Rabbi's Message
In Conversation with Elie Wiesel
Dear [first_name],
Elie Wiesel, one of the most passionate Jewish voices of our time, passed away this week. An avid student, a sought after teacher, survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Wiesel is the author of numerous related books, among them the bestselling Night. Elie Wiesel enjoyed an enduring correspondence and personal relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe whose 22nd yahrzeit we commemorate this Shabbos, Gimmel Tammuz. There are many records of Elie Wiesel’s conversations and relationship with the Rebbe, including in his autobiography, “All the Rivers Run to the Sea”.
In honour of Gimmel Tammuz and in memory of the late and blessed Professor Elie Wiesel, I would like to share the following article by Baila Olidort, In Conversation with Elie Wiesel.
BAILA OLIDORT: You were an enthusiastic student from a young age. Did you look for moral character in your teachers?
ELIE WIESEL: Absolutely. I would not want one who uses knowledge against the moral dimension of life as a teacher. I have lobbied around the world pleading for compulsory courses on ethics in every school—medicine, architecture, commerce. What are we doing if not that?
In your memoirs you write about the Torah study of your childhood in Sighet, and then how you continued to study after the war. What do you continue to study today?
I remain with gemara—Bavli and Yerushalmi, and all of the Chasidic masters.
You describe your relationships with several teachers who clearly held a very significant place in your life. And today you are a teacher. Do you have a similar relationship with your students as your teachers had with you?
I hope so. I can [have that kind of relationship] because I choose my students, I choose my subjects.
The relationship between teacher and student is very mysterious. You know that according to halakhah, [Jewish law] if a father and a teacher are kidnapped, we ransom the teacher first. So it is very mysterious. Students are there to receive, and I am there to give. Where do we meet?
Do you think this kind of intense relationship between student and teacher is intrinsically Jewish?
Well, the Greeks had it too. Socrates and Plato were after all very, very close. But ours is more so.
Tell me about the mystery of the relationship between the Rebbe and yourself.
That is too personal.
But, when the Rebbe was alone with anyone, it was an opening. He opened doors for his visitor, or his student or Chasid—secret doors that we all have. It wasn’t a break-in. It was just an invitation. And that was really the greatness of the Rebbe. I think the Rebbe had a great talent for that—one of the greatest and the best that Judaism has ever seen.
Would you say that the Chasid and the student are the same?
A Chasid comes not only to learn from the Rebbe, but more than than that: to live. Meetings, farbrengens with the Rebbe—they become a chapter in life. The interesting part is that in ancient times, the teacher chose the student. In Chasidic times, it was the Chasid who chose the Rebbe. And the moment the Chasid chose the Rebbe, the Rebbe had no right to say no.
You are a Vizhnitzer Chasid.
Yes, and I began each meeting with the Rebbe telling him that.
What compelled you to come to the Rebbe in the first place?
The late Gershon Jacobson —he was my colleague. I was writing for Yediot Aharonot in Israel and for the Yiddish Forward, and he was writing for the [Yiddish] Tog Morgan Journal. We met often, and he would tell me, “You should go and see the Rebbe.” I’d tell him that I’m a Vizhnitzer. He said, come as a journalist. I came as a journalist for the first time.
And once I met the Rebbe, it was for always.
What did you take away with you from the farbrengens?
That is personal. But, I once came to a farbrengen, I think it was in honor of the Rebbe’s 70th birthday, and there was a big book [where guests wrote inscriptions] and I wrote, Ashrei hador sheAdmor manhigo. “Fortunate is the generation that has the Rebbe as its leader.”
The Rebbe created a bond, first of all between Chasid and Chasid. That was true of every Rebbe back to the Ba’al Shem Tov, that when a Chasid came to the farbrengen, it wasn’t only about the bond with the Rebbe; emunat tzadikim [faith in the tzaddik] is one thing. But dibbuk chaverim [bonds between friends) is something else. And the Rebbe achieved that.
After the Holocaust, Vizhnitz and Chasidic life more generally was transplanted from Europe to Israel and to America. Was anything lost in the process?
Yes, the authenticity. What we managed to do was to save Vizhnitz by transferring the geography. Vizhnitz is there, but not really [the way it was] —everything is diminished. The world is diminished. Our ancient teachers say we are farther away from Sinai.
Many young Jews feel that today there’s nothing stopping us from integrating, from assimilating fully, and we ought therefore to let go of the past and move on. How do you feel about that?
I never thought that way. We do hold on, and that is a good thing. I would not be who I am if not for my link, my fiery link to my past, to my childhood, to Israel. I tried to pass it on to my son, my grandson, and even to my students and my readers.
What do you tell a young Jewish generation about their indebtedness to history? Six million Jews died al kiddush haShem, to sanctify G-d’s name. Therefore what?
Therefore, be Jewish.
How do you imagine we can make up for the loss?
We cannot compensate for what we lost. It is mathematically impossible. The numbers are not numbers, they are human beings. Can I recreate what I lost in Sighet? And yet there is movement, there is a will, there are creative ideas.
You dedicated your life to raising awareness about the Holocaust, about the evil that human beings are capable of. And yet anti-Semitism continues. Genocide continues.
A few years ago I was invited to address the General Assembly at the UN. I gave my address the title, “Will the World Ever Learn?” and I came home very saddened, because it hadn’t. And yet we try to teach the world. The Jewish people tried as much as possible to bear witness. What else can one do?
In general there is an upsurge of anti-Semitism all over the world. The intellectuals are becoming more and more extreme in their condemnation of Israel.
Isn’t that demoralizing for you?
