Rabbi YY Jacobson on J-TV: Why Such Hatred to Israel? What’s the Best Solution for Gaza?

the yeshiva.net hello everybody and welcome to JTV well I'm really thrilled to say that we are joined once again by probably one of the most influential rabbis certainly in America but perhaps even throughout the world Rabbi YY Jacobson we had him on JTV I uh was in America at the time and I met you Rabbi in person in Mony um it's great to have you on again this time virtually great to see you my honor and pleasure thank you for the invitation well thank you for making the time to be here um Rabbi obviously these are very challenging and difficult times uh the first question I just want to ask is how are you and what what's on the Forefront of your mind right now the Jewish people have been affected on a core level um the fact is that we in America and I think Jews all over the world obviously in Israel but all over the world thousands of kilometers away from Gaza and Southern Israel when we heard of the atrocities and the horrific horrific mini Holocaust of October 7th 2023 the Jewish World responded with visceral pain and anguish uh on one level it's been overwhelming for so many sleepless nights fear concern deep anxiety deep pain on another level I just have to say I think the pain that we're feeling is the pain that comes from the love that we have towards each other basically what I have seen in the last few weeks is that the organism we call Amel the Jewish people is alive and kicking it's functioning well no part has been amputated because the entire Jewish world has been shaken to the core Jews have been feeling more Jewish than they have in any time that I remember my lifetime time Jews have been responding in a way that I don't think we ever responded both emotionally and spiritually and practically and I think what that tells us is that the organism called the Jewish people is very very much vibrant and alive and that our calling is to remain United and become United like never before in history and to become more Jewish like never before in history Thomas Payne wrote you you know there are times that try men's Souls times of Crisis bring out the worst in some people people marching in London and other places of the world you know from River to Sea Palestine shall be free basically calling for the genocide of the Jewish people and times of adversity bring out the best in other people and I think this is the time you know this is way I experience and I think it's really the calling for each of us to show up as the best version of our ourselves United with resilience and resolve and courage and faith and determination like never before can agree more that's the space I'm trying that's the space I'm trying to live in I think that's where we should all attempt to to live with such Darkness we have to hold on and be anchored in something that is indestructible and eternal and remember that we have each other absolutely um and I want to talk about some tough question questions we need to ask about what's happening now questions about how I respond to some of the really uh disturbing things we've seen and and spiritual questions as well but before we do that let's talk about some of the light as well I think that the Jewish Unity that we've seen has been in some ways certainly in my lifetime and and yours as well pretty unprecedented can you just talk to us about some of the we're seeing a lot of Darkness we're also seeing a lot of light and I think it's important we start with that what are your Reflections on the Jewish Unity we've seen it's incredible listen there's an ancient teaching in Judaism it's it's it's it's discussed in the talmud it's discussed at length in cabalistic andic literature that the Jewish people constitute one soul manifested in many diverse bodies I grew up stunning this because I grew up at the feet of the lab and this was something he probably said almost every week and it became a little cliche you know yeah we're one Soul we're all one we're we're connected you know but you know we disagree we know how to fight with each other we know how to argue with each other you know two Jews 19 opinions Shalom Alim Shalom I think what we have all viscerally experienced since T since October 7th this year is how true this is this is literally the truth everything else is exaggeration of course we have differences but our differences are ultimately superficial not that they not not that they're not meaningful and not that they don't matter and not that they don't count and not that they will disappear for eternity I don't think after this war old Jews are going to agree about everything but what I think we all realize in a very experiential way I'm not talking now academically intellectually and a cerebral level in a very emotional and physical tangible visceral way is that this is the truth about ourselves the truth is we are really one Nish we are one large organism manifested in like a soul in different Limbs and different bodies and different countries and different personalities and different opinions and different levels of observance and in a tragic way what triggered that in such a profound way was I'm going to try not to cry was to watch Hamas to watch Hamas to watch the Glee in slaughtering every single type of Jew you can get your dirty hands on a child to an elderly woman or man left Wingers right- Wingers radical left Wingers women who were sending toys for Arab children living in Gaza Jews and some of Kim who dedicated their lives to coexistence to elevating the Dignity of what they called their neighbors in Gaza were slaughtered with the same joy and tortured with the same Glee like any other Jew and we ask ourselves this question what is it that unites us all just a few weeks earlier in Israel there was demonstration after demonstration where some people suggested that we should Splinter into two Nations like the southern Kingdom and the northern kingdom OMS in the time after King Solomon's death in the Hebrew Bible in the book of Kings so people were talking about that and suddenly we realized Kamas doesn't see it that way what unites us all one more question why do they hate us all with such passion what is it that every single Jew possesses that they want to slaughter and M murder and eliminate from the earth and they will will not rest until they can achieve these monstrous evil goals and of course we all know the answer but now we felt the answer and the answer is that there is an infinite Divine Holiness goodness Purity embedded in every Jewish soul and that's our truest part it's our truest Essence it's our most authentic self they challenged us to feel that part CU that's what they feel that's what they're allergic to that's what they hate that's what they want to destroy it's why mangala didn't distinguish what type of Jew goes to the gas Chambers I don't care if you call yourself an atheist or a Believer aidic Jew an ultra Orthodox Jew a completely secular atheistic Jew you're a Jew and when you look at the world's response the horrific horrific apathy or indifference or barbaric immoral Expressions you see exactly the same thing you and that teaches us who we are so I think with all the darkness I want to ask my ego that as calmer days welcome us I we should never forget that authentic authentic truth which is I want to kiss and hug every single Jew just because he or she is Jewish it's enough it's enough you know how I know it's enough us if you are Jewish enough for you to be murdered with such a Glee you are Jewish enough for me to be here for you and for you to be here for me and I think we should never ever forget this because it is essential for our survival and most importantly it's essential for our spiritual [Music] Rejuvenation we were not designed to be a splinter people we were not designed to be fragmented we were designed to have differences of opinion I know that but we were not designed to hate each other yeah incredibly powerful uh what you just had to say there Rabbi um and it's so important we put that at the Forefront of our minds and I think this has been a real Paradigm Shift October 7 it's made us realize certain things and it's also we've also seen I or we are seeing some of the false Idols particularly of the Western World starting to collapse or reveal themselves for who they are