An Open Letter to Aviv Geffen,

The youth of Israel look up to you because of your strong talent in singing,  But recently you made fun of two things: Channel 14 and Shabbat.

The entire nation has been through extraordinary trauma.  Soldiers, those who are Shabbos observers and those who are not, fought side by side against an evil and vile enemy.  These same soldiers have also died side by side fighting this enemy.

And everyone has been praying deeply for the safe return of the hostages.  And Channel 14 made a decision to respect the flag.  They didn’t air the return of the hostages on Shabbos.

You made fun of that.  Shabbat – the flag of Am Yisroel.

You see, Shabbos has always been viewed as the symbol or flag of the Jewish nation. Just as patriots look at their flag as more than a mere dyed cloth with fancy designs, so too is Shabbat viewed in the eyes of the Jewish people. The Sheiltos of Rav Achai Gaon explains that Hashem instructed us to rest on Shabbat, just as He rested from all creative acts on Shabbos. Observing Shabbos is a sign of our deep belief in G-d – that it was He who Created the world. But it is more than this too.

Aviv, our belief in Hashem is not just limited to the notion that an omnipotent entity created the world. No. An integral aspect of Torah theology is that this omnipotent entity is the source of all good.

He rewards good and punishes evil. The Jewish understanding of Hashem and His unique Oneness is that ethics and monotheism are intrinsically interwoven with each other.

In other theologies they may be two separate concepts.

Not so in Judaism.

A belief in the Oneness of G-d perforce also includes the notion that He defines what goodness is. Altruism, goodness, and ethical behavior are not the results of evolutionary biology – no, they are part and parcel of the Creator Himself.

Indeed, this is the raison d’être of Creation itself – so that Hashem – G-d can reward those who do good and follow His will .

If, in the path of life, we successfully attempt to emulate G-d – then we will be rewarded. The Observance of Shabbos is thus the flag of the Jewish people – the idea and notion that represents all this.

Two thousand years ago, Roman civilization dominated the world. Many nations have battled the Romans, the Mithridates, the Parthians, the Sassanians, and especially the Carthaginians. The Carthaginians had three major wars with the Romans and lost the last and most critical one. The Romans destroyed the city of Carthage. They allegedly poured salt throughout Carthage to ensure that it never be rebuilt.

The Incas and the Aztecs were highly evolved civilizations in the Americas. The Spanish conquerors destroyed these civilizations approximately 500 years ago. These people assimilated into the melting pot of what is now Latin America.

It is unimaginable to think that these civilizations, the Carthaginians, the Incas, and Aztecs could survive intact after these long centuries “exiled,” so to speak, from their homeland or city and deprived of their socio-religious cultural center.

It is even more unimaginable for these civilizations, after many long centuries of such an exile, to return to their land. Finally, it is entirely inconceivable that the homeland remained unimproved and uncultivated for those many long centuries, until its people had returned.

Yet, this is precisely what happened to the Jewish people.  It was our belief in Hashem and it was the Shabbos which served as that flag of our belief.

The Romans had conquered the land of Israel. They destroyed the Temple. They ransacked Jerusalem and exiled the Jewish people.

Josephus (Wars of the Jews 7:1:1) writes that Jerusalem “was so thoroughly razed to the ground by those that demolished it to its foundations, that nothing was left that could ever persuade visitors that it had once been a place of habitation.” The Romans re-named the holy city of Jerusalem “Aelia Capitolina.” The Jews were exiled and spread throughout the western world. There they remained for twenty, yes, twenty centuries.

All of this leads us to one fact that you should learn and learn well.

There is a G-d that runs the world.

This G-d is clearly concerned with the destiny of the Jewish people. This G-d, according to the sacred writings of the Jewish people, rewards good and punishes evil.

Indeed, G-d, in the eyes of Judaism, is the essence of all that is good. All this was revealed to the Jewish nation at the foot of Mount Sinai. This occurred over 3300 years ago.

The Jewish people were given a unique mission. The mission is to declare the concept of G-d and the obligation to emulate Him in all we do – in all our actions. This mission has only been partially completed. The vast majority of the peoples of the world are only somewhat aware of who G-d is, but have a woefully incomplete picture.

Torah Judaism has always felt that concepts and ideas are not enough – they must be accompanied by action.

For example, a person who wishes to become a master musician cannot merely peruse the musical notes of a concerto but must actually practice music. Hours and hours of practice are necessary. By the same token, a student of the martial arts cannot become a proficient fighter merely by reading a karate instruction manual. Years and years of practice are required for the proficiency and expertise to develop.

The prophets of Israel speak of the noble ideals of universal peace, brotherhood, seeking truth and justice, and walking humbly before G-d. They speak of the notion of hakaras haTov – recognizing the good that one has done for them. But Judaism requires that these noble ideas be put into action through the vehicle known as Mitzvah.

Thus, there is a commandment to give charity. There is a commandment to recite a short formula thanking G-d for the bread that we have consumed. And the observance of Shabbat is no different.

Shabbos observance has had and continues to have an enormous effect upon the soul of the Jewish nation. The concept of G-d to the genuine Sabbath observer is tangible and real. The exodus from Egypt is as genuine and vivid to the Sabbath observer as is the placing of a man on the moon during the Apollo space missions in the 1960’s.

So, Mr. Gefen, please set aside your attacks on Shabbos and start learning about what it means to the Jewish people.  And maybe, just maybe, your music will declare to the world the message of Shabbat.

The author can be reached at [email protected]