09 Apr 10-7 AND 9-11: HITLER, HAMAS, AND A HISTORIC DIARY G-D WANTS YOU TO BE GOOD, BUT HE ALSO WANTS YOU TO SHINE

As Israel and the
Jewish people face
the horrors of
October 7th, 2023, I
wish to share the
story of a fascinating
9-11 diary (capturing
a significant theme of the weekly Torah
portion of Shemini). This diary can shed
light on the ongoing struggle between Israel,
the West, and radical Islam.September 11,
1941: The world is swimming in Adolf
Hitler’s bloodbath. In a few days, the
Germans will capture Kyiv, the capital of
Ukraine, and massacre 100,000 innocent
human beings in a ravine named Babi Yar.
On this day—9/11 1941—in Arlington,
Virginia, the U.S. Department of Defense
starts construction on its new headquarters,
the Pentagon.
On the same day, a middle-aged new
immigrant to the shores of the United States,
Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, later to
become known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe,
writes an entry in his private journal
concerning two traits that make for a moral
and productive human being: “fins” and
“scales.”
Nobody imagines that sixty years later, on
9/11 2001, the free world would be struck
again. Radical Islamists would crash planes
into the Pentagon and the Twin Towers,
murdering thousands. A new era of global
terror would descend on our planet.
The Journal
The idea the Lubavitcher Rebbe presented
in his journal on this day is worth reflecting
on today.
The Torah states in this week’s portion
(Parshas Shmini as well as Reah): “This
may you eat of all that is in the waters:
everything that has fins and scales, you may
eat. But anything that has no fins and scales,
you may not eat.” For a fish to be kosher, it
needs both fins and scales.
The Talmud states a fascinating fact: “All
[fish] that have scales also have fins [and are
thus kosher]; but there are [fish] that have
fins but do not have scales [and are thus
unkosher].”
“If so,” asks the Talmud, “the Torah could
have written only ‘scales,’ without having to
also write ‘fins?’” If a fish that has scales
inevitably has fins, why is there a need for
both signs? The Talmud answers: “Said
Rabbi Abahu, and so it was learned in the
study house of Rabbi Ishmael: “This is so
that the Torah should be increased and made
great.” This is a strange answer. Where is the

logic in presenting fins as an identifying sign
for kosher fish when it is totally irrelevant
and inconsequential since scaled fish
inevitably have fins as well? How does this
make the Torah greater?
Also, why are fins and scales the
characteristics that distinguish kosher fish?
What is special about these two identifying
signs to deem fish suitable for Jewish
consumption?
Food’s Force
The Rabbis and Mystics teach that the
physical attributes of fish, and of all animals,
reflect their psychological and spiritual
qualities. They further explain that the food
a person consumes has a profound effect on
his or her psyche. Therefore, when one eats
the flesh of a particular creature, the
“personality” of that creature affects the
person in some way.
Fins and scales too embody two qualities
embedded in the souls of these types of fish
that are necessary for the healthy
development of human character. When the
Jew consumes the substance of such fish, he
becomes a more “kosher” and refined human
being. When he consumes fish lacking these
characteristics, it may dampen some of these
vital qualities.
Drive & Direction
Scales, the “armor” that shields and protects
the body of the fish, represent the quality of
integrity, which protects us from falling prey
to the many pitfalls that life presents. A
person of integrity will not deceive his
customers, despite the apparent financial
profits involved. He will not tell a lie to a
friend, despite the short-term comfort gained
by doing so. He will not cheat on his spouse
despite the tremendous temptations.
Integrity means that you have absolute
standards of right and wrong and that you
are committed to a morality that transcends
your moods and temptations. Integrity
preserves and protects your life and your
soul.
Fins, the wing-like organs that propel fish
forward, represent ambition. A healthy sense
of ambition, knowing one’s strengths and
wanting to utilize them in full, gives a person
the impetus to traverse the turbulent sea of
life and to maximize his or her G-d-given
potential. It propels us to fulfill our dreams
and leave our unique imprint on the world.
What Is Our Priority?
Which of these two qualities is more
important to cultivate in life—fins or scales?
What ought to be the main function of