and I couldn't help but thinking of that particularly around certainly things like celebrity culture Sports culture um Nos and uh but in particular the universities and I know certainly uh the kabad Thea rebi um was has certainly had a didn't uh let's say hold this this idea of widespread going to universities on mass as this kind of great ideal and many many parts of the religious world didn't and a lot of people looked at that and said what are you talking about that it's it's an idol in many ways and I'm not you know um saying that it's bad for everyone to do go to universities it's it's appropriate for many fields but like this glorification of it what do you have to say about the lack of WI it's amazing in universities yeah it's it's it's beyond astounding and mind staggering because these are places that they raised on Dietra their mission statement was a higher education an enlightened education ability to look at things from a broader perspective from an expansive point of view a vantage point that is not narrow it's not indoctrinated it's not influenced by the city or home you grew up in and what we're seeing is today that the most narrow-minded places places that simply do not tolerate diversity never mind places that are saturated with such bigotry and no problem to lie and the first basic premise of Education of Enlightenment is what curiosity inquisitiveness find out the facts think about the fact explore explore just explore don't reach conclusions it's gone it's out the window the foundational premise is Israelis are Nazis Kamas are the Righteous people and the ability for young people for professors for presidents of universities for 32 universities in the United States of America to have enlightened students who are such educated sophisticated people not to be able to look you in the eye and say this is evil to Slit the throat of a baby is evil it's evil this context context context wow so when I was growing up I would say would mock the glorification of University now he himself went to University he studied in Berlin till the rise of Hitler he was in Berlin from 1927 1928 till 1933 then he left to Paris and he was in Paris till 1941 he did engineering right engineering math yeah mathematics engineering and I think some other some other fields in science and uh and he would speak about University and you know the the the myth that so many Jews felt that to be a mench if you want to make sure that your son or daughter will be a mench you know real mench you know not just an old aric fak you know middle-aged Jew from the Dark Ages who's primitive and clueless and just I don't know you want to be a mench you want to be integrated you want to be a story want to understand University and the Reb would speak about it with such disdain and I have to say there were many who didn't understand because the rabbi was a very sophisticated person everybody knew it sometimes you have a rabbi was very narrow-minded and very parochial okay but the re was not that person you know he could meet presidents and leaders and journalists and essayists and scientist he was at home in the world of physics and Mathematics and psychology and biology and cosmology and astronomy and Engineering biology medicine he could you saw that he he knew his stuff as they say in America they say in English and yet he had this this this thing it was hard for some people to understand today when I look around I'm like wow wow people are spending $100,000 a year or $80,000 a year to send their children to places where they may come back and not know the difference between Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler not know the difference between Osama Bin Laden yasat the aalas of Iran the murderers of Hamas and his Bala and a Jewish child whose only crime is that he has Jewish blood flowing through his Senus we don't know the difference there's just two sides and everybody is frustrated that's what I'm paying $400,000 over four years to send my kids to be indoctrinated by such horrific insanity and I tell Jewish philanthropists Jewish philanthropists who have done well since the Holocaust have invested and poured tens of millions of dollars into universities because as Jews we believe in education right we believe in we believe in education that's our thing education education the people of the book wow maybe it's time to put that money into our schools into our day schools into our Yesa send all of our children there so they can come out with a basic understanding that there's a difference between good and evil For Heaven's Sake that Hitler and Churchill are not the same people and doesn't mean Churchill is perfect is a saint but the but that the people in the war Soto somebody did a a mockery headline from a newspaper condemning the Jews who made an uprising in the war Soto because they are inflaming the Germans they are creating such a culture of violence why you making an uprising in the warto that's what people want from Israel right just sit back and die we had a president a former president who said by Israel fighting Hamas they're creating a new generation of jihadists who are going to hate Israel because they're going in and killing Hamas wow what a brilliant idea America and Britain should have not gone into Germany in 1945 because that would create a whole new generation of Germans who despise the United Kingdom and the United States of America why don't we just all go to the gas Chambers Kamas says we're going to do it again and again and again and we all know if they would have it their way what happened on S they would do every single day and they would have every day some until 6.6 million Jews in is Israel lay lifeless and then they would continue to the rest of the world when you see that places of higher education can't have that basic understanding and the moment the moment you get into a conversation there is such a blindness you know somebody said oh Israel never made mistakes of course Israel constantly makes mistakes and the biggest mistake of Israel was all the appeasement over the years inlo and G that was their greater mistake Israel makes mistakes and Israel is far far from perfect but this inability to be able to distinguish between horrific evil and a country trying to defend itself as I would go on years yeah not one human being in Gaza would be killed if tahal goes on vacation for one day not one Jew in Israel would remain alive you would think this is pretty B Bic stuff and this is pretty objective I don't think anybody would disagree with this everybody knows this and yet the inability to distinguish this it's it's extremely extremely painful but let's remember our job is not to allow our energy be our energy to be depleted by trying to incessantly persuade people who are simply too brainwashed or too full of trauma and hate to look at anything besides what has been fed into their brains for many many years we need to remain focused we need to remain authentic we need to remain in a place of absolute courage confidence faith decis of determination of knowing what's right what's wrong what is our mission every one of us has been drafted into an army T the only question we have to ask is what division I have been drafted into yeah yeah and Rabbi I I think part of what's so remarkable about what's happening with the universities for me in some ways it's a bit of a not maybe Kish hasm isn't quite the right word but certainly a revelation of godliness because we're seeing how without fear of God without reverence for God you know the beginning of wisdom is fear of God as we say every morning reverence for God right right it's just absolutely remarkable to see it it's absolutely remarkable when there's no moral there's no there's no moral objective definition of Good and Evil cuz how can you everything is relative yeah and what do you say to those who say basic truths can Beed right right exactly so I want to know what do you say to those who say because it just as you touched on in your previous answer there seems to be this dominant thinking of both sides we've got to hear from both sides and but like no sometimes there is one one side is right and one side is objectively wrong you say to those who say absolutely would somebody say would somebody say in 1944 and 45 there was the German perspective and there is the British perspective