Lest You Forget
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

August 10, 2025, Maaleh Adumim, Israel

ד,ט דְּבָרִים

 רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ מְאֹד, פֶּן-תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר-רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וּפֶן-יָסוּרוּ מִלְּבָבְךָ, כֹּל, יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ; וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ, וְלִבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ

Only take heed to thyself, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of thy life: but teach them to your sons, and to your sons' sons; (Deuteronomy, Chapter 4, verse 9)

Sitting in the synagogue of the local Rabbinical Academy my dear neighbor's son is reading from the Torah to mark his Bar Mitzvah, his elevation to a full member of the Jewish community. I hear the words which I have heard thousands of times from the days when I sat in the synagogue with my own father, may he rest in peace, and throughout many years, but sometimes, it just hits you. A new meaning, a slightly different angle emerges.  

There is never an exact translation of the ancient Hebrew in modern English, and therefore if you don't speak, understand, feel Hebrew, you never get the full picture, Sorry, but that is the truth. 

Take heed to thyself, but also...be careful. and keep your soul diligently, but also...and guard well your life. lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, but also, so that you never forget the happenings which you have seen with your own eyes. 

I just returned from South Africa a couple of days before hearing this, I was there to teach survival, Krav Maga, self-defense, but I also was there to learn about the nature of crime in that divided country. I heard many horrifying stories, and of course here in Israel we have heard many horrifying stories of the atrocities committed by our Arab neighbors. And there is a danger!

The danger is lest we forget what we have heard and seen. 

I am sitting and listening to the ancient text being read by a boy of a mere 13 years old, and the message is clear to me. We have heard and seen horrific things, the human nature, now as then, is to be horrified but to quickly forget. This is what the Bible is concerned about, this is what the Torah is warning us about. Lest you Forget!!!

Those who forget, must relearn, and suffer!

Forget the English for now, I feel the words as I hear them, I don't interpret them academically, I feel them in my soul. Rak, only, guard yourself, but no, there is more, it says guard your very soul very much because this is not an academic matter, it is a soul matter, remember the pain you have seen and felt, lest..this is a powerful word in Hebrew, pen, it is more like Heaven-forbid you should ever forget what you have seen! The text uses the words eyes, and then heart. Let the experience you have seen never leave your eyes but also never leave your heart, don't lose that feeling that you felt when you first experienced these things, do not let go of the visceral pain you felt when you saw children mutilated and women raped, lest you forget! Keep it, not only in your documents and records, but, we are warned, in your HEART and SOUL, pen, lest, Heaven-forbid, you forget!

All the days of your life, these harsh painful feelings, must stay alive in your heard, and you must always see them in your eyes, all the days of your life, but that is not enough! No, that is not enough, you must pass them on, as accurately as you can to the future. This must pass on. 

The Torah is of course not talking about Krav Maga, it is referering to the experience of Mount Horev, of meeting God the Almighty face to face. It is referring to a spiritual experience of the highest magnitude. But the Torah is applicable not only to the specific circumstances in the text but to all aspects of life. That is the beauty of it, the rabbis says that each verse has seventy faces, so I can see the face of Krav Maga, in light of recent experiences. I shall not forget what I have seen and heard, I shall not forget the pain, I shall not forget the cry of the innocent, in Israel, and in South Africa, in Mexico, and in the USA. 

To me this is a soul verse, not an academic one, and I understand it and felt it on that level which is not the mind but the heart. Feel the pain, see the pain, let it not pass from you, lest you forget, Heaven-forbid you should forget, for then you will lose your direction, your goals, your motivation. Feel the cry of the innocent and you will never lose your passion for Krav Maga. 

A verse from perhaps 3,500 years ago awakes us with a warning, Train - Teach - Share the passion, never let it die, lest you forget the lessons you have experienced today. Keep them in your heart, not only in your legers. 

And the fire still burns.

רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ מְאֹד, פֶּן-תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר-רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וּפֶן-יָסוּרוּ מִלְּבָבְךָ, כֹּל, יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ; וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ, וְלִבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ

Moshe2021

Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.

Understand the Israeli Fighting Mentality - Israel a Nation of Warriors by Moshe Katz

CoverNationWarriorsNew

What is the cultural background of Krav Maga?  What makes it unique? What makes the Israeli military so effective? Why are Israeli security systems used all over the world?

What are the Biblical origins of Krav Maga and who was the first Krav Maga instructor?

What weapons and military strategies did our Biblical ancestors use?

How has Krav Maga developed in Israel and what are its goals?

All that and more in this unique book.

Books by Moshe Katz

Start Your REAL Training TODAY

Or is someone coming to save you?

IKI Krav Maga online distance training - Leading to ranks and certification.

DVDs from Israel

Tour and Train Israel Experience

IKI Membership Options.

Krav Maga Certification

Krav Maga Instructors

Krav Maga Seminars

Personal Training - If you are interested in personal Krav Maga training please contact us on the form below. 

IKIFlag

Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.
Google