Community Magazine December 2009

”He That Receives Shall Never Forget” For centuries, wherever we were, whether it was Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Spain, Lebanon or Iraq, we ran the risk of being dissolved into the general society, of losing both our religion and our national identity. As a small minority scattered among a hostile, gentile population, it seemed hardly realistic that our people would retain their faith, practices, values and traditions. It was only a matter of time, it appeared, that the deluge of general society would overtake the small, feeble Jewish communities and destroy their heritage and essence. The force that thwarted these influences and prevented them from breaching our lines of faith was our rabbis. In every generation, and under all circumstances, the hachamim capably led our people, inspiring them with hope and infusing them with spiritual vitality. Refusing to allow us to just “be,” they insisted that we work to “become” – to become better people and better Jews, even in a world that was hostile to everything Judaism stands for. A principle of life for us to consider is, “He that gives should never remember and he that receives should never forget.” We, who are on the receiving end of our great leaders’ selfless devotion, must never forget. We bear the obligation to recall and acknowledge the sacrifices, adversities, and hardships that our rabbis throughout the ages have contended with for the sake of the Jewish people. Yehuda Azoulay’s A Legacy of Leaders series helps ensure that we will never forget. The product of countless hours of exhaustive research, the book is a living testament to the achievements of our hachamim , to how they inspired and elevated us, and how they enabled us to grow as a people and as Jews. It presents vivid biographical portraits of the great rabbis throughout the Sephardic world of yesteryear, the towering figures who, in many ways, erected and fortified the structure of our community today. The book tells uplifting stories of faith and commitment, miracles and wonders, and practical lessons for us to implement in daily life. It demonstrates that in a world of overwhelming negative influences that can easily drown us in its waters, we must rely on our rabbis’ clarity of thought and judgment to guide and direct us. T HE RABBI ANDSMALLGROUPOF FELLOW Jewish travelers had a decision to make. Double- crossed by an Arab driver who had promised to stop traveling before the onset of Shabbat, they had to decidewhether to continue their journeyafter sunset, or remain alone, isolated and exposed in themidst of the searing desert for the duration of Shabbat. In truth, there really was no choice. For the great luminaries of Israel, Shabbat desecration, which violated strict obedience to the Divine will, is hardly an option. To these sages, the apparent sacrifice of choosing to be marooned in the wilderness is no sacrifice at all. No other option is even entertained. In his newest work A Legacy of Leaders Volume II, Yehuda Azoulay presents vivid portraits of some of the Sephardic world’s greatest spiritual giants. Their lives, as depicted in this groundbreaking series, are stories of spiritual excellence attained against all odds, of selfless devotion and self-sacrifice to Gd and His people. More importantly, their lives are shining examples of what is expected of us in today’s day and age, despite the formidable spiritual challenges we confront each day of our lives. RON FINKELSTEIN 36 Community magazine