jewish interference and put and end to them and devoured them.

That’s the Midrash’s message “If you have done good to the bad you have done a bad thing!” Helping Rome didn’t pay off in the end.

But the story of Jewish survival continued long after this Midrash was written some one thousand six hundred years ago. For after the Romans exiled us from Eretz Yisrael, we then travelled to distant countries, to all the continents of the earth, to be spread over the four corners of the earth to form the this Diaspora - the Golah. We once again did the same, using the power of that herb of survival, to revive our community. We built Shuls and schools and continued to live Jewish lives.

Then we became more acceptable in the land and we started to contribute to the surrounding cultures and earned our place in their society. We produced great scientists, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs and politicians, and then we finally felt really at home in the exile.

But there were some who then noticed that surely with these great talents - with this herb of survival and revival - we should go back to our own land - “ve-acheye bey metaye de-ara de'Yisrael“ - "and revive the dead in the Land of Israel."

The journey started and many returned but lo and behold on the long journey back some continued to get side tracked in the Galut and remained behind till horrendously the most mightiest lion that ever was - Nazi Germany devoured and annihilated millions of our people.

Down the centuries we were always on the road back to Israel - but so many times we got side-tracked and lost our sense of direction - with horrific consequences.

I always remember when I visited Moscow in the Soviet Union, in the early eighties. I was sent to teach and learn Torah with the refusniks, Jews who had made it known that they wanted to go to Israel - so they became an enemy of the state and lost their jobs and support. Like many of us - my grandparents had all come from that region, and had left in the 1890’s. One of the refusniks said to me - you're lucky your ancestors had the sechel - the wisdom to leave Russia!!!

This Tuesday we will please G-d celebrate Yom Haatzmaut - Israel Independence Day, with remembering on the day before, on Yom Hazikaron - Remembrance Day, all those who fell in the battles for Israel.

The existence of Israel is more than important to us - its our very life line - it is the “herb of life” - but it is surrounded by lions who want to devour everything good. We as Jews must never get side-tracked again - but focus our energies on supporting Israel in every way we can. The greatest thing we can do is to be part of it by being there.

You - our youth - are our future - make sure you learn and educate yourselves to understand our history and our future. Become proud Jews and active Jews, knowledgeable and fluent in Torah and the Jewish way of life, and experience the beauty of Eretz Yisrael by going there - and please G-d with the revival of Bnei Akiva in this area - Chibat Haaretz - the true love for Eretz Yisrael will be revived.

May we truly witness the ultimate redemption - Beveat HaGoel Hamoshiach - with the coming of the Moshiach - speedily in our days.

Amen