THE ART OF LISTENING TO YOUR MESSAGES
click Vayishlach 2025 eBook to download
From the stones of the Kotel to the trees of the Jerusalem Forest
I share a short daily video to help you refocus, breathe, and find strength for life’s battles.
Join our daily journey:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/DxbcXvHmvdGDGVfSkkmhZx
THE ART OF LISTENING TO YOUR MESSAGES
The Midrash Tanchuma tells a story that should make every one of us uncomfortable.
When Yaakov fled to Lavan in Aram Naharayim, he made a vow to G-d: “If You protect me and return me safely, I will give ma’aser, a tithe.” G-d fulfilled every detail of Yaakov’s request. Yaakov prospered immensely and began his journey home with great wealth. But he forgot to fulfill his vow.
What followed was not punishment, but a series of Divine reminders, each one meant to awaken Yaakov to his unfulfilled promise: Esav approached to kill him. Yaakov sent a massive gift , including two hundred goats , yet still failed to recognize the message. An angel wrestled with him. This was Esav’s guardian angel, who tried to take Yaakov’s life. Yaakov emerged limping, yet he still did not understand. The tragedy of Dinah. His daughter went out and was violated. The sorrow deepened, but the message remained unnoticed. Rachel, his beloved wife, died in childbirth. She was buried on the way. Still, clarity did not come.
Finally, G-d said: “How long will this righteous man suffer without understanding why? I must tell him directly.” And G-d spoke explicitly: “Arise, go up to Beit El and dwell there, and make an altar there to G-d who appeared to you when you fled from Esav.”
Rabbi Ibo explains that G-d’s message was: “All these troubles came upon you because you delayed fulfilling your vow. If you want no further calamity, go to Beit El , to the very place where you made your promise.” Rabbi Abba bar Kahana adds G-d’s piercing words , words that G-d speaks to each of us: “When you were in distress, you made vows. Now that you are at ease, you have forgotten Me.”
G-d does not desire punishment. He desires repentance, awareness, and connection. The sufferings were not retribution to Yaakov , they were invitations, consistent reminders of the promise he once made in a moment of need.
How can this be? How can it be that Yaakov , the Patriarch who saw angels ascending and descending a ladder to heaven, repeatedly misses what G-d is trying to tell him? How does it take multiple tragedies before he grasps a simple message?
Why does G-d seem to speak in riddles? And more importantly: What does it take for us to finally listen?
This story isn’t ancient history. It’s a mirror held up to our own lives.
G-d repeatedly reminds us: We are in Galut. Every time we forget that, He sends another reminder.
People today look at rising antisemitism and ask: What does it all mean? Is this similar to pre-War Germany? Should we be reading the writing on the wall, should we run away? Historians, not conspiracy theorists, point out clear, academically documented parallels between America today and Germany in 1929–1938.
- The sudden normalization of public antisemitism. In both eras: Jews became the socially acceptable target of hatred. Intellectual elites justified the hostility. Universities became the center of anti-Jewish ideology. Violent “isolated incidents” were excused by authorities. 2. The shift was rapid, not gradual. Pre-WWII Germany was not a slow decline. 1932: Most Jews felt safe. 1936: Most Jews still felt integrated. 1938: Many still believed, “It will blow over.” Then the tipping point came , and it came fast. Today:2023–2025 saw the fastest rise of antisemitism in American history. Within months: Universities shifted tone. Media normalized hate. Politicians demonized Israel and Orthodox Jews openly. The speed is historically familiar. 3. Leadership matters. In Europe before WWII, once openly anti-Jewish politicians gained office, the culture shifted dramatically. No one is comparing Mamdani to Hitler , but symbolically, it matters. A mayor whose record includes: Accusing Israel of genocide. Supporting anti-Israel movements. Backing anti-Jewish campus groups. Co-sponsoring policies harming Jewish institutions.
This signals a new cultural norm. Historians teach: “The most dangerous moment is not when a dictator rises. It is when hatred becomes fashionable.” “But 99.83% of Jews in NYC Are Safe!” That’s true. But in pre-Holocaust Europe, the statistics were also overwhelmingly “safe”, until they weren’t. 1931: 94% of German Jews reported no antisemitic violence in their region. Jewish life was flourishing. Universities were hostile, but Jews still held major positions. Businesses thrived. Yet antisemitic rhetoric normalized…
Government tone shifted… Public humiliation spread… Jewish visibility became mocked… This is the exact pattern emerging in the U.S. today.
