Message from R’ Schonfeld: R’ Yoel Schonfeld

I guess the word is frustrating. We finally have a president who, as far as Jewish interests are concerned, is doing everything that should make them happy. His political appointments, such as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, are firmly on Israel’s side.

This past Shabbos, I was in Flatbush by my son Simcha. We davened in a local shul, well established in the community and headed by a rav who is a fine talmid chacham. Following davening, a gentleman whom I never met before came over to me and said, “Well, Rabbi Schonfeld, did you experience anything in shul that you can write about in your column?”

I haven’t been able to write for several weeks due to health concerns, and I have not been able to follow the news that closely, but I am well aware of the controversies surrounding the Orthodox communities, including whether the yeshivah crowd should be participating in the World Zionist Congress (WZC) elections, even via a totally frum platform, Eretz HaKodesh.

It has been said many times that Hamas cannot be destroyed, as it is not limited to being a band of terrorists; it’s a concept.

In Parshas VaYishlach (B’reishis 32:12), as Yaakov is about to encounter Eisav, he cries out to Hashem, “Save me, please, from the hands of my brother, from the hands of Eisav.” Rashi, in his commentary, explains that Yaakov was pleading to be delivered from the hands of his brother but behaves like the wicked Eisav.

Years ago, a book was printed in Jerusalem by Dvar Yerushalayim titled The Disputation by an anonymous author. The book is an account of a rabbi’s dispute with a highly placed priest in London. As the name implies, the book details an ongoing dispute between the rabbi and the priest on the fundamentals of their faith. The author asks that no one attempt to reveal his identity or that of the priest, as it could be very hurtful to the priest, being that the rabbi apparently bested him.