Special for Yom Kippur: an interview with Rabbi Lau

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Today (Tuesday) came the most important day in the Jewish tradition and also the tenth day of forgiveness – Yom Kippur. These days it is customary to do a personal and political soul-searching. Rabbi David Lau, the chief rabbi of Israel, told Dekla Aharon Shafran on the Seder Yom program on the Kan Network B about his feelings towards the fast: “I met the entire public in all its shades, the people are much healthier and connected to tradition and to themselves than it appears from the outside.”

Listen to the special interview with Rabbi David Lau on Channel B

Rabbi Lau spoke about the rift in our society: “I am turning to everyone and asking, the other ways are not helpful, some honorable person – who respects humanity, the sages said, let’s unite each other. We are a month before elections and maybe the professionals will try this way a little too. There is I have a feeling that this might get us out of this unnecessary loop of five elections.”

“Reach out”

This year Jews from Russia and Ukraine spend Yom Kippur in the shadow of war. The Knesset held a discussion regarding the expansion of the Law of Return to fourth generation immigrants from Russia, who, according to estimates, have difficulty immigrating to Israel. According to Rabbi Lau: “This reality is impossible, we have brothers in Russia as well as in Ukraine. At this point, I am less inclined to agree to expand the law. People are brought in and then they are completed, they are here in Israel, they are completed that this is their home, and suddenly they are not.”

“I don’t get into state considerations,” the rabbi added, “but surely, one should raise a cry and say that this reality of injury to life is impossible. In the end, half a year after a war, you see that it did not benefit anyone, but only destroyed it.” .

According to him, as a Jewish state we have the duty to provide first aid within the limits that the state can give: “Talking about the cost of living, we should also see these things, we should remember that we are one country from the whole world, to add to the basket of problems that we already have here, this is something that is very wrong “.

“don’t ruin my world”

In preparation for Yom Kippur, Rabbi Lau wishes: “I pray to the Holy One, blessed be He, who guides us and gives us wisdom so that we can conduct ourselves in the right way, and not only not to destroy, but to improve. I look from the other side with a lot of optimism.”

“An expression that appears in the Sages says that when the Holy One, blessed be He, creates the world, He takes the first man and takes him to heaven. Shows him the flowers, the trees, the water, the fruits, the wonderful color of all creation and tells him: look how handsome and beautiful my world is, make sure you don’t spoil and destroy my world.”

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