Raboyseyee and Ladies,
SPECIAL EDITION- CHARLIE KIRK
The Righteous of the Nations Have a Portion in the World to Come.
Our Sages of the heylige Gemora (Sanhedrin 105a) in the discussion about non-Jews and their spiritual reward, state explicitly that the righteous of the nations have a portion in the World to Come:
. חֲסִידֵי אוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם יֵשׁ לָהֶם חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא
(Chasidei umos ha’olam yesh lahem chelek l’olam habbah)
The Rambam codifies this: any gentile who keeps the Seven Noahide Laws because Hashem commanded them through Moishe Rabbeinu is counted among them. But beyond the technical halachic categories, there is a broader truth: The RBSO loves loyalty, courage, and moral clarity wherever He finds it. The Novee calls such people ger toshav; our mesora (tradition) calls them righteous.
In Jewish tradition, this phrase is often used when honoring non-Jews who risked or sacrificed for Jews (e.g., Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg, both righteous gentiles of the Holocaust). Yad Vashem uses the title “חסידי אומות העולם” officially to honor such individuals. The phrase carries enormous weight: it is the Toirah world’s ultimate expression of respect for a gentile, essentially saying they achieved eternal spiritual merit.
Charlie Kirk, by defending Israel, the Jewish people wherever they find themselves, honoring the Shabbis in his own way, speaking out against immorality, and choosing life at every turn, earned that title. More on this concept below, but I start with this thought.
There are times when I struggle to match the words in the parsha to what I want to write about. Then there are times, when the parsha is mamish rich in material, a perfect match for the message to be conveyed. And so it is this coming week when we will read Parshas Netozvim, as a singleton this year. It’s seemingly tailor made for a few thoughts on the late Charlie Kirk who was truly one of the chasedi umos ho’olom, a truly righteous person among the nations. The Ois wishes to dedicate this review to someone who wasn’t born Jewish, but who stood – firmly, publicly, and fearlessly – with the Yiddin and with Israel, the very good guy and goy, Charlie Kirk.
Let us begin with the opening words of the parsha: Atem nitzavim hayoim kulchem. The heylige parsha begins with Moishe telling the Yiddin: “You are all standing here today, all of you.” The leaders, the elders, the men, the women, the children, even the wood-choppers and water-carriers. In other words: nobody’s left out. If you’re part of the people, you’re standing. You’re counted. You’re in.
Let’s not get confused: This goy understood loyalty, faith, family values, and most importantly, what it meant to stand tall when the world is wobbling. A goy who looked around at the chaos of a confused generation and said, “Not on my watch. I’ll call out the meshugas, the crazies and the mishegas. I’ll support Israel. I’ll stand with truth.” And stand he did.
Netzovim, always read before Rosh Hashono, has this clear message: Before the RBSO (Hashem) sits on His heavenly throne to decide who gets a year filled with blessings and who does not, we stand up and declare where we are. On what side are we? Who do we identify with? Are we with the RBSO and the values of His Toirah, or are we with the nonsense of the world? Netzovim is a parsha about standing proudly, not hiding. About clarity, not confusion.
Charlie Kirk embodied that message. No double-talk. No hiding behind politically correct nonsense. He said what needed to be said, and he said it clearly. Kulchem – all of us, every single Jew – mattered to him. Israel mattered to him. He didn’t care if the elites mocked him. He didn’t bend to pressure. He stood, like Moishe demanded.
The parsha goes out of its way to list every segment of the people. Of-course the leaders, but also the choppers of wood and the drawers of water. Everyone counts. Everyone matters. Why? Because when it comes to a covenant, loyalty is more important than titles. That was Charlie Kirk. He was not Jewish, but oh man, his loyalty counted. Way more than the certain so-called “Jewish elected leaders” who are too busy apologizing for Israel or excusing Jew-hatred. Let’s get real: Half the politicians -sadly to include suddenly ultra-liberal Jewish ones, can’t make a decision without checking which way the Twitter mob is blowing. Charlie Kirk? He didn’t need a poll. He didn’t need permission. He chose life, loudly and proudly. And he encouraged others to do the same.
