Posted on 12/29/25
The Song Matan Chose
“I’m not worried,” attorney Phil Rosen told me in recent days. Rosen, who has just been appointed head of the American division of the World Jewish Congress, knows Israel well and knows the United States well, and precisely because of that, he is optimistic about our future.
“I’m not worried,” he explained, “because Israel has the best young people in the world. To understand the future, you have to look at the next generation. So, let’s look at the role models of Western youth, Greta Thunberg, for example. A young woman with a confused value system who became a symbol without truly understanding much of anything, neither climate science nor terrorism. A supporter of Hamas, offering arguments that are, frankly, embarrassing. Is that a role model?
“Look at the students on campuses who demonstrated in support of Hamas: lost, disconnected young people who don’t know right from left. They shout ‘apartheid’ and ‘intifada’ without understanding what those words even mean. With no basic moral framework of good and evil.
“And now compare that to our young people. First of all, moral clarity. How rare that is today, especially in a progressive age. But among Israeli youth, and Jewish youth more broadly, there is also resilience, spirit, a deep connection to roots, unity, creativity and above all, joy. This is a joyful generation. I listen to the playlists in Israel, I see the young people, the Selichot at the Kotel, the way they are facing crisis, and it fills me with hope.”
Last week, I saw just how right he is.
On Sunday night, at the United Palace Theatre on Broadway in Manhattan, Ishay Ribo performed two shows, each night before an audience of 3,000 young people. Both performances were completely sold out. Jewish American youth are captivated by him. In an era of AI and manufactured language, they want to dance for hours to his ancient-and-new words. To sing “Sibat HaSibot” (“Cause of All Causes”), “Hinei Yamim Baim” (“Behold, Days Are Coming”), and “Ani Shayach La’Am” (“I Belong to a Nation”).
I had the privilege of speaking on stage, and of speaking with these young people afterward. Their eyes shine as they talk about aliyah, about pro-Israel activism on campus, about a Jewish identity that is awakening.
But the true star of the evening was Matan Angrest. Ribo asked him which song he would like dedicated to him. A reminder: Staff Sergeant Angrest was a tank driver abducted from his tank at Nahal Oz on October 7. The three other members of his crew were killed. He was lynched while unconscious and taken to Gaza, where he endured two years of interrogations, abuse, and isolation.
During captivity, Matan asked his captors for tefillin, a siddur, and a Tanach. They granted the request. There, in the darkest place imaginable, he grew deeply connected to his Jewish identity.
And now, this hero stood on stage with Ribo before thousands of young American Jews. So, which song did he choose?
“Tocho Ratzuf Ahava” (Its Inner Core Is Filled With Love), a song about love of God, and about God’s love for us. Astonishingly, that is what he feels.
Broadway has hosted countless performances over the years. But at Ishay Ribo’s concerts, the hall was filled with what he himself calls “words of truth that satisfy the heart.”
The Word of the Year
The Oxford English dictionary has chosen the term “rage bait” as the Word of the Year for 2025. This is a term related to social media content designed to spark shock and rage and thus to garner higher online circulation. You might not be aware of this term but you have surely come across such provocative, annoying and distressing posts.
Meanwhile, Webster’s Dictionary chose the word “slop” as its Word of the Year. It relates to low-quality digital content that is AI-generated, often completely fake, and that goes viral. We are being swamped by this trash.
The Cambridge Dictionary has chosen the most disturbing word of all: “parasocial, meaning a one-sided bond people form with famous personalities even though they have never met them; or with a bot, which doesn’t exist in reality. It refers to a relationship developed with AI, and the blurring between human and digital connections.
If this is the direction we’re heading in, what will be the Word of the Year in 2026? Will anyone even bother to choose one? Who would be interested?
But there is a role for us to play in all of this. While these were the words chosen for the secular year ending in December, the Academy of the Hebrew language determined, by an overwhelming majority, that the Word of the Year for 5785 was the word “chatufim,” hostages, followed closely by the words “courage,” “responsibility,” and “home” — words that express solidarity and mutual responsibility. What will be Israel’s Word of the Year for 2026? With all the rage baits digital slop circulating online, this will be our challenge.
Blessing from Above
Whenever the rain makes me feel a little blah, I try to remind myself: rain is not “bad weather,” but a blessing we pray for.
In the moshav of Yesodot the farmers have a custom: when the rains are abundant, they give thanks and make a small lechaim after Shacharit. I saw this note posted in their shul:
“We cannot thank You enough, Hashem, for the rains that have fallen since the beginning of the year and saved our crops here in the moshav. To date, we have received 130 mm of rain. It is certainly not enough, and we must continue to pray. Thank You, Hashem! The congregation is invited for a lechaim.”
In Yesodot, people lift their eyes to the heavens in a very practical way. Thousands of acres depend on those drops: avocado orchards, etrogim, and citrus groves waiting, almost holding their breath.
They give thanks, and they ask for more. For them, the forecast isn’t just information, it’s a conversation; a daily dialogue with God.
Parashat Vayechi: The Blessings
In this week’s Torah portion, Yaakov Avinu blesses his children and grandchildren before his passing with verses that became eternal and widely known. These blessings were intended not only for his descendants in that generation, but also for us, his descendants today.
“The angel who has redeemed me from all evil shall bless the lads, and through them shall be called my name and the name of my fathers, Avraham and Yitzchak, and may they multiply abundantly in the midst of the land.”
Yaakov blesses his grandsons, Ephraim and Menashe, the sons of Yosef HaTzaddik, who were born and raised in Egypt. Despite being immersed in a foreign and tempting culture, they succeeded in preserving their Jewish identity. The blessing is that wherever Jews may go, Yaakov’s name, and the names of Avraham and Yitzchak, will be called through them. That in every exile, from Egypt to London to Manhattan, and also in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, it will be evident that we are the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. He asks that the same angel who supported him through all his trials, the Divine providence and protection he felt throughout his life, will continue to accompany us forever.
To this day, parents bless their sons every Friday night with the words: “May God make you like Ephraim and like Menashe.”
You are invited to reread this verse, and all the blessings in the parashah. May they all be fulfilled within us.