or the American perspective that itself is is is is a heinous it's a heinous despicable statement started a war in 1939 where does it come from that people think this way I'm not a soci I'm not a sociologist and I don't know the answer to that I can only say and speculate there's probably more than one answer I think it's a combination of a few factors number one I think when you are determined to eliminate all God and all traditional morality what we might call biblical morality from the conversation of humanity from higher education the mind is capable of doing anything MH when Hitler got up spoke about his mission statement he didn't say I am an evil monster I'm a tyrant I'm a dictator Joseph Stalin didn't believe he was evil just Kamas they feel like they're doing Allah's work God's work people don't say we hate Jews because we're horrible people and Jews are wonderful people and we want to destroy them no they say because Jews are blood suckers because they're money lenders because they're monsters because they're engaging in genocide and aart died because they killed the Christian Messiah because they poison our wells because they're racist because they think they're the best and they want to kill everybody else because they steal everybody's money the mind is capable of concocting any truth the mind is a very you know we love the mind but be careful be suspicious that's why it says in Psalms the Genesis of wisdom is the awe of God when we lose that and today's Western world has lost that everything gets destroyed there's no definition you can't talk anymore about Good and Evil Hamas suddenly becomes the victim Israel is the perpetrator I can't believe it and these are intelligent people people I like people who are who are kind I think that's one aspect another aspect is the Arab world in the last few decades has magnificently poured enor enormous amounts of money and resources to create a Global Network especially in the world of Academia that would consistently demonize Israel and turn the perpetrators into the victims I told my wife last night you know this world has Holiness and unholiness I said what the LA did with his kab houses around the world creating networks of Jewish love in every corner of the universe those monsters did it with the Palestinian narrative people don't realize Jews don't realize when we were busy arguing with each other they created cheers academics literature groups influencing Academia and education on deepest level we're just try just figuring this out now and therefore completely completely dominating the conversation and touching the idealistic cords of young students who want to fight for something real and fight for the underdog and really completely overwhelming them and brainwashing them I think another component has to do with and I say this very painfully with a weakness that has infiltrated into Israeli society and culture and Leadership the founders of Israel knew very much knew very well that millions of people living around them want to murder them and if they would have the ability they would do to the Jews what the Nazis did to the Jewish people benua knew this all his people around him knew it whether they were leftwing or rightwing they all knew it a new generation grew up in Israel and began altering that narrative because they so dreamt of peace and they suddenly started to legitimize their neighbors saying they want peace just like us they just want a piece of land and that became the philosophy behind the whole appeasement philosophy of Israel which turned out to be not just disastrous but it literally created blood baths in Israel from all the suicide bombings to Terror attacks to kastan and Gaza so many things that Israel has to do today comes as a result of the weakness that we displayed over decades and it came from the top it went into the journalism of Israel it went into the university system of Israel and it came from an parent inferiority complex starting to embrace the other side and asking themselves maybe we are thieves maybe we are colonizers and that is a big big tragedy because when Jews don't know who they are when they forget their history their faith their tradition I believe every Jewish child needs to study every day the school they should open up with studying the first rashi rashi was the greatest biblical commentator lived in the 11th century in France and the first Rashi he says the whole reason why the Book of Genesis was written it's Superfluous there's no laws it's just stories was that one day the nations of the world will turn to the Jewish people and say Lam you are a bunch of thugs because you are conquering land that does not belong to you and the entire book of Genesis was written to give the Jewish people an answer to the world in the beginning God created he wrote that medieval France wrote this in the 10 hundreds he was living in France during the time of the First Crusade to talk about people calling Jews Thieves for conquering Israel was completely what seemed completely absurd the question is are the Christians going to rule or the Muslims are going to rule you know which infidels are going to conquer but Rashi says to every Jewish child Jews need an answer what's the answer the world was created by God and he gave one sliver of land a tiny little piece of land the size of New Jersey to one one small people as an eternal gift and inheritance the Jewish people have to realize this this is our home we were there 2,000 years before Islam was born yeah and that display of weakness sadly sadly impowered the enemy and empowered the intelligencia around the world to squeeze Israel even more and more and was it to stretch out its neck to be slit yet once again painful to say Rabbi can I ask a question about that that rashy that you mentioned because you're right that at the root of all the discussions and the basis for the hostility towards Israel even though of course it really is nonsense but what they try to say is you're occupies your thugs therefore they're resisting all that kind of thing now I know there's plenty of what seems to be pretty valid arguments about our right to be in the land whether it's from an international law perspective a historical perspective indigenous perspective self-determination protection from Prejudice all these things but it seems like Russia is pointing us to say that really we have to develop the confidence and the backbone to say This Land Is Ours because the creator of the world designated this for us and I'm wondering do you think we need do we need to start saying that publicly because I sometimes put this to people even sometimes rabbis and they'll say well you know it depends some of them might be atheists for listening and other people they just won't respect that argument and I'm thinking it seems like that's what Rashi is saying we've got to start saying look at the prophecy of Rashi all the other arguments usually prove fule all the other arguments there's always a butt we've been screaming about the United Nations and the bord Declaration 1917 in your country in England and of course 1947 and 1948 and there was a holocaust and the world looks at us and says oh give me a break just because you suffered a Holocaust in Europe that's why you're going to create another Holocaust in gazin in the West Bank that's why you're doing genocide yeah balur oh balur Baler has been dead many oh the UN the UN also equated Zionism with racism the same un the same un is condemning Israel the leader of the UN you know was worried about Isel being disproportionate and not having a right to do it what would un suddenly the UN became really you're following the UN the UN wants you out of go the you wants a ceasefire so we keep on getting stuck and stuck and stuck you know what it's so funny when the Muslims speak they don't have a problem quoting God and religion and all the Liberals respect them all the leftwing atheistic liberals respect them even though they don't stop screaming the most despicable Ambitions to kill Jews to kill Americans to kill Western infidels and everybody wants to hear their side and we Jews who gave the world God gave the world the Bible are afraid to bring up the Torah what I heard from The rebba Who's My Mentor growing up was that this is exactly what the Jewish people have to talk about of course