27 February 2026
Question
It is all very nice that people are getting closer to Judaism after the Bondi attack. The same thing happened after October 7, and the same thing happens after every tragedy. But how real is it? If a Jew is suddenly very Jewish when things are bad, what does that say about their Judaism?
Answer
Your question was answered by a beached seal.
Last week my brother was going for a morning run in an urban park, and he saw the strangest sight. There, lying by the side of a river, was a seal. Not your usual visitor in the middle of the city.
This encounter reminded me of a Talmudic discussion about seals. The rabbis debated: Is the seal a water creature or a land creature?
The Hebrew word for seal is Kelev Yam - sea dog. They spend most of their lives in the water. So does that define them as marine life? Do we go by where they spend the majority of their time?
No. That doesn’t define a seal. We may call it a sea dog, but it is not a sea creature. Why? Because if you want to define a creature, you have to ask one question: where does it go when it’s in danger? Where is its refuge?
For a seal, the answer is: it runs to dry land.
Under threat, your instincts lead you to where you really belong. Your refuge is your true home. No matter how much time you spend in the sea, if you flee to dry land when your life is endangered, that shows who you really are. You are a land creature.
This is not just a biological fun fact. It’s a spiritual truth. Our soul has a homing signal that brings us back to where we truly belong. That’s why when Jews are in danger, we run to Judaism. Because that’s who we are.
A Jew can spend his whole life distant from his Jewish roots. He can adopt other identities and blend into the surrounding culture. But that is just where he happens to be swimming. A little shake up, and the inner self is revealed. He comes right back to where he belongs. A Jew’s home is in Judaism.
We have seen this throughout our history. The very same dynamic played out in the Purim story. Jews try to assimilate into Persian culture by attending the king’s party. A wicked prime minister poses a mortal threat to Jewish life. This leads to a massive return to Judaism. They prayed. They fasted. They refused to bow to their enemies. And that led to victory. The threat didn’t create their Judaism. It revealed it.
What my brother saw in the park was a creature finding safety in its true habitat. And what we are seeing today is the same. Torah is our natural home. Jewish life is our life. And if a formerly estranged Jew feels the pull to return to Judaism, he should be welcomed back home. He needs no one’s seal of approval.
Sources
Mishna Keilim 17:13 R’ Tzadok Hakohen, Ohr Zarua LaTzaddik