You wouldn’t know it from watching the weather since Tuesday, but Sunday into Monday we experienced quite a storm. While Bozeman was blanketed with nine or so inches (at least at our home), our friend Chaya in Montana City, near Helena, reminded me that we were ok compared to the seventeen inches at her place and other areas in the state. Driving through town on Monday morning was kinda jaw-dropping, seeing downed trees everywhere, including on top of cars, blocking streets, and, in parts of town, downed power lines. The wet snow did its thing but most of the trees survived even if losing some of their branches.

You gotta have solid roots.

This week’s Torah portion, Noach, tells us about the great flood that decimated the universe, sixteen-hundred-and-fifty-six-years after it was created. G-d told Noah to enter the ark that he had built, take along his family and representatives of the animal kingdom, and the ark will ensure their survival while floating above the water. Noah spent twelve decades constructing his water floatation device, encouraging humanity to change their ways, hoping they’d believe him that a deadly flood was coming. Yet, they scoffed carelessly and didn’t believe him. They too could’ve survived had they created the foundation for their survival, but they weren’t willing to give up on their immoral lifestyle, choosing base desires over a meaningful life.

Modern society’s brain rot and dysfunction is due in large part to spiritual flimsiness. People don’t know what they believe, they don’t know what principles in their life are unbreakable come-what-may, and they are unwilling to stand up to peer pressure and threats of “canceling” ‘because of their foundational values. A tree with weak roots won’t only lose its branches, it will be uprooted and die forever. Noah could’ve joined the “everyone does it” world of grotesque ideas, but he had a foundation and that foundation led to his survival and to the eventual renewal of the entire world.

Flexibility is awesome with a strong core!

May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!

Earlier this week we memorialized the victims of October 7th, both on Simchas Torah, the Jewish date, and on the Gregorian calendar, the secular date. I had the honor of praying at the memorial in Helena organized by Montana Senate President Matt Regier, and attended by Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras, Israel’s Deputy Consul General to the Pacific Northwest Maya Avishai and many legislators and locals. Yet, as we pondered the barbarity and inhumanity of Hamas, there were those here in the United States who stood publicly with Hamas and in support of their terror; it baffles the mind, but it’s a sad reality. Shoshana was really bothered by the handful of students at MSU who were supporting terror against Israel, and we had a few healthy conversations about free speech and the evil that exists in our midst.

This week’s Torah portion, Bereishis, the first of the Five Books of Moses, begins with the creation of the world, but towards the end we arrive at a moment where G-d is fed up with human immorality. The verse says, “and the Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all the time”, resulting in G-d having some regrets about creating humans. This seems to be the ongoing paradox of creation, G-d wants human beings because we can create light and perfect an imperfect world, and yet we are also capable, if brainwashed and diseducated, to support evil and behave evilly. So instead of asking “how such evil can exist?”, ask “what have I done today to be a beacon of light and good?”

When I lit the candle in Helena, I mentioned that I’m doing it for the forty-nine Americans murdered by Hamas on October 7th, I’m doing it for the 1200 + innocent Jewish victims of that horrible day, I’m doing it for the IDF soldiers who died defending our people and homeland, and I am doing it for Shaul Moyal, my forty-seven-year-old cousin from Karnei Shomron. Shaul and his wife Smadar raised their ten children with a love of Torah, a love of Israel, a love for humanity and, sadly, he died two years ago while defending his nation. We can’t spend all our time focused on those who are full of hate, vitriol and prejudice; we must spend our time living up to everything G-d intended for us, living a life of service, overloaded in kindness, mercy and decency, and to shower love and compassion 24/7.

We know evil exists, wadaya gonna do about it?

May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!