we should talk about our history and of course we should talk about the fact that we had two temples there and we're there 2,000 years before muhamad existed of course we should talk about that but get to the Crux of the issue half of the world respects the Bible Christians believe in the Bible billions of Christians Muslims believe in the Bible they respect the Bible they sends deep down how Jews should speak about Israel they called Israel the Holy Land the only ones who claimed that Israel is a regular country are the Jewish people the only ones who claim that the Jewish people are regular people are the Jewish people look what's happening how is it that in Syria there were 500,000 people murdered 500,000 people tens of thousands of children some of them with gas I haven't seen a demonstration in London my dear friend certainly not 100,000 people I haven't seen a demonstration in all the universities in the United States I haven't seen a demonstration in Manhattan i't seen a demonstration in Australia for a half a million people murdered in Gaza and what about what happened in Chia 200,000 people and how many thousands of children who knows who cares and what about the Kanga what about darur and what about Jordan Etc ETA suddenly is really trying to defend itself Nazis and the whole world is up in arms why they're all saying one thing you're a Jew and we know it you're a Jew and we know it we're the only ones who saying no we're just regular people we're regular people it's time for the Jewish people to come back to our basic truth the only reason we came back to the land of Israel is not because of the flaf and the lafa and Theos the reason is we're coming back to Israel as a continuation of dozens 30 40 generations of the Jewish people that goes back to Joshua and Moses and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob who received this piece of land as an eternal gift from the Divine Creator and that's why we're here and it's non-negotiable and it's absolute it's Eternal even if we want to give it away we can't give it away it's not even ours to give away it's God's gift to the Jewish people you want to live in our Eternal home as mention as civilized people which means your life will be much better off than any other Muslim in the region Pista beautiful but one expression of Terror will be eliminated completely and absolutely the re used to to say that the greatest mistake of Israel was that after 1967 instead of maintaining this is ours forever and every Jew is going to be allowed to live everywhere with full Freedom with full prosperity and they'll be protected unwaveringly you want to live Among Us in peace and respect and not killing our children you will have the best life of anybody else in the Middle East of anybody else in 22 Muslim countries instead we said no we'll give it back uh we we understand all we want is peace and what they saw is a weak country that you can squeeze and squeeze and with more terror you're going to get more and they were right and then we gave them a Palestinian state in Gaza and I have to say the truth when I was talking about it in 2005 I had a friend a classmate he said Rabbi Jacob said maybe you're wrong maybe IR Sheron is my right will give back Gaza they'll build a beautiful independent state and life will be good I said you know what if that happens I will get up and say I am wrong you are right and indeed the leftwing philosophy will be proven to be right and you know what have happened in a few years they would have had a Palestinian state in West Bank and East Jerusalem what happened is the day after the same day the cemeteries would destroy the synagogues would destroy the green houses were destroyed and Rockets started to fly Israel's greatest mistake was the first rocket that came from Gaza to Israel they should have said this was a colossal mistake we're going right back they didn't as usual we said they're frustrated they're angry let's trust them they really want a future for their children maybe this will be a new Middle East it'll be the Singapore of the Middle East and what happened they took the money and they built tunnels of Terror and an infrastructure of Terror the results we saw on S but remember what happened on S they would like to do every single day of the year it's only because God's grace and the IDF that they don't succeed so the whole philosophy has to change completely and it's very difficult to say because we have become indoctrinated by starting to accept a dangerous narrative so specifically I'm sorry I'm very passionate about this you'll forgive me me too me too I think I think many people are both Jew and non-jew um what kind of solution do you think we should be advocating for publicly as Jews now as the Reb used to say the path of strength and decisiveness will save not only Jewish lives it will save Arab lives you know what the interesting thing is I grew up by the LA he always spoke about the fact that we would love to see everybody successful everybody prosperous we want every life to be safed you know who was hurt by this entire philosophy of course Jews but also how many Arab children were killed because because we allowed their Terror organizations to lead everybody yeah and there are millions millions of shid today who who want that who want that you know it's it's another great fallacy when people keep on talking about the distinction between the people of Gaza the Palestinian people of Gaza and the Hamas terrorist as though you had millions of people in Gaza who all they want is they want a Palestinian State and they would love eat fla with the Jewish people in Israel and then you have a couple of rotten apples called Hamas this is a monstrous lie who voted inas 2006 the residents of Gaza when they were parading the body of the German Jewish woman after she was raped and mutilated and they were parading her half naked in the streets of Gaza yeah who who who was dancing yeah who was mutil who who was there in the street doing regular people I didn't even see one person say this is wrong this is and by the way just just to be clear for our viewers wa we're not saying that every single last man woman and child supports her master but it is the dominant culture it is I know you're not I'm not I'm not but you have to recognize the fact that the Hamas monsters who murdered the 1400 Jews yeah a few years ago they were all children but sadly sadly you know when the Nazis I think it was one of the reporters in England he's very Pro what's his name Doug Douglas Murray Douglas Murray he made a I saw an he made a he made a very powerful B he says you know the Nazis felt the need to hide their atrocities the kamnik were sending them out to their parents you know father mother look I killed 10 Jews with my hands you're talking abouts and mothers in the hundreds of thousands educating their children that Jews are the devil we can't deny that fact of course we want to protect every single child and and a child by definition a child by definition is something so precious and so dignified but let's understand that when Hitler came to power we didn't only blame the Nazis we blamed the German people this is just important to understand you know I think I think that the most critical component is Israel has to display unwavering decisiveness Clarity and strength turning to the world and saying we will will never ever ever create any situation where we even risk the safety of one single Jew in Israel any compromise any concession any compromise which will in the future and today risk potentially even one Jewish life is simply not negotiable I believe Israel has to completely eliminate Kamas and to really get the message across to really get the message across they have have to rebuild the Jewish cities in Gaza say This Is Our Land for eternity you want to live here with peace and respect great if not you can find another place the same is true with the West Bank we don't even realize the dangers that are lurking in the West Bank in Lebanon and the Palestinians who live inside of Israel if they would have a chance would many of them not commit atrocities against the Jewish people there's one way forward the way forward is absolute unwavering declaration to the entire world This Is Our Land for eternity this is God's gift to the Jewish people every Jew will live everywhere