ר' שלמה קרליבך בזמן מלחמת יום כיפור | Rabbi shlomo carlebach at the yom kippur war

what was your reaction at the the attack from the Arabs  on young people and where was you all I wasn't   you see I have a a little synagogue oh I'm sorry  have a synagogue in New York I have to be there   on the high holidays so it was in the middle of of  the morning prayers that uh someone called me out   and a girl was standing on the street corner she  was crying and asked her what happened she says   the radio just announced that the war in Israel  but you know there so much shooting going on so people   thought ah Musta a little bit shooting going on  so we didn't believe it yet but only late in the   afternoon people came and said it's really it's  really a bad bad scene um you see one thing was   very clear to me that uh you know even if they  would start a war any Day in the year I know that   the they have no they cannot got a B drive us out  from the holy land but especially when they start   on yum Kiper you see on yum Kiper is one day when  we Jews stand clear before God really clear our   souls are shining and just we're really one with  God and if they if they choose to start on such   a day when we are really standing before God you  see there's always a scale going on in the world   right and I tell you the truth you know if I am  God right I look at the Jews and I look at the   Egyptians the question is I mean you know it's not  only the Egyptians it's it's for 2,000 years the   world thinks the Jews are there to be slaughtered  and I mean you and I know the truth it's not a   question of the Palestinians it's not a question  of it's simply a questions of the question is   killing Jews or not and that's all there is  to it and and and the time has come that the   Jews are not there to be killed and it it's it's  heartbreaking you know that in a in a so-called   civilized world the world is still so barbaric you  know absolutely barbaric you see if I if you were   to ask me if you were to ask me um who is right  in this war you know I'll tell you very simply   objectively speaking you know imagine I'm falling  down from Mars coming down I would interview both   sides right and I will ask the Egyptians what do  you want to do all the Arabs are say we want to   kill the Jews I'll ask the Jews what do you want  to do every Soldier will say I want peace and I   tell you something very strong you know last week  uh I was in San Francisco and I played at a big   rally for Israel there were thousands of Jewish  students non-jewish students Japanese students   all kinds those who have a little bit soul and  uh on the other side the Arabs you know whenever   the Jews made the r r they have to come there also  so we had just a flag in Israeli flag and we were   just and I was singing and talking to the people  and say really all we want is peace in the world   you you know not only peace for us but peace for  the whole world and the Arabs had a big flag and   it says death to the Jews death to Zionism death  to Israel they had the long list whom they want   to kill and uh you know it was just I really felt  so deep the difference that we don't want to kill anybody [Applause] GL [Applause] [Music] GL [Applause] the Holiness of us Jews is that we never hate  despite all the persecution and the strong thing   is today which I feel as a as a rabbi or like as  a good as a spiritual brother but we have to do   to tell the soldiers despite that maybe there's  an evil voice telling us you know really hate   the world let's really knock them off you know  really to just remember your child of Abraham   Isaac and Jacob and our mission in the world is  really to love the world and it's unbelievable   you know you look around the soldiers you know  there's not one ounce of hatred in their hearts   and why they don't hate is it because they believe  in God or Humanity because um you see the thing is   believe it or not we really are the chosen people  but let me explain to you something you know the   difference uh let's say the Germans also thought  they're chosen you know so the word chosen people   needs a little bit clarification and I explained  it this way imagine if a girl is chosen to be   Miss America she wants to be the only one who's  chosen right because if everyone will be chosen   Miss America at the end of our first story but  we Jews are chosen in such a way that we want   so desperately the whole world to be chosen also  Trust on the weapons or is there also in the Army   a trust in the leadership by the god of Israel  and do you see some some things from his power   I'll tell you if you you'll ask you see it's very  strong you know Israel think God is really strong   the best soldiers in the world take because they  really they're ready to to to give their lives   a thousand times and you know I really believe  that the good side is always stronger than the   evil because there's only so much evil you can do  but good is infinite there has to be St to good so   the truth is it's it's really for the first time  maybe in history it's a tremendous partnership   you know we really trust completely in God we  really completely trust the soldiers and the   soldier completely trust in God and God completely  trusts the soldiers it's really together but I I   I'm sure that every Soldier when he has a gun  in his hand he really is praying to God really   praying all the time can you tell what what he  is praying for example he's praying to God that   that there should be no more war you know that  the words of the Prophet should come true that   that the world will stop fighting we also pray for  the Arabs um it's a crazy thing you know that we   really do because we really it it's a very crazy  thing you know that the there's a very special   passage in the Psalms and I'm sure it's translated  differently in King James because he didn't speak   Hebrew so well and it's kind of heartbreaking  that the non-jewish world really never tasted   the depth of the Bible but it says kaleem God is  the god of Revenge kale of fear God of Revenge   manifest yourself this is the ordinary translation  which really makes gives you a very bad picture   of God you know he really revenging walks around  with a little sword knocking off all his enemies   the real meaning of it is like this that imagine  if someone hates me very much and I begin doing   him a lot of good and the more good I do him he  really is ashamed that he ever hated me so on one   hand I'm really revenging myself but on a holy way  you know because he really is ashamed that he did   it you know but we are praying for that the abbs  should really be ashamed to ha us that the weeder   should be ashamed to walk around and killing God's  people because they can live peacefully not taking   anything away from them yeah it's really the  biggest joke in the world you and I know the   truth the ABS of so much territory and imagine  we give them back Israel what's they do with it   it just hang around like nothing you know they  had it all those years didn't do anything with it Shalom friends and Shalom Christian brothers  and sisters let's let's again believe in the one   God who created heaven on Earth and he created  the world not to kill each other but to help each   other live Shalom hallelujah thank you can you  sing something for us and explain what you are   singing okay friends this is brothers and sisters  this is a song actually I'm this is actually the   Jewish answer to the world the first thing we say  God is living God is living God is living and then   we tell the world as long as God is living as long  as God is [Music] living is is living because you   and I know the truth as long as there is one God  in the world Israel is eternal there'll always be   Jews in the world because God has chosen us to  carry his torch his light to the [Music] world [Music] his of his [Music] [Applause] hold [Applause] I'm shalom