A few weeks ago we hosted a Shabbat dinner in our home, with some guests we hadn’t met previously. Of course, after a couple of l’chaims and some good food, the conversation turned to Jewish geography.
“Where are you from?” they asked me.
“Rhodesia,” I responded.
In fact, I am the only Rhodesian-born Chabad rabbi in the entire world. It’s my claim to fame! My father served as the rabbi in Rhodesia in the 1970s, and that’s where I—and I alone—was born. My siblings were all born elsewhere.
But my new friend Josh said, “Hey, my Chabad rabbi is also from there!”
“Impossible!” I protested. “I’m the only one in the universe!”
But he was adamant. We had drunk a little and were joking back and forth, and I said to him, “You probably don’t know Zimbabwe from Sydney—I’m sure it’s all the same to you!”
But he insisted. His Chabad rabbi, stationed in Cornell University, was born in Zimbabwe. “As soon as Shabbat is over,” he said, “I’ll prove it to you.”
I couldn’t sleep that night. Could there be another Chabad rabbi born in Rhodesia? I always thought I was the only one!
Lo and behold, after Shabbat was over, I received a text message with a picture of Rabbi Dovid Birk’s passport, and it said, “Born in Zimbabwe.”
So I called him. It turns out he and his family were living in Zimbabwe in the 80s, where he was born, before immigrating to Australia and later making his way to Mayanot Yeshiva in Israel where he was ordained.
But after careful analysis, it turns out that I am still the only Chabad rabbi born in Rhodesia. In 1980, Rhodesia changed names and became Zimbabwe. He was born in 1981, so his passport says Zimbabwe, while mine says Rhodesia.
We had a good laugh, but I found myself thinking: Why does it matter so much where we’re born?
On Rosh Hashanah, we crown G-d as our King, and in return, He tells us: You matter. You count. I created the entire world for you, and you have a vital mission to do—something you and you alone can contribute to the universe. You come from royalty, you are a prince, my child!
As we go into Rosh Hashanah, it’s an opportune time for us to reevaluate where we come from, where we want to go, and how we can get ourselves on track, headed in the right direction.
May it be a year of clarity and fulfillment for all.