Rabbi Yaakov Raskin | The voice of Charlie Kirk – Truth cannot be silenced

AS WE approach Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year which begins on September 22 at sundown and concludes after nightfall on the 24th, it is a season of awe, repentance and trembling. On these days, the shofar is sounded as a cry to stir our souls into repentance. The sound is raw and piercing, shaking our very foundations so that we choose life, choose truth, and return to our Creator.

However, this week, the world was shaken by a very different kind of blast. Not the holy sound of the shofar, but rather a gunshot in Utah. Charlie Kirk – a world-renowned figure who transformed the global political and media landscape – was silenced while giving a speech at the young age of 31. Our generation’s voice of truth was cut down in cold blood.

This was not “just another tragedy”, or politics as usual. This was evil itself, and I’m not afraid to say so.

Charlie Kirk was targeted not because he was weak or spoke lies, but because he spoke truth in an age when lies rule the headlines.

Silencing truth is more than censorship – it is spiritual murder. King Solomon wrote: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). Using words is a power given to us from G-d. The book of Genesis says that the world was created through G-d’s speech. Words have the power to create worlds and also to destroy them. In that way, free speech is not just a political right; it is a sacred responsibility.

The prophet Isaiah described a time like the present, when “Truth has stumbled in the street, and honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes prey”. (Isaiah 59:14–15).

The period we’re living in has seen the very foundations of a functioning society – justice, truth, righteousness – begin to collapse. It’s not that these things have just been weakened; they’re being actively driven out and trampled down. Our society’s moral and social degradation is what Charlie Kirk passionately spoke about, and ultimately he was brought down by the forces he was fighting against.

So, how do we respond? In a world of so much violence and darkness, what can we do to bring more light into the world?

Jewish tradition teaches that, when we are confronted with evil, it is our job to call it out directly and unashamedly. Verses like Leviticus 19:17, where we are instructed to “rebuke your neighbour” and Proverbs 28:23, which says “Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favour” show us the way. In our world where political correctness reigns and people are afraid to speak their minds, we are divinely obligated to buck the trend, and courageously call out evil when we see it.

This calling out of evil is similar to the call of the shofar – a ram’s horn blown on the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah. The shofar’s cry is a call to awaken us, return to the upright path, and choose life. It is taught that the sound of the shofar drives away satanic forces that cause people to sin. They bring about a spirit of truth and justice that allows us to stand strong in the face of adversity.

Charlie’s death did not silence him. Instead, it amplified his message 1,000 times. The shot of the bullet that cut his life short was a metaphorical shofar blast from Heaven demanding that we rise, that we speak truth, that we refuse to surrender to fear.

This Rosh Hashanah, as the Book of Life is opened, and all of humanity is judged for the deeds of the previous year, the question is not only who shall live and who shall die this upcoming year, but whether truth itself will live or be buried.

Let this new year be different. Let each of us resolve to do one more good deed and unite in kindness, even when we disagree. That is Charlie’s legacy – to speak truth even when it costs us. We can all refuse to be afraid, to live with faith and courage, and to spread light. The Rebbe taught that even one act of goodness can tip the scales of the entire world for a favourable judgement on Rosh Hashanah.

Charlie Kirk’s voice is gone, but his death is not the last word. As we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, we remember that, ultimately, G-d has the final word. The shofar’s blast will reawaken us to G-d’s will. And it cries to us now: awaken, return, fight, love, live. And may we return to the vision of the prophet Isaiah, and live in a time where “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

Truth cannot be killed. Not now. Not ever.

Rabbi Yaakov Raskin is Jamaica’s Rabbi. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, will be celebrated by Jews across Jamaica from September 22 through 24. To join services or festive meals, please reach out to info@jewishjamaica.com.