The parsha also reminds us that standing is not passive. It’s not just showing up for roll call. Netzovim means standing proudly, with conviction. That’s what makes it so powerful that we read this parsha right before Rosh Hashono. The RBSO wants to know where we stand. Charlie Kirk knew exactly where he stood. He chose life, he chose morality, he chose faith, and he chose Israel. So very sadly, his brilliant life was cut short davka because he stood so tall.
The bottom line: Let’s be honest: Plenty of Yiddin – say it’s not so- but it sadly is- sometimes waver. Some hedge their bets, some try to stay neutral, some keep their mouths shut so as not to offend; Kirk wasn’t one of them. He opened his mouth, loudly, and said: “Israel is right. The Jewish people matter. Antisemitism is evil.” In an age where silence is complicity, he spoke. In an age of bending, he stood tall.
Later in the parsha we get another classic line: Loi bashomayim he – the heylige Toirah is not in heaven, it’s not far away. It’s right here, close to you, in your mouth and your heart. The message? Truth is not inaccessible. Morality is not some abstract philosophy. It’s right here, ready to be lived.
Charlie Kirk believed that too. He said again and again: these values – family, faith, honesty, loyalty, life – are not unreachable. They’re not locked in some ivory tower, reserved for professors and intellectuals. They’re simple, practical, and attainable. You don’t need a PhD in sociology to know that boys are boys and girls are girls. You don’t need to consult the Supreme Court to know that life is sacred. And you certainly don’t need to twist yourself into a pretzel to know that Israel has a right to defend itself. It’s not bashomayim. It’s obvious. Unless, of course, you’re a woke activist -especially a paid one.
And here’s a very fascinating and gevaldige point: Charlie Kirk not only spoke about shutting down his phone for the heylige Shabbis, he actually did it. He called it his Sabbath rest, as G-d commanded, and even remarked that the RBSO Himself observed this – working for six days and resting on the seventh. Nu, let’s be honest: The Ois knows plenty of Jewish teens who can’t last 25 minutes without secretly checking their phones under the Shabbos table. Yet here was Charlie Kirk, a goy, observing Shabbis and in this respect, better than many of our own. He grasped the meaning of disconnecting, of sacred time, of stepping out of the noise. That’s loi bashomayim he in action: holiness isn’t in heaven, it’s as close as the power button on your phone.
The parsha closes with the ultimate instruction: “Uvacharta bachayim” – choose life. Moishe lays it out: you’ve got a choice, my friends. Life and blessing, or death and curse. It’s up to you. Choose well.
Charlie Kirk was a man who consistently chose life. He spoke against the culture of death, against abortion, against the cheapening of human dignity. He spoke in favor of families, of morality, of the values that make societies strong. He understood that when Hashem tells us to “choose life,” it’s not just about survival – it’s about choosing a life of meaning, loyalty, faith, and courage. Sadly he lost his own life saving many others.
So, what’s the bottom line of this special edition? Charlie Kirk showed us what it means to stand tall. He may not have been born into the covenant, but he lived its values and he stood by its people. He was nitzav – strong, proud, and unbending.
The heylige Toirah is mot in shomayim – it’s not in heaven, but sadly, as of last Wednesday, Charlie himself is in shomayim. And the Ois dares to say: He entered as a righteous gentile, a chosid umos ha’olam, who stood with Israel and lived with loyalty.
As we approach Rosh Hashono, let’s take that as our inspiration. And let’s also have the hakoras hatov to honor those righteous among the nations who chose to stand with us – even when they didn’t have to. Choose life. Choose loyalty. Choose to be counted.
And so, as the Ois closes this week’s review, we remember that Charlie Kirk was indeed a goy for sure. A very righteous man who stood tall, who was counted, and who chose to stand with the heylige Yiddin. May we learn from his courage, may we honor his loyalty, and may we, too, be nitzavim hayom – standing proudly, firmly, and joyfully, as we enter the New Year.
May Charlie Kirk, who stood so faithfully with Am Yisroel, be counted among them. Yehi Zichro Baruch; may his memory be blessing and a turning point for change.
Along with many others, hundreds of thousands, and perhaps even millions around the world, I will miss you; rest in peace.
The Heylige Oisvorfer Ruv
Yitz Grossman
