04 Nov A Leader of Truth

A SPECIAL COLUMN FOR THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MURDER OF R’ KAHANE

It has been 30 years since the murder of Rabbi Kahane. A special column about the leader for whom the truth was a light unto his feet, and his legacy continues to pulsate even decades after his death. On 18 Cheshvan, we will mark 30 years since the murder of our teacher and Rabbi, Rabbi Meir David Kahane HY”D. The Rabbi’s character and the values he represented can be portrayed in many ways: A hero, a groundbreaker, a lover of Israel, a leader. But I think that the most concise and characteristic definition of the Rabbi’s character is: A man of truth. The value of truth, which the Rabbi worked hard to instill in us, his students, was a light unto his feet during his entire life. The article in Tractate Shabbat by our Sages which states that “the seal of the A-mighty is the truth”, always emanated from his mouth. The “truth”, the Rabbi often emphasized, is not subjective truth that is sought by each person according to his understanding, needs and feelings. The truth, in whose light the Rabbi walked, is the Divine truth. In every step along the path the Rabbi took in his life, he first and foremost examined whether something was permitted according to Jewish law, or not. That was Rabbi Kahane – a leader of truth. One who walks with the truth, runs long distances. For the 30 years that the Rabbi has not been alive, his legacy is only continuing to spread far and wide, being planted and blossoming among more and more Jews. The number of people coming to the main memorial event, which we hold every year, has doubled and tripled itself over the years; thousands of Jews, crowded into an event hall in central Jerusalem every year, longing to hear, understand and study the special teachings of the Rabbi. Even Rabbi Kahane’s greatest detractors will admit that this is an interesting phenomenon: Rabbi Kahane, who his entire life was persecuted, vilified from every possible platform; the man who was the victim of character assassination committed by the Israeli government, courts and media outlets, more than any other man in the State of Israel – it would have been expected that his legacy would be completely erased from the face of the earth and that no memory of him would remain. But it is precisely Rabbi Kahane’s legacy which is a legacy that is alive and kicking; it is a legacy clung to by many Jews, in Israel and outside of it, who are doing everything to preserve and spread it more and more. For the sake of comparison: For how many former public figures in Israel, on the left or the right, is a memorial program held every year, even decades after their death, a memorial in which thousands of people participate and aspire to carry on in their paths? Except for former Prime Minister Rabin (admittedly, like his legacy, so is his memorial every year – it continues to fade), who merits a state memorial, well financed and with the massive encouragement of all the media outlets, there is hardly anyone. Because this is the way of truth. And in the end, the truth wins. Rabbi Kahane, aside from being a leader, was quite brilliant. During his life, the Rabbi wrote many books on the Torah in which he expounded his teachings. For many years, I worked hard to gather from the Rabbi’s many letters his commentaries on Torah verses and to group them into five volumes of the Rabbi’s commentaries on the weekly Torah portions, but this effort was delayed every year, each time for different reasons. This year, by the grace of G-d, the goal was reached. These days, with a feeling of great satisfaction, the volumes are being published. We decided to call the commentary “M’Or HaParasha” (From the Light of the Parsha), after the great light that Rabbi Kahane disseminates in his wonderful commentaries. For Parshat Lech Lecha, we will present the Rabbi’s commentary on the verse in our Parsha: “And there was famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for there was a heavy famine in the land”, in light of the words of Rashi and our Sages brought down about them: “To test him, to see if he would think a lot about the words of the A-mighty, Who told him to go to the land of Canaan, and now at his peak, to leave it”(Rashi); “Ten trials were experienced by Avraham Avinu, and he withstood all of them, to inform us how great was Avraham Avinu’s affection for Him” (Chazal). The Rabbi writes: The A-mighty measures man by putting him to the test. That’s the nature of the test: The fact that you pass one test does not mean that you’ll be saved, but that you will most likely undergo even greater suffering, and only at the end salvation will come.What is this similar to? To iron, that in order to make it into steel, it is poured into a hot oven. The trial comes to save the person: “For whom G-d loves he will test and cause pain to the son He loves.” The more lovable and kind a person is, the more the A-mighty tests him, in order to make him stronger. From all of his anguish, we see how much love our father Abraham had, how kind he was, and how much G-d loved him, and the rebuke is for his own good. If we stand up to the test, we will be like a miracle – like a flag on a hill… A person who is unwilling to accept a trial upon himself, runs away – and in the end, only one person is left on the mountain”. How wonderful, and how relevant to our time. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the coronavirus, we will be holding the Rabbi’s memorial virtually in a special event broadcast live on the internet. But it will be no less impressive than in past years: During the memorial a new film will be screened, produced during the past year, encompassing the work of the Rabbi throughout his entire life, together with rare archival footage which will be shown for the very first time to the public. Along with this, an extraordinary raffle for a Torah scroll in memory of the Rabbi will take place; the winner will be able to put it wherever his heart desires. 

We hope to see you on the website: 30Y.co.il. 

Shabbat Shalom!