I find this dialog puzzling. Why such a fuss over Rabbi Dee? Many parents have lost children and wives to these terrorists, and they also deserved visits from Gedolim and Am Yisrael. Rabbi Dee’s response to his grief, and statements following the loss of half his family are puzzling.
JERUSALEM (VINnews) — During the course of a condolence visit by the Sadigura Rebbe of Jerusalem to Rabbi Leo Dee, who lost his wife and two daughters in a terrorist attack on Pesach, Rabbi Dee made an unusual request of the rebbe.
Firstly he asked the Rebbe if he waves the Israeli flag and the rebbe responded positively. Afterwards he asked if the rebbe would be willing to recite Hallel on Israel’s 75th independence day, which falls at the end of next week.
The rebbe responded by telling a story from his great-uncle, who was the Sadigura rebbe after the Holocaust.
“My uncle lived in Vienna between the First and Second World Wars,” he said. “When the Nazis rose to power, they brought him to the streets of Vienna to clean the streets. He made a promise and said, ‘If G-d will be with me, and the Master of the World saves me from this horror, when I reach the Land of Israel, I will clean the streets of Israel.”
The Sadigora Rebbe continued, “When he managed to escape to Palestine, he indeed got up early in the morning and cleaned the streets of Tel Aviv. He did not tell anyone the reason why he did it, even when his followers questioned him as to why he was doing this.”
“This custom, of a love of the Land of Israel, is in our blood. And I think that we need to work more on loving every Jew, no matter how he dresses or what his opinions are. We will take this upon ourselves, and I think that the Hallel will come on its own,” he concluded.
1 comment:
It is definitely a different way to deal with the tragedy, but I decided that everyone has the right to do it in a way that helps him or her at that moment. I believe that sometime later, when the world has moved on to other things (which it will), he will feel the weight of the murders of his daughters and wife and take the time then to privately mourn. I didn't notice that the US ambassador make a shiva call. I guess his vow to never step foot in Judean and Shomron overpowered the mitzvah of comforting mourners. Oh, BTW, I thought the Rebbe's answer was brilliant. It was such an impertinent question, and the Rebbe handled it beautifully.
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