in this land we will eliminate and Destroy every last vesage of Terror you want to live here as guests in the Jewish Eternal Homeland that's beautiful and wonderful turn to the world and say we love you we cherish you we cannot allow ourselves sub to subject ourselves to another Holocaust and here's the truth much of the western world would be so happy if Israel does this of course America can say go ahead and do it because they have to say the right thing for the Arabs in the whole world but they would be the happiest if you know you know a lot of people say I hear this time and again they say well if Israel is too let's say too strong too forceful they'll lose us support and therefore they'll be on their own no no most of senators and congressmen who are sane and rational want this remember Hamas is a threat for America Hamas is a threat for the Western world and what about Iran and what about kbal what about they want every American Dead yeah but let's but even if we didn't have American the problem is you know when you're confident you inspire confidence yeah when you're weak and you don't know who you are you inspire weakness and you inspire criticism if Israel would know who they are they have deceived themselves sadly because of their compassion they wanted peace they wanted peace and they thought it would come and I'll tell you something else the response of Israel today to Kamas you know when it should have come it should have come with the first missile with the first rocket do you ever hear of a country that 20 years has tens of thousands of rockets falling on bedrooms and schools and streets and homes and that's it Israel's philosophy was an Iron Dome one Jew was killed okay one Jew was killed a family was killed okay the fogal family was slaughtered Friday night in their home you remember in Tamar the moment that family was slaughtered just like they were slaughtered on it was one family so they okay it was one family they are rotten apples the moment you have a situation where one fogal family n Tamar slaughtered slaughtered literally like like chickens are slaughtered Friday night in their home in N Tamar Israel should say that's it this game is over there's not going to be another another hell in this country we're done we're finished they did not yeah they tolerated it you know what happens when you let cancer grow in the body yeah it kills you of RAB what I'm saying is I I think our attitude should be even if we don't have American support you know the spirit of 48 we were on our own and we've we should do what is right what is right for us and that's going to be sure but I'm telling you even more America will be the first one to celebrate even if the president will have to make an official statement about about respect and dignity of all people living in Gaza they the Americans would be the first ones they understand any normal person understands the danger who you're dealing with what did America do with Isis what did America do with Al-Qaeda why didn't America say you have to respect you know Al-Qaeda has children Isis has children they have women there's innocent people what what was their response what was their response I don't understand what happened in the second world war what what about innocent Germans the answer is don't blame America and W blame Hitler blame Hitler yeah yeah Israel should tell everybody in Gaza this place this place is ours you want to leave any innocent person could leave if Kamas doesn't let them leave tell Kamas you are the murderers instead Israel becomes the murderers and we believe it please I'm this is this is insanity yeah and Rabbi speaking of America you know it's interesting a few years ago we had Jeremy Corbin who was a leader of the labor party which was the opposition opposition party in Britain and he came very close to potentially being prime minister um and a lot of Jewish people who were Jewish supporters of the labor party felt incredibly uncomfortable and they had to leave and I'm now seeing in America um you've got a problem with the farle but I'm seeing signs of people in the conservative Camp let's say the hard right um just some uh influences people out there you know taka Carlson Candace Owens and others who are starting to articulate s like real hostility on the Israel and even the Jewish front I'm just I'm curious are you um are you concerned about this potential rise of anti-Semitism on the conservative right which I didn't really anticipate yeah this is this is a profound concern you know I told I told a friend the other day Jewish youth come to me a lot to ask questions you know teenagers and I speak sometimes to schools yeshivas and they often ask a question can you prove rationally that the Torah is divine you know why should we accept that the Torah is divine and not a fabricated document by a brilliant man named Moses Jefferson or Moses Washington I mean come on and you know it's it's it's a valid question and it's an important discussion for a Jew who wants to commit his or her life to Judaism today I look at them and I say just look at the news okay this is inconceivable inconceivable you have a tiny little country Israel that was attacked in the most brutal of ways it brought us back to the days of the pams in the Middle Ages and even worse Crystal 400 Jews lost their lives here 1,400 Jews were murdered besides the wounded and besides of course all those who were kidnapped and let's not talk about the way they were murdered nonetheless the entire world is obsessed and up in arms against Israel and as I said earlier when in recent years there were such massive genocides that claimed the lives of so many Arab children with nobody utting uttering an outcry so the rational person asks what is going on how do you explain this Obsession from the leftwing and now as you said from the far right professors journalists students in University how do you how do you explain it how does London manage to get 15,000 people at a protest justifying the genocide of the Jewish people from River to Sea Palestine shall be free which means tamas lives from The River To The Sea which means every Jew is dead people in England in 2023 people in Australia students of Harvard University Duke University Yale University you kidding me in the United States Congress in the United States Congress you say what is it what is it about this little country Jews don't constitute even one quarter of 1% of humanity not even 1% one quar less than one quarter is 0.2 Israel is like a match and a football field what is this Obsession about I have no rational explanation unless I discover that every word of the Torah is true and the Torah wrote thousands of years ago that God said I chose the Jewish people as my ambassadors to light up the world with truth with morality with ethics with love with a sense of Destiny purpose spiritual Oneness Holiness and Purity you will be scattered all over the world but you will never disappear and you will one day return to your Homeland and literally when you read the Torah the Tanakh the Bible the prophets and you look at the world it's like wow wow every single word is true the Jewish people simply live in the vortex of the universe the interlacing link between Heaven and Earth chosen as Divine ambassadors to elevate the world and make it a place of goodness and kindness and evil cannot stand the Jewish people evil is allergic to goodness and Holiness and wants to destroy it there's absolutely no other way of explaining rationally how in the 21st century 80 years after a holocaust so much Holocaust Education we have contributed so much to humanity over thousands of years and all we can get for being slaughtered on October 7th is being venomously attacked that we are guilty because of part and colon colonization wow wow wow but what does this teach us it teaches us listen to this our spiritual power I have to say many Jews are now depressed and lonely because the world we trusted so much stabbed us in our chest I say look what a is look what a Jew is tell me who your enemy is and I'll tell you who you are when these vile monsters who could slit kids babies throats hate us I want to know how much goodness and Holiness is there in the Jewish people that the stalins and the Hitlers and the hamnik and the Iranians and the balas hate us so much wow this means every Jew