16 Sep WHY CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH SHOOK THE JEWISH WORLD

The assassination of
Charlie Kirk has hit the
Jewish world in a very
real way. I think there are
two reasons why.
The first reason is the incredible man he was.
He was a man who believed in real values,
who stood up for Israel. He stood up for the
Jewish people. I believe he had a wonderful
marriage, with a wife and two young children
whom he truly cared for. He was comfortable
speaking up for the Jewish people. He lived
his life trying to emulate us, literally. He
didn’t use his phone on Shabbat. There are
Jews who struggle not to use their phones on
Shabbat, but he was able to put his away. He
did it with humility. He did it with dignity. He
did it with class.
So, his assassination just hurts.
But I think there’s another reason why it hurts
so much: because of what it says about our
country.
In last week’s parasha, Parashat Ki Tavo, we
read, “V’haya ki tavo el ha’aretz”—“And it
will be when you come into the land.”
The word tavo is singular. It’s referring to the
entire Jewish nation in the singular form.
Why?

The answer is in the rest of the verse:
“El ha’aretz asher Hashem Elokecha noten
lecha nachala v’yirishta v’yashavta bah”
“The land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you
as an inheritance, and you will inherit it and
dwell in it.”
All of it is written in singular form.
Why?
Because you’re going to be able to inherit and
live in the land easily only when you’re united
as one.
One of the biggest changes in the United
States of America isn’t how peaceful we are,
it’s how we disagree.
Years ago, people knew how to disagree.
Today, it seems like nobody knows how to
disagree. The arguments have become so
much more intense, so much more vehement,
so much more condescending.
But that’s not how you have to disagree.
If you want to be one country, if you want to
be one nation, you have to not only know how
to live in peace, you also have to know how to
argue.
It’s not so hard to have someone you disagree
with and still respect them at the same time.

You know, at Kesher, we
have students on college
campuses across the
country, and the message
we share is very important:
You will be in dialogue.
You will be in debate.
Handle yourself with class
and dignity—even if the
person across from you is
saying something
ridiculous. Handle
yourself with class and
dignity.
And this man, Charlie, did that.
The shooter is the opposite. He’s a tragic
example of what happens when people don’t
know how to disagree.
The same is true in our own community. Our
community is very diverse. There are a
million different sides and shades and types
and colors and opinions. And that’s okay, if
we know how to disagree.
Because if we don’t, and we let disagreement
tear us apart, then we’re not a nation anymore.
But we are a nation, not only when we are at
peace, but even when we’re not exactly the

same, and we still know how to be one.
That’s how we become powerful.
“V’haya ki tavo el ha’aretz”—Hashem says:
You want to know how you’re going to bring
the redemption?
You want to know how you’re going to
strengthen your nation, your people, your
country?
You’re going to do it when you know how to
be one.
That means you know how to be in peace.
And it also means you know how to argue.