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LINK KOLLEL HOSTS FORMER CHIEF RABBI, RAV DOVID LAU, FOR EVOCATIVE TALK
On Monday evening, January 27th, the LINK Kollel in Los Angeles hosted the former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Dovid Lau, for a powerful presentation. His talk focused on his role as "chief healer" of the nation after the trauma of October 7th, 2023, and its continuing aftermath. A standing room only crowd of men and women was deeply moved by his emotional words.
Rabbi Lau is a scion of a great Rabbinic dynasty - indeed, he represents the 10th consecutive generation of Rabbanim in the family lineage. Most notably, his father, Rav Yisroel Meir Lau, was the Chief Rabbi of Israel between 1994 and 2004.
He began by tracing his own reaction to the news that was filtering in on that fateful Shabbos/Simchas Torah morning as the enormity of the tragedy gradually became apparent. His most immediate task in those first harrowing days was the identification of the hundreds of Jews that were murdered - often mutilated - by the terrorists of Hamas. Some of the bodies were horribly disfigured and it was challenging to come up with a positive identification of each victim. Using DNA analysis and other high-tech measures, he and his staff at the office of the Chief Rabbinate were able to positively identify every victim and give them a proper Kevurah. He remarked that this was the first war in the history of Israel's wars that there were no Agunos - meaning that every missing person was positively identified.
He depicted the gut-wrenching visits to hundreds of shiva homes as well as visiting the traumatized survivors of the massacre (many of the badly wounded) as well as the hundreds of soldiers that lay wounded in hospital beds. He described trying to give Chizuk to the survivors and the mourners, highlighting how they were fighting the battles of Hashem to safeguard the existence of the Jewish people in their homeland.
He related at length a poignant visit with a badly wounded survivor of one of the kibbutzim that was attacked on that fateful day. The Kibbutznik (who was not outwardly observant) described how every Yom Kippur he would walk to the nearest Kibbutz that had a that had a shul and how he was most moved by the powerful tefilla "Chamol Al Maasecha" that was sung in a haunting tune by that congregation. Rabbi Lau shared with the crowd his astonishment that an ostensibly "secular" Kibbutznik was so inspired by a tefilla that not only asked for Hashem's Rachamim on His people, but also proclaimed His great Holiness. He the sang the tune with great fervor, together with many in the LINK crowd.
Rabbi Lau went through Tehillim chapter 83, which many shuls, including LINK, have been reciting daily since October 7th. He observed how appropo it was for this war, given our enemy's desire to wipe out the name of Yisroel and by extension, the G-d that Chose us. Dovid HaMelech delineates all the enemies who have joined together to wipe out "Shema Yisroel" - names of which are very recognizable to us today.
Rabbi Lau concluded with his trenchant observation that Klal Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel is more united today than ever precisely because our enemies have tried to destroy us. As a result, the level of trust in Hashem in Eretz Yisroel - even amongst ostensibly "non-religious" people - has never been greater in recent years. It is this unity and Bitachon in Hashem, he averred, that we will enable us be victorious and pave the way for the arrival of Moshiach.
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