Rischa D'araisa-Season 12 Finale-To Bring to Kever Yisroel-Pride in Trying-In Memory of Elik Topolosky Z"L

·31 min·3 clips

After his son-in-law Elik's fatal accident, the host reads Elik's last email about Israel's risky mission to retrieve a pilot's remains.

The episode begins with host Avram Kivilevich sharing the personal news of his son-in-law Elik Topolovsky's death in a car accident on the George Washington Parkway. Elik left a wife and two young children. Kivilevich reads Elik's last email, which suggested a debate on Israel's recent raid into Lebanon to retrieve the remains of missing pilot Ron Arad, missing since 1986. Elik connected this to the biblical story of Joseph's bones and expressed pride in Israel's efforts. The host then presents two opposing views: Prime Minister Netanyahu's statement committing to retrieve captives at any cost, and the pilot's wife Temi Arad's appeal asking Israel not to risk soldiers' lives for her husband's remains. Rav Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer joins the discussion, offering condolences and analyzing the ethical conflict. He introduces the concept of morale as a key factor in military decisions, noting it's a gray area in halacha with no clear Torah mechanism to assess risks. The conversation explores whether such risks are permissible for national morale, comparing it to historical examples like the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. Bechhofer references Shlomo Brody's writings on morale and discusses how military mentality differs from Torah principles. The host and rabbi then examine biblical precedents, such as the people of Yavesh-gilead risking danger to retrieve King Saul's bones, suggesting Elik's intuition had merit. They debate whether soldiers volunteering for risky missions alters the halachic calculus, touching on concepts like shemirat nefesh and societal needs. Kivilevich reflects on how his personal loss reshapes his perspective on death, contrasting random accidents like Elik's with deaths in Israeli missile attacks, which he sees as kiddush Hashem. He shares a conversation with his son in Israel about teaching children Torah portions like Vayikra to instill devotion amid tragedy. The episode concludes with a fundraising appeal for the Yeshiva of Newark podcast and a fund for the Topolovsky family, noting the host's own recent accident. The season ends with a plug for support and wishes for a meaningful holiday.

As heard by us

A bereaved season finale turns one halachic question into a searching discussion of Shabbos, life, and Jewish morale.

Grief shapes the season finale around a hard question: how far the duty to save a life can reach when work, Shabbos observance, and communal morale all press in at once.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when a family tragedy leads into the email that framed a searching debate about Shabbos, work, life-saving need, and Jewish morale.

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