education? Should we concentrate primarily
on providing our children with the
confidence and skills necessary for them to
become productive and accomplished
human beings? Or ought we to focus more
intensely on raising children of high moral
standing, concentrating more on how they
will live than on how they will make a
living?
The Talmud teaches that all fish that have
scales also have fins. But some fish have fins

but do not have scales and are thus non-
kosher. On a deeper level, this symbolizes

the idea that a human being who possesses
fins may still lack scales and thus remain
“non-kosher.” He might swim and frolic
through large seas and oceans with his talent
and genius, but his achievements may be
corrupt, hurting others in the process.
Creating ambitious and confident children
does not guarantee their moral uprightness
and integrity. In our times, we have seen the
result of people who had fins but no scales.
On the other hand, the Talmud tells us that
all fish with scales have fins. If you teach
your children to approach life with truth and
honesty, with an unyielding commitment to
morality and decency, this child will
certainly succeed and develop “fins” as well.
Regardless of his or her degree of intellectual
prowess, they will find the “fins” with which
to advance in their learning and their
achievements to make the world a more
beautiful place.
To Change the World
“If so,” asks the Talmud, “the Torah could
have written only ‘scales,’ without having to
also write ‘fins’.” On a deeper level, the
Talmud is asking, why is it important to
emphasize the need for fins in developing a
“kosher” human being? Why does an
emphasis on ambition constitute part of a
moral and “kosher” education? Why not just
focus on integrity and ethics?
The Talmud’s answer is marvelous: “This
is so that ‘Torah be increased and made
great.’” This means that our spiritual mission
consists not only of professing integrity and
morality but also of developing our full
potential materially and spiritually. G-d
wants us to be good; but He also wants us to
be successful and shine; to utilize all of our
talents and resources to transform the
landscape of our planet into an abode for the
Divine; to make the Torah “great and large.”
The light, majesty and depth of Torah must
penetrate the entire world and turn it into an
oasis of goodness and holiness.
Cruel Ambition; Deadly Surrender

The events of September 2001, like those
of September 1941, dramatically altered our
view of the world. Both ushered in a new era
of violence, bloodshed, grief and terror. The
first was by Nazi Germany; the second was
by radical Islamists. Yet the roots of the two
wars were very different: The Germans
personified a culture possessing fins but no
scales. Their ambitions, achievements, and
love of life were impressive, yet their

morality and sense of ethics were horrifically
skewed. While they loved and nurtured their
dogs, appreciated poetry, philosophy, and
scientific advancement, they sent millions to
die in gas chambers.
September 11, 2001, on the other hand, was
perpetrated by people with a deep faith and
commitment to the will of Allah, yet with a
hatred for all progress and advancement, and
a desire to destroy all who do not adhere to
their dark vision of the world. They died for
what they believed to be the ultimate in
morality and holiness; yet their perception of
G-d was horrifically skewed: theirs was a
god who wanted them to die, as long as they
can kill others.
People somehow delude themselves into
thinking that Hamas and the people living in
Gaza are two distinct entities and that Hamas
took control of Gazans. They forget that
Hamas does not control Gaza; rather, Gaza
thinks Hamas. Hamas was elected by the
people of Gaza in 2006, and more than 70
percent of Arabs living in Gaza and in the
West Bank support the murders of October
7th, 2023.
Many young Muslims are being taught
today to develop scales but no fins: to
surrender their lives to Allah, without
appreciating that G-d wants them to live, and
not to die; to build the world, not destroy it,
and to respect other peoples, not blow them
up. To create a “kosher” world, we need
scales, but we also need fins. Muslim
leaders, parents and educators must begin to
teach their youth to love their own lives
more than they hate the lives of others.
They must discover that the love of G-d
does not require a love for blood.
Israel and the Jewish people stand at the
forefront of this conflict. This is not a time to
back down but to stand with unwavering
commitment to the sacredness of life and the
fight against those who gleefully want to see
us dead. With clarity, we ought to call out the
evil we are facing and fight to eradicate it.