Morton Grabel Ob"m

 

I received a call that Morton Grabel passed away a few weeks ago.  He had retired to Texas a few years ago and was battling pancreatic cancer since shortly after he moved.

Morton was a real character.  He grew up in a rough neighborhood in Philadelphia and that shaped him into the “rough on the outside, soft on the inside” guy that he was.

I believe he came to California with the military, and like many, stayed here.  He was an attorney, and his picture may be the first one I associated with Chabad of Temecula from his law firm ads in Rabbi Yitzi’s calendar.

As I dug more into the business elements of Chabad. I found that he was the legal agent to incorporate Chabad of Temecula in 1999.  He was literally one of the first people to meet and help Rabbi Yitzi.

I could always count on Mort to give me his brutally honest opinion and I enjoyed teasing him.

Even after he moved, we kept in touch, and we spoke about the emotions of fighting cancer.

Towards the end, he told me how he “thanks G-d every day for his cancer”, because it brought him closer to G-d.  He started praying every day, including putting on Tefillin, and he said this is a connection to G-d he likely would not have had without his disease.

Mort had told me years ago that he included Chabad of Temecula in his will, and I am grateful to him for that.

I will miss him.

The lesson we can all learn from Mort of being “rough on the outside, soft on the inside” is underscored this week with big developments in Israel.

The Bibas family has been perhaps the most recognized hostage family.  The grandparents were killed in the massacre, and the parents with their 7 month old and four year old babies were taken hostage.

Their bodies were just exchanged for live terrorists in a disgusting music filled Hamas propaganda event, attended by thousands of jubilant “innocent Gaza civilians”.

The babies were strangled to death by hand a month after being abducted into Gaza, in November 2023.

It is heartbreaking.

And there has been an outcry in Israel over the savagery.

Personally, I don’t really understand why people seem so “outraged that Hamas has reached new lows”.  This is par for the course for them.  It fits right into their MO.

After hearing the sad end of their story the first thing that came to mind is the “pep-talk” of the Kohen anointed for war.  His job was to mentally prepare the Jews for war when they were being attacked by enemies.

Here are some excerpts from his talk, recorded in the Talmud, Sotah 42A:

“Listen here Israel!  You are going to war against your enemies, not your brothers.  Not like a war of Judah on Shimon, where they will have mercy on you if you fall to their hands.  As it says in Chronicles, that even in the unfortunate wars of Jews against Jews, the losing side was dressed, bathed and fed by their captors. [Not so with your enemies who are merciless!]

The Torah commands us:  “Don’t be faint hearted” when you hear the rumbling of their horses!  “Don’t be afraid” from the clashing of the shields and their many soldiers!  “Don’t panic” from the horns and shouts of the enemy!

G-d is going with you to war!  Your enemies come with the victory of flesh and blood, but you come with the victory of G-d!  The Philistines came with the victory of Goliath, and what was his end?  He fell by the sword, and they fell with him.  

But you are going with the Ark of G-d, as the Torah says, G-d is going out with your camp.”

Indeed, our enemies are merciless, as they have proved to us again with the Bibas family.  It’s heartbreaking and makes us want to curl up into a ball and disappear.  It makes us want to do anything to get this nightmare to stop.

But the Torah commands us not to be faint hearted.

Not to have the emotion of fear in war is indeed one of the 613 commandments, just like keeping Shabbos, putting on Tefillin and eating Kosher food!

We need to learn from Mort to be rough on the outside (in war) but stay soft and warm on the inside.

Stand your ground and finish the war to the end!