It’s truly a beautiful thing when we observe a custom that is universal among all Jewish communities. When we conclude the public Torah reading of parashat Mase’ei and move on from the book of B’midbar we will all chant “Chazak! Chazak! V’nitchazek!” We understand it to mean, “Be strong! Be strong! Let us strengthen one another!”
No one knows what gave rise to this practice. Yet it is striking that when Jews completed a book of Torah the word that echoed through their shuls was not “joy,” not “peace,” but “strength.”
I have a photograph on my nightstand of Israeli tanks rolling down King George Street on Independence Day in 1973 in a manner that was clearly designed to project Israel’s military strength. These were the tanks that were pivotal in saving the Jewish state from annihilation only a few years before. No one knew then that these were also the arms that would be called upon to perform that very same holy duty on Yom Kippur, only a few months after I took the photo. Virtually every country displays its military prowess on such occasions to instill pride among its people and fear among its foes.
By 1974, however, Israelis experienced a more subdued Independence Day. There were no tanks rumbling through Jerusalem’s streets. The nation understood that strength, indispensable as it is, should never become an object of celebration in itself. And that led me to wonder … I understand why a nation surrounded by guns needs strength. But why does a people gathered around Torah call for strength? Might the Jewish people learn from the Jewish state to be more restrained in celebrating strength as we move through the Torah?
True, sometimes we need strength; it provides the ability to live. But love provides a reason to live. I do not always need to be braced with strength; sometimes I just need an embrace.
As we conclude each book of the Torah, I, like everyone in my shul, like everyone in every shul, will sing, Chazak! Chazak! V’nitchazek! But as I sing, I will imagine laying down the arms that symbolize weapons and raising up the arms that offer chibuk—an affectionate embrace. “Chabek! – I embrace God; Chabek! – I embrace Torah; V’nitchabek! – Let us embrace one another.”
Robert Lichtman has devoted his career to securing a vibrant future through Jewish leadership, learning, and community. He has served in senior roles at major Jewish organizations including UJA-Federation of New York, Hillel International, and the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, where he was Chief Jewish Learning Officer. Now an essayist, mentor, and teacher, he explores the challenges and possibilities of Jewish communal renewal in his writing and teaching. He may be reached at RobertELichtman@gmail.com