The Army of Avraham

Who else, as a kid, was a member of Tzivos Hashem?

Tzivos Hashem, literally the Army of God, was founded in 1980 by the Lubavitcher Rebbe as a youth group to increase religious observance and knowledge of Jewish customs and religious practice in Jewish children. The idea was to empower participants by using military language, imagery, and even ranks to add structure, competition, and fun to Judaism. You would start as a Private and then be able to climb the spiritual and literal ranks all the way to General.

I was a career Private.

Viewing our Jewish responsibilities as a military mission was not a modern innovation. Avraham was the first Jewish (or Jew-ish) soldier. He joined the battle of the five kings versus the four kings to rescue his nephew, Lot. Avraham did not want to fight, but he felt the need to stand up and do battle for what was just and to protect his family.

The Torah says (Bereishit 14:14) that Avraham armed his “disciples,” and they went off to battle. What is the significance of the Torah describing these soldiers as disciples? Avraham did not merely impart information to his students. He taught them to act. His students didn’t just absorb lessons and values. Avraham impressed upon them the need to act upon and even fight for those values.

Students are not usually the ones who go off to battle. Most of us do not fight with weapons. Each and every one of us, though, has a mission. We have orders to follow and battles to win. Our mission is to follow Avraham’s example and stand up for what is right. Our battle is to fight for goodness and respect and kindness. It is a battle to be a mensch, a good person and a good Jew.

We don’t have weapons with which to fight. We have our smiles, our mitzvot, our acts of kindness, and our commitment to do what is right.

Next Friday is Veterans Day. Several years ago, at a Ramaz Veterans Day assembly, Mr. Manny Gross, a veteran and father of Esther Kremer, asked to say a few words. His powerful message was absolutely incredible! (I strongly encourage you to watch it HERE.) Mr. Gross described his army experience. He focused on how he maintained his Judaism throughout his time in the military. He put on tefillin EVERY SINGLE DAY. He described keeping kosher and how he would trade his rations with other soldiers for food that he could eat like crackers, jam, and tuna fish. Mr. Gross is a military veteran as well as a veteran – and a victor – in the battle for Jewish identity and values.

We can learn a lot from our veterans about dedication, purpose, and standing up from what is right. This Veterans Day, coming on the heels of Parshat Lech Lecha, we also remember the Torah’s first veteran, Avraham. We remember that he led his students to battle. Each and every one of us is a student of Avraham. Let’s do our best to fulfill our individual missions and win the battle for what is right.