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!