The four classic warning signs are all present in America today. Economic anxiety. Cultural identity crisis. Political polarization. Collapse of trust in government. When these combine, societies historically look for scapegoats. And right now: Universities delegitimize Jewish identity. Media excuses antisemitic violence. Courts under-prosecute attackers. Jews are blamed for foreign policy.
Post–October 7 was the revelation. The speed and shamelessness shocked historians: Universities responded with hostility toward Jews. Administrations failed to condemn hate mobs. Jewish students were barricaded. Jews were told: “Stay home.” Mobs chanted openly: “Death to the Jews.”
This level of acceptance never happened before in American history. Mamdani’s victory represents a symbolic shift: In 1930s Germany, the first major change was: “It’s acceptable to be publicly anti-Jewish, and people will still vote for you.” That is exactly what just happened in NYC. “But NYC Has 1.5 Million Jews , they would never turn on us!” German Jews said: “Germany is the most enlightened country; it cannot turn on us.” Vienna: “Our city is too Jewish to be dangerous.” Hungary: “Our integration protects us.” France: “Our institutions are strong.” Size of the Jewish community has never protected Jews. History proves it again and again. And in truth: Germany looked safe until it didn’t, and the collapse came fast.
Many people say, “The writing is on the wall. Time to leave America.” So I asked my Rabbi.
He said: One cannot compare America to Germany, because the Holocaust was supernatural.
מעל הטבע. Consider the facts: Germany had 52 major political parties and deep social fragmentation. The Nazi Party had only 2.6% of the vote in 1928 — a tiny fringe group. Hitler was appointed Chancellor because of a political blunder. His rise to power relied on a chain of historically improbable events. The Reichstag Fire in 1933 allowed him to suspend civil liberties, a stroke of political “luck” still debated today. The Nazi takeover required a nearly impossible alignment of events. Historians list: Great Depression timing, Weak Weimar coalition, Hindenburg’s bad judgment, Rachstag Fire which enabled emergency powers, Fragmented left-wing vote, Elite conservatives who empowered Hitler accidentally. Any one of these not happening, meant no Hitler.
Hitler survived over 40 assassination attempts. Germany historically had the lowest antisemitism in Europe before 1933. Jews were integrated, wealthy, patriotic, and overrepresented in professions. It was the least likely place for genocide to occur. Even neighboring countries refused to believe what was happening.
The most supernatural part of the Holocaust, was that Hitler executed the Holocaust while losing a world war. Never in history had a government lost a war on two fronts. Faced starvation, bombings, invasion, yet still prioritized killing Jews above strategic military needs. This defies all natural military logic. Nazis diverted weapons, trains, and soldiers simply to continue killing Jews. They diverted trains needed for the Eastern Front. They used fuel reserves to ship Jews to camps. They emptied medical supplies for killing instead of treating soldiers. This is considered militarily insane.
The Holocaust was not natural. It was Divinely orchestrated for reasons beyond our comprehension.
So I asked my Rabbi: What about running to New Jersey or Miami? My Rabbi said: Leaving New York because you’re “running” misses the point. אִם־יְקֹוָ֥ק לֹֽא־יִשְׁמָר־עִ֝֗יר שָׁ֤וְא׀ שָׁקַ֬ד שׁוֹמֵֽר “If Hashem does not guard the city, the watchman watches in vain.” G-d is sending a message: You are in Galut. New York is not your home. New Jersey is not your refuge. Miami is not your solution. If it works out for you to move, fine. Consult your Rabbi what the right thing for you is. But don’t make any rash decisions.
G-d has ways of waking us up anywhere, even in Israel, until Mashiach comes. If someone has a Rabbi, a community, schools, Torah infrastructure, leaving without a replacement causes tremendous harm. Community is what preserves religious life. After WWI, there was an unprecedented spiritual collapse across Europe. Why? Because the entire community system of Europe disintegrated during the First World War. A Jew cannot survive without a Rav, a kehilla, a support system. Even Shlomo HaMelech — the wisest of all men, made his greatest mistake of marrying Pharao’s daughter, after his Rabbi, Shimi ben Gera, was no longer present.
So what does G-d want from us now? With all the antisemitism, upheaval, and fear , what is the message? G-d wants us to recognize that we are in Exile. He wants us to realize that we depend on Him, and only Him. And until we truly hear that message… He will keep reminding us.
