A horrific terror attack took place on the first night of Chanukah at an outdoor celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. To our great sorrow, 16 people were murdered, among them the Chabad emissary of Chabad to Australia, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Hy”d, who organized the event.

Let us learn how to respond to this terrible event from the words of Rabbi Eli himself. Three months ago, he published an open letter on his Facebook page to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in response to rising antisemitism and his government’s official recognition of a Palestinian state.

 He wrote: “As a rabbi in Sydney, I beg you not to betray the Jewish people and not to betray G-d Himself. This land was given by G-d to Abraham, then to his son Isaac, and then to Jacob, to be the eternal homeland of the Jewish people. Throughout history, Jews have been torn from their land again and again by leaders who are now remembered with scorn in the pages of history.

“Today, you have the opportunity to stand on the side of truth and righteousness. By rescinding this act of betrayal, you will not only honor the Jewish people and our heritage but also align yourself with the word of G-d.

“Should you choose this path, you will be welcomed home with open arms and even a warm Shabbat meal. I congratulate you in advance for the courage to do what is right and to stand firmly against this act of heresy.”

 But how are we to respond in our day-to-day lives to the rise of antisemitism?

Last Chanukah, Rav Eli posted a lighthearted and joyful video entitled: “This is How We Fight Antisemitism.” He filmed himself affixing a menorah to the roof of his car, dancing with joy in the street, and then turning to the viewers and asking them. “Would you also like a menorah for your car or home? Send me a message.” 

The prime minister of Australia did not respond to the letter, and to our tremendous sorrow, we can no longer send Rav Eli our messages. But his lessons echo even more powerfully today: We must strengthen our faith, proclaiming it loudly and clearly, and also, continue to do more mitzvot and good deeds to add more light to our world.

Where Respect Really Begins

“We talk a lot about respecting our parents,” my mother-in-law, marriage and family counselor Ziva Meir, said at a joint event we led in Lod. “But from whom do we most need to receive respect?”

This year, the city of Lod chose respect as its educational theme: respect for parents, teachers, friends, the environment, and our heritage. At a gathering for hundreds of parents on the topic of honoring parents, Ziva posed that simple but piercing question:

“Above all, from whom do we need to receive respect?”

Her answer was surprisingly deep: not from our children, not from the community, not from social media, not even from our spouses.

“We must respect ourselves,” she said. “I am the first person who has to treat me with respect. Parents need to honor themselves and understand that they have a unique and holy role. A mother should feel a joyful sense of purpose in being a mother. A father needs to feel that raising his children is an immensely meaningful mission. When parents are convinced that the path they are taking is right and significant, that inner certainty is the strongest foundation for their children’s respect.”

“We cannot be ‘beggars’ for respect,” she added. “If all we do is chase recognition from other people, it will never satisfy us. True respect starts at the moment we understand that we were created in the image of G-d, that we have a unique role in this world, and that our value is absolute, even before anyone else notices us.”

May we all be privileged to enjoy this respect.

Contemplation for Asara B’Tevet 

Imagine if before October 7th, we had set a day of fasting and contemplation and thought together about what real danger lurks for us, and what to do.

In a certain sense, this is the essence of the fast of Asara B’Tevet which we will observe next Tuesday.

What happened on that day? The Babylonians first laid siege to Jerusalem. But the siege only started then. No tragedies had yet occurred, so why are we fasting? We fast to remember our complacency and inability to heed the approaching disaster.

We are all aware of the relevance of Tisha B’Av, the day when the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed and when the exile began.  If we had truly grasped the message of Asara B’Tevet on the day our enemies surrounded the walls of Jerusalem, there would have been no destruction of the Beit Hamikdash and no Tisha B’Av.

Our commentators explain the significance of Asara B’Tevet as coming to teach us that at the first sign of danger, at the moment when we first perceive a crack in our foundation, we should strive to change our ways and restore what is broken. We must not forget the day on which it was still possible to rectify our situation.

This need for a heightened awareness of our condition is true not only on the national level but also on the personal level. Sometimes we perceive a small disruption in our personal lives —relationships, children’s education, health, or finances. It is incumbent upon us to address the problem right from the start before things deteriorate and everything falls apart.

Next Tuesday, we will observe the day in which King Nevuchadnezzar and his army encircled the holy city of Jerusalem. We will mourn our failure to prevent that former catastrophe and work towards building a better world.