Hanukkah 5785:
In honor of the 50th Yahrzeit of Rabbi Mordechai Ya’akov Golinkin z”l
On Hanukkah, we celebrate the heroism of the Maccabees, the few who overcome the many. For example, according to the First Book of Maccabees, at the battle of Emaus, 3,000 Jews defeated 5,000 infantry & 1,000 cavalry.
At the battle of Beth Tzur, 10,000 Jews defeated 60,000 infantry & 5000 cavalry.
Since October 7th, we have been awed by the heroism of tens of thousands of Israelis who performed incredible acts of bravery:
But there are other types of heroism which take place elsewhere, not on the battlefield.
Last Friday, the 19th of Kislev, was the 50th yahrzeit of my grandfather, Rabbi Mordechai Yaakov Golinkin z”l, whom we called “Zeyde.” He was small in stature, yet he devoted his life to God, Judaism and the Jewish people.
I would like to briefly recount three of his acts of quiet heroism:
“May his excellency not think that my words written here are in black ink, as they appear to the naked eye. The truth is… he would see the blood of the souls of our fellow Jews hovering between life and death under the letters and in between the lines.”
After Kristallnacht, in December 1938, the Jewish Community of Danzig agreed with the Senate that they would all leave by May 1939. They sent their precious Judaica to New York and in 1980 there was an exhibit at the Jewish Museum of these precious artifacts. Most of the Jews left by the deadline. My grandparents were among the last to leave, arriving in the US in May 1939.
We too are surrounded by quiet heroes:
So this Hanukkah, let us remember the military heroism of the Maccabees and of our incredible IDF soldiers; but also the quiet heroism of Rabbi Mordechai Ya’akov Golinkin and of Liran, Anat, Yahaloma and hundreds of thousands of Jews in Israel and the Diaspora who have performed acts of heroism since October 7th.
Am Yisrael Hai!
Hanukkah Sameah from Schechter!
David Golinkin is President of The Schechter Institutes, Inc. and President Emeritus of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. For twenty years he served as Chair of the Va’ad Halakhah (Law Committee) of the Rabbinical Assembly which gives halakhic guidance to the Masorti Movement in Israel. He is the founder and director of the Institute of Applied Halakhah at Schechter and also directs the Center for Women in Jewish Law. Rabbi Professor Golinkin made aliyah in 1972, earning a BA in Jewish History and two teaching certificates from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He received an MA in Rabbinics and a PhD in Talmud from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he was also ordained as Rabbi. For a complete bio click here.