It is sad, but not demoralizing. I would never allow them that victory.
No matter what, I won’t give up. The principle of teaching is a major component in the survival of our own people.
What did you walk away with from your encounters with the Rebbe?
Everything was so personal. Of course we spoke about things that were not. He read every one of my books in French. He was a very good reader. Occasionally we had disagreements.
In your memoirs, you share some of the conversations you had with the Rebbe about G-d, and some of these letters were published. It seems to me that ultimately, there was not much of a disagreement between the two of you on that.
Oh, but there was. The Rebbe said we cannot understand. We are not supposed to understand.
And you said?
I want to understand.
And have you over the years come closer to understanding?
[An early Jewish poet] said, “If I would know Him [G-d], I would be Him.”
What then propels the quest?
I define myself by my quest, not by what I find.
You have mentioned that the Rebbe often asked you about your plans to marry. Was that a factor in you getting married?
Oh, yes. The greatest bouquet of flowers I ever received was from the Rebbe for my wedding. He was nudging me to get married. I have letters—one letter in which we speak about Jewish theology—seven, eight pages about theology. At the end, [of the letter] he said, “And by the way, when are you getting married?” As if the two had something in common.
What did the Rebbe want from you?
I cannot tell you. It’s between him and me.
What do you think the Rebbe wanted to see happen today?
I’m sure he felt that if the Jewish people knew what Jews should do for the G-d of Israel and for the people of Israel, Moshiach would come. That was his dream. To prepare the world for biyat haMashiach.
When you reflect on the Rebbe, do you think he was satisfied with his achievements?
No, but unjustly. He always felt he hadn’t done enough, and yet he had done more than anyone I know. He felt that somewhere, maybe somewhere in Nepal—he didn’t travel but he knew what was going on—there is somebody who needs something. Once you feel that, you cannot be happy. If there was one person who, let’s say, was hungry for yiddishkeit . . .
That’s why he had this great idea of the Shluchim. One of the greatest achievements of the Rebbe is the Shluchim. I have tremendous affection for every one of them, and admiration, and gratitude. Because they carry not only the Rebbe’s message; they carry the Rebbe’s sadness and the Rebbe’s joy, and the Rebbe’s dream. They are carriers; they are the carriers of his vision.
With best wishes from the Rebbetzen and all of us at South Head
Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM
President's Message
Making The Shule More Responsive
I have written to you over the past few weeks about our overall position, becoming more like a family, and staff changes. This week I focus on how we are moving to make the shul more responsive to the kehillah.
New Initiatives
Last weekend we held the first of our planned Friday night dinners at the shul in the Herbert Hall. Full credit to Rebbetzin Henya Milecki who did all the organising, planning and cooking – plus her team of volunteers (Natalie Carr, Julie Gordon, Soudie Kleiner, Maralyn Mill, Lisa Plitt, Mandy Shapiro, Nicole Uria and the bochurim) who helped with the food preparation, setting up, serving and cleaning. There were almost 100 guests, comprising about 25 families with children, plus people like Yvonne and I, Treasurer Jack Fisher and his wife Ros, the Rabbi and his family and the bochurim. It went very well. Rabbi Levi Milecki, head of Jewish Studies and Life at Kesser Torah Primary, gave his insights on building esteem and resilience in children; Shmuly Kleiner spoke about the many new initiatives at South Head; the bochurim took the children away for separate programs at the end of the meal; and Rabbi Milecki led us in communal singing. We hope to hold Friday night dinners every month or second month with Shmuly Kleiner taking on a more active role in the organizing and planning in support of the Rebbetzen. Read More
Kollel
Food For The Soul
15 men attended our Wednesday night Kollel this week and were treated to a delicious cholent at the conclusion of the learning. This event is the first of many programs to be implemented by our Communal & Pastoral Manager, Shmuly Kleiner. We look forward to seeing everyone next week!
Youth Crew
We're Here For You!
This week we were privileged to have 'Robin's Nest' join us from Melbourne. We had over 50 mums and bubs attend Robin's classes which provided entertainment through music & movement, kids yoga and Shabbat parties. It was so nice to see so many of old faces who use previously attended our Mummy & Me classes.
We are also very busy preparing for Camp Shalom which will take place next week. We've just finished our staff meeting and our staff our pumped, and we hope all the campers are as well!
This week we will also be holding our monthly TGIS Friday night meal. This week the theme will be dairy.
And finally, we had over 40 teenagers attend our CTeen movie night this past Tuesday.
Wishing you and your family Shabbat Shalom,
Tzemach, Roli & Yeruchum
For all information on upcoming youth events please contact us on 9371 7300 ext 3 or 0412 482 770 or youth@southhead.org
The Mysterious Visitor
Rabbi Bentzion Wiener
I was extremely nervous; I couldn’t fathom what the Rebbe might want from me. When I entered the room, the Rebbe must have noticed my anxiety because he immediately assured me that nothing bad was going to happen. Then he explained the reason why I was summoned: “I received a letter from your mother, asking my advice whether she should move to America or not. And I would like to ask you some questions before I advise her.” Read More
Parasha Sheet
Parashat Korach
Q. Korach’s complaint to Moshe was that the entire nation was holy, with each Jew possessing a spark of G-dliness within them. Since Hashem dwells among all the Jewish people Korach did not believe that one person should be exalted over the holy nation. He questioned, 'why should one person be leader over the entire Jewish nation'?
A. A leader empowers people to realize their potential and express it. A leader motivates people and inspires them. Without such leadership, even though people possess positive qualities, it is possible that they might be lazy and fail to manifest them. Read More
Communal Events
Support The Community!
