"When Aharon Barak Recited 'Shema Yisrael' He Was Overcome With Tears, A Moment That Will Stay With Me Forever"

"Aryeh Erlich, 35, married and father of six, resides in Beitar Illit, a journalist and editor of the 'Mishpacha' newspaper magazine."

A Distant Memory I Will Never Forget

"The day the Lubavitcher Rebbe passed away, 3rd of Tamuz, 1994, is etched in my mind to this day. Although 29 years have passed, it still moves me deeply. I was a seven-year-old child. The Rebbe was so many things to me. We had a large picture of him in our living room, I listened to his recorded talks, grew up on stories about him, and dreamed of the day I would travel to meet him. That Sunday, my mother told me the Rebbe had passed away, and I cried out loud: 'Why did this happen? Why did this happen? I don't want this.' At that moment, I understood I would never see the Rebbe, but over the years I discovered that the Rebbe remains present in my life through his teachings and guidance, which continue to be a great light in my life."

"Several years ago, I had the privilege of writing the book 'At the Moment of Truth' along with Yossi Elituv and Shalom Yerushalmi, which deals with the incredible connections the Rebbe maintained with Israeli leaders and military chiefs, showcasing his immense concern for the security of Israel's residents."

A Miracle I Experienced and Will Not Forget

"When I was a yeshiva student, five friends and I traveled from Jerusalem to spend Shabbat near the graves of the Tannaim in Tiberias. We traveled via the Jordan Valley Road. On one of the bends, a truck veered into our lane at high speed, charging toward us in a very frightening way. The driver lost control of the car, and we began swerving rapidly on the road. By the grace of Hashem, at the last moment the truck passed our lane while our car zigzagged into the opposite lane. Moments later, we overturned, the roof of the car took a heavy blow, we overturned again, and then the car was stopped half a meter from the precipice. It's hard to believe, but we all emerged without a scratch. Every time I recite the Hallel prayer and say the words 'and did not give me over to death,' I recall this miracle where I was given my life as a gift. By the way, since then I have not traveled on the Jordan Valley Road and that is what I recommend to others, as long as safety measures are not installed there."

A Difficult Period I Will Not Forget

"At the beginning of the COVID-19 period, the Haredim were under intense scrutiny. The powerful media in the country portrayed the community in the darkest of colors. They said we were 'spreaders of the disease.' I was very upset about it. The hatred against the Haredim was rampant in the media and on the streets, and it was revolting. I published my criticism of the media on this matter, and shortly afterward, the editor-in-chief of Yedioth Ahronoth, Neta Livneh, approached me and offered me to publish an op-ed on the subject. I decided to go for it, and the headline I gave to the column was: 'We, the Haredim, Are Your Punching Bag.'

"Thank Hashem the column was very successful. It was shared many times and helped many to open their eyes and understand how foolish it is to judge the Haredim, with their large families, who were put in the quarantine in a completely different situation from the general public. I continued with the matter, and to this day more than a hundred columns I wrote were published in Yedioth Ahronoth. Some of the columns are directly related to Haredim and some indirectly. I try to present the Haredi perspective clearly and assertively, and at the same time, do it pleasantly, or as the Lubavitcher Rebbe called it: 'in an accepted way.' If I contribute through these columns to lowering the walls of animosity in Israeli society even by one millimeter - it is something the importance of which is hard to overstate."

An Important Principle I Will Not Forget

"I always try to remind myself that in every position I'm in, I have a mission, and I should not think only about my personal advancement. It is clear to me that if a person has gained influence, he should use it for the benefit of all Israel, to think about how he can endear Hashem's name, to exert influence pleasantly and acceptably, especially in instances where it is not most beneficial for him.

"My goal is not to make people religious, but rather to endear Hashem's name upon the Jewish people. When you are a religious journalist, you represent the way of Hashem in the eyes of many people, even if you do not wish to. Many times, people form their attitudes towards Torah and mitzvot based on what you write and do. Therefore, I believe a religious journalist should be interesting, professional, eloquent, and sharp, while presenting the Torah of Israel clearly and pleasantly. I am not saying that the only thing that drives me in my work is the mission. Naturally, as human beings, we also have other, lesser motives, but when you remember that in the end, you are on a kind of mission, it helps you do your work well, and mainly it protects you and your values from harmful influences that could penetrate you, heaven forbid."

A Mitzvah I Observed and Will Not Forget

"At the start of the storm surrounding the judicial reform, when the State of Israel was aflame from the divisions between the camps, I called Aharon Barak and offered him an interview for the 'Mishpacha' newspaper – where I edit the magazine. He said to me, 'You called at a good time, I have something to say, come happily.' Two days later, I arrived at his home with my colleague Aharon Kleiger, and we had a conversation lasting about three hours. For quite a few years I had a dream to help Aharon Barak put on tefillin, a man who, in the eyes of many, is the epitome of secular, intellectual Israeli. Just before the end of the interview, I told him: 'I have a dream that you will put on tefillin.' To my great surprise, he rolled up his sleeve and signaled for me to begin.

"After putting on the tefillin I suggested that we recite the Shema together, and he agreed again. When Aharon Barak recited "Shema Yisrael" he was simply overcome with tears, and that moment will accompany me all my life. After the publication of the video, some talked about how it is possible that such a man would not know the basic 'Ve'ahavta' verses of Judaism, but I chose to focus my attention on the tear that flowed from his eyes when he recited with me 'Shema Yisrael', the fundamental verse of the Jewish faith. Ultimately, after very substantial disagreements, Aharon Barak is a tinok shenishba, a Jewish child who grew up in the Kovno Ghetto. At that particular moment, the Jewish child from the Kovno Ghetto was reawakened to life.

"A few months later, he was interviewed by Roni Kuban and said he does not believe, but we know that the Tanya teaches that every Jew believes in Hashem, only sometimes it is very covered. You have to peel off the cover and the faith is revealed. That moment when Aharon Barak shed a tear in 'Shema Yisrael' was such a moment, where the shell was peeled off and the truth emerged. After the interview, I received warm and cold responses regarding the interview and the laying of tefillin, some argued that he used the laying as a tool to disseminate his stance against the reform, but these are responses of those who do not understand the value of a Jew putting on tefillin and the Jewish soul that is revealed. Indeed, one of the things that delighted me the most was that several Chabad emissaries from different parts of the world told me they managed to get people to put on tefillin only because Aharon Barak did. Quite a few people told them: 'If it is good for Aharon Barak, it can be good for me too.'"