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“Rabbi, I Will Give You a Million Dollars if You Call Me Back”

Thursday, June 27, 2024 - 6:18 PM

As a rabbi, I've learned to appreciate the unexpected lessons that come from everyday encounters—of which there are many! This week was no different.

When I listened to a voicemail message left by Jessica,* a very determined woman, I was both astonished and amused. Jessica had been trying to reach me and her exasperation was palpable. “Hi Rabbi, this is Jessica,” she said. “I have a million dollars to donate to your organization but you don't seem to be calling me back. Ok, thank you.”

Regretfully, the demands of my job and my schedule often prevent me from getting back to people as quickly as I wish I could. I feel bad when it happens, but the delay is usually unavoidable.

After listening to her message, I found myself in a quandary. If I call her back now, she’ll think I’m only calling her about the money! But I try to get back to people as soon as I can. So should I call back so I can get back to her quicker, or put it off so it’s clear I’m not responding just because she mentioned a donation?

Fortunately, I didn’t have to think about it for too long, because the same day—while I was at an event—Jessica called back. I answered and she said, “Rabbi, I had a million dollars to donate to your organization, but since you didn’t call me back, I already donated it elsewhere.”

Well, I thought to myself, that was pretty fast to find another organization and give away all that money, but it is what it is.

The Baal Shem Tov teaches that everything we see or hear in this world can teach us a valuable lesson, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized my encounter with Jessica is exactly what the Baal Shem Tov was referring to. In fact, my entire interaction with her may have happened solely for me to learn this lesson:

So, what can I learn from Jessica? Jessica is persistent. Determined. Demanding of immediate action. Imagine if we were all like that! Imagine if we all demanded that G-d listen to our prayers and respond to us immediately.

How many times have we left messages for Him that seemingly go unreturned? How many tears have we shed? The time for patience is over. We need to be more like Jessica!

G-d, we want to live in peace! Please, let there be no more antisemitism, no more Jews being beaten up in the streets of LA and NY. This is the biggest crisis facing the Jewish people today. Please, G-d, bring it to an end. Not down the line. Not some day. Now! Immediately!

We demand an immediate end to this exile with the coming of Moshiach, and the Ultimate Redemption, which will usher in an era of peace and serenity across the globe.

The Danger of Complacency in the Face of Hate

Thursday, June 20, 2024 - 11:53 AM

Last week, I was in the office right before Shabbat when the phone rang. I picked it up and the caller asked, “Do you guys help IDF soldiers?“

“Yes, that’s right, you’ve reached the offices of Belev Echad,” I said.

“Great,” he replied. “Can I ask you a few questions?”

I of course agreed, hoping he was interested in partnering with us to support our programs.

He asked what we do for the soldiers, and I gave him the whole rundown of all the resources and programs and support we offer, explaining that essentially from the moment an IDF soldier is hospitalized, our team is there taking care of everything they need to make a complete recovery.

“How many soldiers do you help?” he asked.

“Right now we have approximately 1,700 under our direct care,” I answered, thinking to myself, “After all these questions, I hope I’ve made a persuasive argument and he decides to get involved.”

He then said, “Who am I talking to?” and I said, “This is Rabbi Vigler.”

“What do you do?”

“I founded the organization.”

And then came the bombshell.

“How do you feel about helping people who are murdering millions of innocent women and children?”

Gevalt!

He then went on a rant about how we are killing and murdering and how shameful it is, and so on.

I hung up at some point.

And I thought to myself, “Wow! This guy is good. First he leads me to believe that he is truly interested in our work, but really he is only really fishing for information …” And then I put it out of my mind.

While searching for an idea for my weekly blog, this story came to mind, but what really hit me was that this story hardly even registered. I didn’t report it to the police. I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t even think about it until I sat down to write my weekly blog! I simply moved on and forgot about it pretty much as soon as I hung up the phone.

But this is the true danger—complacency in the face of Jew hatred. Getting used to it. Accepting it as the new norm.

If you’d asked me two years ago what I would do after a phone call like this, I wouldn’t have hesitated to call the police and press for a complete investigation.

But now, I’ve gotten so used to the phone calls, the antisemitic incidents on the streets, the hate and lies being spread all over the world, that I didn’t even flinch.

Getting used to it is the true danger!

If we don’t take it seriously, who will?

This is really the story of our lives in general.

We have been living in this dark and bitter exile for close to 2000 years. We are not at home. Our true home is in Jerusalem with the rebuilding of the third Temple and the coming of Moshiach. But the darkest and most dangerous part of exile is when we become so comfortable living in exile that we stop demanding its end!

We need to demand from G-d: “Ad Mosai – until when?” How much longer must we wait for redemption? We cannot bear the pain of exile anymore. We cannot bear to be away from You, our true Father, any longer. Please take us home!

15 Years of Motorcycle Rides for One Mitzvah

Thursday, June 6, 2024 - 6:30 PM

For 15 years, we’ve been hosting an annual motorcycle ride for our wounded IDF soldiers. It’s one of our longest-running programs, with motorcycle riders from all over the tri-state area coming together and volunteering for the day, to give our heroes the ride of a lifetime. We go up to Bear Mountain to enjoy the incredible scenery and end off with a lavish BBQ somewhere upstate.

It’s a win-win all around: the soldiers love it, the riders have a great time, and we all appreciate the opportunity to do a mitzvah for the soldiers who have given so much for us. Everyone gets to feel good!

This year, over 75 volunteers came with their enormous Harley Davidsons, Slingshots, and all other fancy kinds of motorcycles.

One of the riders, Sarah,* comes every year with her husband Peter.* As we said our goodbyes at the end of the day, I asked Sarah if she would consider lighting Shabbat candles each week. I explained that it only takes a minute to do, but releases infinite light and energy into the world. Sarah politely declined, telling me that since she and Peter come from different religions, they have an agreement not to bring their religion into the home.

I left it at that, but a week later I received a beautiful message:

“Hello Rabbi. This is Sarah from the IDF ride. I want you to know that you and the host of the BBQ (I believe his name is Barry) had a positive impact on me when we talked before *Peter (my Christian husband) and I left. I lit Shabbos candles last Friday and plan to do so again tonight. Wishing you and your family a Good Shabbos!”

I was blown away! So much work goes into this event. From the planning to the execution, every detail is worked out by our devoted team. Bringing the wounded soldiers to New York is a huge undertaking: we fill up 10 days with incredible experiences, and some of them undergo medical treatments while they’re here.

Just the motorcycle ride requires months of meetings and planning to make sure everything runs smoothly, followed by the over-the-top BBQ hosted by Barry and Rissie with so much love, dedication and generosity, along with the Grillfather who does an incredible job.

And as I read Sarah’s message, I thought to myself: “All this effort and planning was worth it just for Sarah to light Shabbat candles. Perhaps that’s the very reason we even held this event!”

The Baal Shem Tov famously taught that our souls may descend into the world, and spend 70 or 80 years here, just to do a single act of kindness for a fellow Jew.

We have no way of knowing, though, what that specific act is.

Could it be that 15 years of motorcycle rides were solely for this moment—for Sarah to start lighting Shabbat candles? I don’t know. But it’s certainly possible.

Since we can’t know, it’s all the more important that we value every mitzvah and grab every opportunity to serve G-d and do acts of goodness and kindness for those around us. Who knows which mitzvah is the one we were sent here to do? And who knows which mitzvah will be the tipping point that will usher in the coming of Moshiach and Final Redemption? It could be any of us.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Uriel Vigler

*Names changed to protect privacy.