is so holy this means every Jew is so powerful this means that we are we are the gate we are the the the Guardians of divinity in the world of goodness in the world of Holiness in the world world so this is nothing new just just tells us what our responsibility is what our privilege is and we can't escape it and we don't want to escape it it's the most amazing amazing gift that we have we have the power to change the world if we have the power to turn the world to make the world obsessed with us by by trying to kill our enemies look at the power of the Jewish people in the positive sense and that's why I say today let every Jew seize the moment become Jewish like never before learn about your Judaism like never before start living as a Jew in your daily life like never before and let's be the light onto the nations in the most authentic and powerful and decisive way we cannot eliminate every anti-semite we cannot the anti-semites have to fight themselves it's their problem it's not our problem our job is to protect ourselves against anti-Semitism in every conceivable way and never to internalize it again never to internalize that self-hate but to be able to be the most spiritually powerful Jews which means spiritual ambassadors of Love Clarity morality healing hope and unity really powerful Rabbi um this kind of leads me on to the next series of questions which is like moving forward um how you know you said not every we we can't be responsible for every anti-sea as you said but but we do believe that the world has to naturally come to a place of well what mashiah is basically which is acknowledging who the Jewish people are acknowledging the god of Israel the Jewish people coming having a a peaceful positive uh mutually beneficial relationship with everyone with every human being with all the nations of the world so the question is I think it seems to me like we probably do and do need to reach out to the world we do do need to tell them who we are and we also um that that's going to we sort of live in unprecedented times where we have the ability to do that now like never before so can you help us imagine what are the stages going to be in which Jew hatred you know is is evaporates world is eviscerated because it seems so deep to us it seems coming from every single angle it's coming out of all the cracks in ways that we haven't seen for quite a long time and if as you say it often can't be dealt with through reason because it's so deep I think a lot of it's to do with envy and jealousy and God knows what um but how how can the world a lot of a lot of it is subconscious the Jewish people are connected to the ultimate purpose of creation we were chosen to be the servants somebody asked me if if if chosenness is racist I said the exact opposite you know what we were chosen for we were chosen to teach every person in the world that he or she was chosen that's what we were chosen for and and and R cook the first Chief Rabbi of Israel once said something profound he said you know why the world is obsessed with the Jewish people he said because every culture had its turn to communicate its message to humanity the Jewish people we're here in center stage and we're still stuttering we're still not communicating our message so they're saying no no new and that's why we're still in Center Stage we W in this missed yet and I think that's such a powerful message today we have to stop stuttering this is about a paradigm shift in education in our family life in our communities and importantly each of us individually psychologically emotionally spiritually the Jewish people have been once again reminded in a very very difficult way who we are what our role is what our priorities are what our mission is and I I think each of us is in the army of God but we have our unique Division I have to know what is my job is my job to be at home with my children is my job to sit and pray and study Torah is my job to educate children is my job to be on the front lines in Gaza is my job to be able to be a spokesman for the Jewish people to the non-jewish world we have tremendous tremendous resources and opportunities we have to come together and every one of us feel that we are mobilized we are mobilized like never before to bring Redemption to our world like you say to bring Messiah and I think it begins by us fulfilling our role individually commun within our own communities but also as ambassadors to the world absolutely do we know how everybody will react we don't know everybody will react but here's the truth the truth is that 4,000 years later we're still here despite the attempts of many tyrants and the reason that we're still here is because there's something about Judaism there's something about Torah there's something about Mitzvah that is an eternal weapon and allowed us to outlive every single enemy I was talking to thousands of Campus students they had a v virtual Zoom a few days ago and you know they want to know you know what should we be doing besides the obvious and I said to them you know think about one thing think about one truth and that is every Empire Tyrant dictator tried to eliminate us they're all gone we're here what's the secret of our immortality in science we look for the single trait that an organism has that is permanent to explain how it outlived all of its enemies and how it lived in such difficult circumstances do we have a permanent trait that was there with us from the first day we became a people till today in all places in all times in all circumstances that our enemies didn't have do we have such a thing they had power they had military prowers they had culture they had language they had territory they had affluence they had money what did we have from the day of Moses till today that none of our enemies had and it was always there with us in Israel in the diaspora in Good Times in bad times in crazy times in beautiful times what is it and the answer is one thing we had a Torah and we had the Mitzvah the Torah that Jews studied and the Mitzvah that they observed and celebrated in daily life and Beque it to their children and students and grandchildren with love and commitment that is one weapon that has accompanied the Jews from the day we became a people until this very day it has never left us we always clung to it and the proof is in the pudding because of it we outlived every single enemy and we are alive as creatives I told the students beyond anything hold on tighter than ever to that Eternal Jewish weapon and I think when every single Jew today on a daily basis can Embrace yish in their daily life in a most practical way every single Jew that will create a paradigm shift not only for ourselves but for the whole world when Jews seize the opportunity to become the humans and the people we are supposed to become we will radiate such light to the world such Clarity to the world ultimately the anti-Semitism will fade away and this of course must always come coupled with decisive determination and strength not being apologetic when we say we have a right to defend ourselves no we don't have a right to defend ourselves we have a moral obligation to defend our children and eliminate every vesage of Terror we need a dignity that is anchored in Jewish celebration and spirituality and tradition the world will respect and respects Jews who respect themselves who respect their faith their history their God their Torah their tradition as where Jonathan sex used to say the world is embarrassed by Jews who are embarrassed by their Judaism you know if you look at the times that Israel was celebrated most in the International Community when was it after the 67 day after The Six Day War and after anbi yeah they violated the laws of the Geneva Convention that's when Israel was celebr why there should have been an outbreak of anti-Semitism the answer is when Jews are really really confident and they know that they're not going with their own arrogant power but we are ambassadors of Truth and of morality and of Ethics you know what happens all the goodness in the world and all the goodness and innocent people around the world comes out to the four and people display that respect to the Jewish people so the most important question we have to ask ourselves is who we are who we are and how we we are going to be those people stronger and more united