Parshas Devarim (Chazon) 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Aug 1
- 4 min read
זנח אדני מזבחו נאר מקדשו הסגיר ביד אויב חומת ארמנותיה קול נתנו בבית ה' כיום מועד ... (איכה ב-ז)
The following story was told recently by Mr. Charlie Harary, about an experience he had years ago when he was invited to speak at the Christian Coalition of Technology, in Beaufort, GA. Apparently, the Christian organizers had seen a video of him speaking on Aish.com and were intrigued. They felt he could impart a religious message, from a Jewish perspective, to their followers. Mr. Harary was surprised and flattered by the invitation and after a bit of cajoling, agreed to attend.
On the day of the event, Charlie arrived early. He had never attended such an event and didn’t know what to expect.
The Evangelical minister got up first - and was electric. He began quoting every prophet, every verse - and the people were into it. Congregants were shouting “Amen!” and “Yes, L-rd!” even getting up and dancing. Then came the Southern Baptist minister. If the Evangelicals were enthusiastic, the Baptists took it to another level. They had a whole system: First, they would “Amen” him. Then, after they ran out of Amens, they would shout, “Preach on, my brother!” And if they really liked what he was saying, they would stand up, throw their hands in the air, and shout, “PREACH ON, MY BROTHER!” The room was on fire.
Then it was Charlie’s turn. He got up and tried to start the way he would with a Jewish audience. “In this week’s Parsha...” Silence. No Amens. No “Preach on, my brother.” Just dead silence, crickets. He had prepared a whole speech about elevating the physical and using technology for good. He spoke with passion. Nothing. Then he realized - New Yorkers speak fast, because the second you pause, someone cuts you off. But in the South? You pause, and you give them a chance to get into it. But no one had given him a tutorial on “How to Get an Amen in Beaufort, Georgia.” So he kept going, sweating through the silence, until finally he took a deep breath. And then ... from the back of the room, a single voice yelled out: “Amen!”
Charlie froze. He looked at the man and said, “Sir, I am standing up here talking and talking, not getting any Amens. And I started feeling self-conscious. But you, you gave me an Amen, you made me feel worthy, and I appreciate it.”
Suddenly, the entire room exploded. They started Amening him to death. Now he was all in. “And can I get another Amen?” “And can I get a Preach On, My Brother?” “PREACH ON, MY BROTHER!” They were all on their feet.
His speech was a resounding success and after the conference, he was sitting in a quiet room when the Evangelical minister walked in and closed the door. Mr. Harary braced himself. Okay, this is it. He’s going to ask me about religion.
The minister looked him in the eye and said, “Mr. Harary, I know.” Charlie was confused. “You know? You know what?”
The minister looked serious. “Yes, I know about your people.” Charlie was nervous now. But the minister continued. “My grandfather had a ministry. My father had a ministry. I’ve loved the L-rd my whole life. But I always noticed something: G-d is always taking care of the Jews.” He explained that when he had taken his first trip to Israel, the tour guide announced that they were going to visit the “Western Wall, the holiest site for the Jewish people.” He was expecting something grandiose, maybe a site closed off to the public, only open to the most righteous Jews, where entry required special permission.
Instead, he saw tourists snapping pictures. Kids dancing. People laughing. He was stunned. “This is the holiest site for the Jewish people? Their holy place of worship, and they let just anyone walk in?” The minister was beside himself.
On the way out, he confronted the Israeli tour guide. “How can it be? You explained that this Wall represents the last remnant of the Holy Temple, the Temple where Jews prayed to the Lord, offered sacrifices and served the Lord. In order to thwart the Jewish people, their enemies attacked, not once but twice, and destroyed this sacred place, only leaving one remaining wall as a remnant of what was. How can such a place be open to the public, why don’t they keep it private?”
The tour guide smiled. “You don’t understand. The Bais HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, wasn’t just for Jews. It was a place where everyone could connect to Hashem. Even non-Jews used to bring korbanos - sacrifices. G-d doesn’t belong to us alone - we want the whole world to know Him.” And that’s when the minister realized: “That’s why G-d hooks you up. You’re His people. You’re the ones bringing Him into the world. And when you work for the Boss, you get company benefits!”