Dear Cory,
As a man of the Bible, you understand the history of the Jewish people. We are Yehudim, Jews, from the name Judah, the Patriarch Jacob’s fourth son. Though he faced trials and challenges, Judah inspired leadership through accountability and perseverance. This is why the kingdom was destined to come from him.
The survival of the Jewish people has long been attributed to tradition, memory, and a promised land; all of which are covenantal. But there’s something else: The Sages in the Talmud record that not only was the Matriarch Sarah barren; she did not have a womb. G-d wanted the entire existence of the Jewish people to be miraculous - improbable. Impossible.
Historically, the nations who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish people prospered and were blessed. The attempts to undermine or overthrow G-d brought empires to their knees, magnifying the word and will of G-d. This truth is self-evident. It is not about making sense of an improbable reality or justifying an alternative one. All one needs to do is cast an eye on the past to know what cometh. As King Solomon, the wisest of all men, who welcomed the nations of the world into the Temple said, Ein Chadash Tachas Hashemesh - There is nothing new under the sun.
Fewer words have been more prophetic. The evil inclination is once again whispering libelous claims to willful agents of destruction. Sadly, the United States is witnessing the convergence of Jew hatred from both sides of the aisle and from the democratic leadership in particular. Surely not the unity the Founding Fathers anticipated.
As a US senator you offer a message of love; a platform of security and stability. Neither of which can be sustainable without truth: An acceptance of baseline facts of what is good and what is evil. It is thus shocking that you recently voted against Israel, the eternal Jewish homeland as prescribed in the Bible you often quote. If the forecast is predictable - as many reasonably believe it is - the world has arrived on the battleground of an existential war. An inflection point. The final showdown of Good vs Evil, Life vs Death. Disregarding this notion is dangerous. Neutrality is not an option. Tactical intentions of previous centuries have long expired.
Instead, the Torah instructs us most concisely in Deuteronomy chapter 30 19/20 “Uvacharta B’chaim - Choose life.” Choose My truth, the only truth; which begs the question: Why is this explicit message the fundamental warning Moses conveys from G-d before he dies? Isn’t it obvious? Who wouldn’t choose life, a life of blessings for themselves and their offspring? It appears the answer is as relevant now as it was then.
Because the temptation to conform to negative influence is powerful. To discern and then accept what is true and what is false is difficult. Choosing the right path might be uncomfortable, it won’t always provide likable optics or favorable results in the poll booths. Nevertheless, G-d urges us to choose it! Despite knowing how unpopular or isolated, how harassed and despised we could become. Choose it anyway. That is the only reality, everything else is a distraction.
Furthermore, when one finds themselves in a place of authority, it is decreed so by Divine Providence. Accordingly, the first thing one must be compelled to ask himself/herself at dawn is how may I serve You today. Not your political party, not me Cory - your friend Toby, not my kids, not even your future Jewish offspring, as much as I want you to think of them when you vote against Israel. A vote against the security of nearly half the entire Jewish population, while the world convulses with hate.
What does G-d want from me today? Me, Cory Booker; believer, created in the image of G-d and one of a hundred people in the world elected through Divine Will to do something about it.
With this in mind, may G-d bless you and your loved ones with only revealed good and success. May G-d grant you the strength of a Gibor, a Warrior, the courage and conviction of your forbearers to lead with the ideals of Uvacharta Bchaim, a life rich with blessings and prosperity towards a true and enduring peace.
Toby
Toby Hecht is the Director of Shabtai, the Global Jewish Leadership Society based at Yale University. Shabtai was co-founded in 1996 by Senator Cory Booker