than ever God will do the rest can you articulate can you articulate in a sentence what our messages to the world what is the light of the Jewish people to the world in in a sentence or two number one the fight against anti-Semitism The Fight Against Terror the fight against hatred is not a Jewish fight alone we are are the minor canaries of the world you know the canaries are the first ones who die in the mines when there are noxious fumes but they're not the last ones to die a world that has no place for Jews and for Israel has no place for Humanity every good person will suffer in the end this is not our fight alone we are the canaries we are the representation but every good person will suffer Hitler began with the Jews he didn't end with the Jews Stalin began with the Jews didn't end with the Jews every good person needs to be mobilized in this war that's number one number two the ultimate message of Judaism is that every single human being was created in God's image every human being's life has absolute dignity our job in this world is to fight to make this world a good place a moral place a kind place for this we have to distinguish between good and evil the only way civilization Will Survive is if we Embrace what we call the the civil code known as the seven noahide laws this is the blueprint of God for all of humanity we are in this together we must educate our children educate ourselves to build cities communities countries that are saturated and founded on the moral code of the seven noahide laws and at the core of them is an absolute dedication to the Dignity of life and an absolute abhorrence to the destruction of human life life I think that's a good message be wish wishiwashi about this we can't be we can be Israel can't be wishiwashi the Jewish people can't be wishiwashi because the destiny of mankind depends on this type of confidence on this type of res resilience on this type of Readiness yeah Rabbi lastly I want to ask you a question this is slightly different question to the ones we've spoken about so far but it's still on the same issue of what's happened in Israel I think this is so important especially for people who are living in a in an observant communities um in from communities around the world in Israel around the world I was sent um a talk that was given I assume by I think it was a rashash Shiva um who was telling his students and I don't know if it was May if it came from him or didn't come from him but it sounded like the message was very much look what happened October 7th it's a warning from God we're in trouble the Jewish people are you know need to do T shua and it was very much about like we we're the ones who are we're too uh you know um unworthy I suppose or like we like we we've really got to um repent and become better in other words it was very much victim blaming um perhaps saying because we're too secular and I I I have to say that I I find this message to be very unhelpful and not morale boosting at a time when we really need to build morale I find it to be uh quite toxic uh it's victim blaming and it's I think also is somewhat blind to reality because I think Rabbi Manis Freeman Steins talks about how like what do you expect it's been 2,000 years of Exile we haven't heard from God for three 3,000 years the fact that Jews are still no no what AM mits f look by the way how much even quote unquote secular Jews people in the Army are rushing towards getting sited and other like it it feels to me like it's not even accurate like it's like I think we're doing we're doing well of course we should always be doing more and look to be taking on more but it just feels like at the very least the wrong tone and I wanted do Reflections on this because I think this is something that needs a lot of clarification especially for people who live and breathe the you know religious Jewish life excellent question so you know I'm a student I hope I could call myself a faithful student but certainly I'm a student or aspire to be a student of The Labb and I heard him speak almost every shabas about these topics and many other topics and one thing I always saw and that is the burning love to every single Jew and to the entire Jewish people and the usage of words and phrases and expressions that would uplift the Jewish people that would Inspire the Jewish people that would make them feel motivated and enthusiastic about what it means to be a Jew and what our role is in the world we always have to ask ourselves this question am I saying words to express myself my frustration my anger or do I want to be effective you know think in a marriage right you communicate with your husband with your wife with your children do you want to just express yourself with all your resentment or do you want to be effective let's ask ourselves what message can be the most effective to lift up our people what message can be effective to bring our people closer to the collective Jewish soul to bring all of us closer to Torah to Mitzvah to yish to Jewish eternity to Faith what can bring the Jewish people closer to each other that's the question and then in my mind I think the answer is very obvious what we want to do is encourage the Jewish people the Jewish people have been broken and shattered there are thousands of families that are in mourning that are grieving so deeply thousands of other families that are living with such uncertainty and unfathomable pain you know for us living outside of Israel it's not completely cerebral but there's a certain sense of Detachment but I hear you know my friends my students colleagues in Israel going every day to homes Shiva homes you know a friend of mine a rabbi he asks me what should I say I'm going to a home where a father and his son were both murdered a father and his son were murdered a home where two brothers were murdered they both went to fight and got the border of Gaza the two brothers were M what am I supposed to say you know we're dealing with this type of visceral anguish and pain and not with one Jew or 10 Jews but you're dealing about with tens of thousand thousands of Jews who are affected either as neighbors or as relatives or a direct family or part of a community and part of a country and how many parents have sent their children into Gaza right we're dealing with a very very sensitive and vulnerable time what's our role what's the role of rabbis teachers Educators thinkers communicators one role and that is number one to love our people to embrace them to help them to uplift them to inspire them and the Very desire results to bring Jews closer to chva closer to Mitzvah closer to Faith closer to Hashem how do we do that how do we achieve that we see today when I go to a Jew and with tremendous love I embrace him and he can feel or she can feel my love can feel my connected Jews today want to be more Jewish they need the feeling to be harnessed to be directed how do we do that by telling them that they are horrific Sinners and God hates them and despises them I don't think that's effective and as you said I don't think it's true yeah I don't think it's true you're dealing with a holy people are there Jews who are misguided yeah I spoke earlier about what I feel terrible mistakes that Israeli leadership made I felt they had good intentions but they were misun I'm talking about Jews who sacrificed their lives for Isel I'm talking about great Jews you're talking about beggan and Rabin and Sharon and many other you knowall great Jews but I think they made grave mistakes but our first job is to remember we're one people we need to be here for each other so I think today the way of inspiring Jews is through tremendous love and tremendous positivity believing in every Jewish soul and we see it and we could learn from our enemy how precious a Jew is how holy a Jew is we want to take that spark and fan it into a beautiful beautiful flame so yes I think this is a time for all all of us to be more Jewish than ever for all of us to become closer to each other and to Judaism more than ever and the best and most effective way of doing this is through positivity and infinite and authentic love and connection that will create Miracles anyone who's involved in this work sees it when I go with a negative approach besides it being untrue which is important it's also counterproductive it produces the opposite