“Never forget where you come from”.
I heard that phrase often when I was growing up and throughout my life. I now find myself repeating this in all sorts of situations.
It’s fairly simple, when one knows where they come from, they have clarity on where to head.
As a Jew, Ashkenazi or Sephardi, it is not hard to trace where we come from. All arrows point to our Homeland, Israel.
It started with Abraham and Sarah — the first founding father and mother of the Jewish people —who unsolicitedly were promised by G-d the land of Israel, reaffirmed through Yitzchak and Rivka only to be reaffirmed yet again to Yaakov and Rachel / Leah.
Clearly and carefully chronicled in the Torah, enshrined in our daily prayers multiple times, celebrated and yearned in numerous other ways in Judaism, handed down from generation to generation, the Jewish nation definitively know where we come from.
Yet despite this indisputable truth, defending our birthright,Heritage, borders and civilization — regardless of relentless attacks and self defense— seems to be disputable by far too many. The advice to remember and revere, coupled with the reality that the Jewish nation does tenaciously hold on to our precious Heritage is one that triggers a visceral reaction. Antisemitism at its best.
The decision of the International court at the Hague to issue an arrest warrant of the Prime Minister of Israel and the former Defense Minister is simply shocking. A complete outrage and an assault on the Jewish nation.
Yet despite the millennia of our enemies conniving to eradicate our memories — we will always be cognizant from whence we come.
You see, at the end of the day it’s not about muscle memory — it’s our essence and identity. It’s not affected by level of observance nor conscious life decisions. It’s totally transcendent. Beyond courts of law, physical assaults or even the allure of the material. It’s a core, soul identity!
How do I know it? Simple — we’re here. We’ve endured. We’re vibrant. The erosion of time having had the opposite effect — just as fine wine — better with time!
So yes, let’s remember where we come from on a conscious level so that we can maximize our identity but let’s also not fall into the trap of being defined by others. For ultimately, Judaism is our eternal Heritage and Israel is our eternal Homeland and tonight we usher in the eternal gift of Shabbos. No amount of erasing the truth will change it and we continue to celebrate it. Am Yisrael Chai!