results you know it's a very painful thing there was a soldier he came into a particular religious City and some young people attacked him and criticized him and cursed them and then there was a woman who came to her defense and they started to scream at her we are the parents and the teachers educating these teenagers this is what it means to be a Torah Jew that a a man who came to Schult Davin he sacrificed his life he's a reservist he sacrificed he left his family to go defend youas wants to kill every Jew in Ben just like inara to defend you to defend you go over to him say thank you I love you thank you thank you thank you this is a Mitzvah this is a war of Mitzvah the r rights and the laws of myties Rights and the laws of Kings there are voluntary Wars and there are obligatory Wars when somebody comes to attack the Jewish people it's obligatory quotes the law even a bride and a groom leave their to go assist in the war effort so let's remember if not forah every Yesa student in all of Israel and anyone who would be physically capable would be obligated ially to go fight so you have the Merit that sahal the IDF and the hundreds of thousands are going to fight and you could sit in Yeshiva and study God's Torah and bring down amazing spiritual energy and love say thank you you're Partners we're Partners this is what the Torah Community must understand this this this Division and this judgmentalism and this sense of superiority complex I feel is so misguided it's so not in touch with the pulse of the Jewish people and with the calling of the Jewish people I believe what Hashem wants from each and every single one of us is to rise to the occasion and to embrace every one of our brothers and sisters like never before and it's precisely through that that we could make an amazingly powerful spiritual revolution in Israel and in the world that's my opinion and and isn't the futility also of being so overly judgmental that these distinctions we have and these labels we give for for different types of Jews let's say are really so shallow and that as I think kabad and the was in some somewhat revolutionary in teaching is that really all of us are you know Wellsprings of godliness and light that's the essence that's the essence of it all without that we are missing a point I could study Torah and I could be a genius and I could know lots of laws and I could try to be very Pious and I could do all of the Mitzvah and it's amazing and incredible but without this core understanding of this teaching think that every single Jew is divine and if I don't see it it's because it's because my glasses are a little dirty it's because my eyes need a little help it's because I need to find the god in me and then I'll see the god in you and it doesn't mean I always agree with you and it doesn't mean you don't make mistakes and it doesn't mean we can't become better but without that fundamental truth thatas knows Kamas knows it they know it they don't distinguish I think we forfeit our ability to really experience the truth of Judaism and the truth of the Jewish people I think we are we we use religion as a crutch for the ego and I think it can become misguided and I think I think maybe inadvertently but we we don't we don't help our people we create divisions and and today you have such a historic opportunity like never before the Torah Community what you call the from Community should be the first ones to appreciate the power of the moment there is a tremendous arousal for yish in every Jewish heart and we know why it's not so mystical maybe it is but we understand it because in times of Crisis Jews want to hold on to something Eternal we want to hold on we want to be anchored in something so powerful during Insanity we want to hold on to something that is larger than what we see with our eyes or hear with our ears when when there's such crisis and pain you need something you need something to sustain you to to to give you hope to give you Joy to give you purpose and we have that the secret of Judaism is the Jews felt that they have a relationship with God through Torah through Mitzvah we have that these the weapons of Jewish eternity as I said so Jews are craving for that connection and when we can display that type of love and camaraderie and sense of of of empathy and connectedness that's how amazing amazing things can happen today that will enhance the Jewish world that will enhance our spiritual well-being that will enhance our jewishness that will enhance our social connection that will bring Kem that will bring so much Holiness into the holy land and into the whole world absolutely well hopefully some of the messages that we discussed today will uh be shared through through this interview and through the video clips that will come from this um Rabbi Jacobson thank you so much for making the time to be I always say I always say no I just I always say you know and I say this to to to friends with a lot of respect so you know if I'm thinking I want to say something to my child for my SP or a good friend or somebody I love and I'm thinking you know will my words maybe have a negative effect or I could choose different words that will have a positive effect now I might say to myself no I should speak harshly and negatively because that's the truth and that's what they want to hear but if I have a doubt that maybe my negativity is going to be counterproductive and it may be coming from my own my own pain my own unresolved issues if I even have a doubt you know by saying loving words you could never go wrong somebody once told me that that that that Jew you have to dislike I said maybe maybe not but here's the deal when I come to Heaven maybe they'll tell me you know there was a Jew you hated and you were supposed to love him I'm going to be very embarrassed but if they tell me there was a Jew you weren't supposed to like and you loved him oh I said that should be that should be our greatest mistake remember if you have to choose between the always always choose the path of connection you'll never go wrong with that the worst thing you did was you loved a little more but if you choose the other path you may be making a tragic mistake you may be destroying a soul you may be destroying a relationship except when we're dealing with Hamas yes I'm talking about between brothers and sisters who want to see the goodness who want everybody to live you know Jews disagree about a lot of things but I think we all want every Jew to be safe and happy that's what I'm talking about I'm talking about a family that wants everybody to be happy even if we have serious disagreements when you're talking about an enemy that wants to see all your children dead then unfortunately unfortunately nobody loves violence and nobody loves War nobody no besides Hamas they love violence and they love war we don't but sometimes the only way to stop immoral violence is through moral violence and then it's a Mitzvah it's a mitzvah because it's protecting innocent life yeah yeah that was a workout well sorry for putting you through that Rabbi but I assure you will have you don't have to be sorry it's the call of the hour the call of the hour isak we have to remain stronger than ever United more than ever and strengthen each other and remember that the power of faith and of yish kite is eternal and when we're connected to that nothing will obliterate us despite the mistakes we have made and despite the darkness that we see around us well this is Rabbi jerson speaking to us from Mony America Rabbi we're so grateful for your time I know how in high demand you are I really appreciate it I hope we'll be able to do more in the future and um thank you for all the brilliant work you're doing amain thank you very very much for the opportunity may God grant us all the courage and the ability to be able to fulfill our mission during this critical moment in Jewish history remember our children are always going to remember how we reacted and how we lived during this time and may we see the ultimate Gul may we see mhia now the re used to say we want mhia now I never understood now I understand I also want mashiach now amen amen thank you very much for the privilege thank you this class is brought to you by the yeshiva.net please help us continue the classes make even a small contribution at ww.the usa.net donate