November 2026
MY BROTHER’S KEEPER
The following are the remarks made by Rabbi Kogan at the Louis Weiser Memorial Service Scholarship & Awards Breakfast.
The first few years after the creation of the world would have been a nightmare for the NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies. It took fewer than four chapters in the Bible for the murder rate to reach 25%, when one-quarter of the world’s population was killed. I am referring to the murder of Abel by his brother Cain; the first recorded murder in the Book of Genesis.
The story is well known. Both brothers brought offerings to God. God accepted Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s. Cain grew intensely jealous, angry, and resentful after God favored Abel. He then lured Abel out into a field and killed him.
The dialogue that ensued is one of the most famous in the Bible: ויאמר ה׳ אל־קין אי הבל אחיך ויאמר לא ידעתי השמר אחי אנכי׃ God asks Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” to which Cain replies, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
In the continuation of the story God cursed Cain, making him a restless fugitive. However, Cain’s central question remains unanswered. Cain wants to know: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” but God never gave an answer to his question.
I would like to suggest that God never gave an answer to Cain’s question, because the answer is not for God to give.
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” I don’t know. Am I?
Are you your brother’s keeper? And you? And you? And you?
God doesn’t answer the question because it is up to us to answer it, not with words, but with actions.
In the following Torah portion, Abraham argues with God on behalf of an entire city. He is acting as his brother’s keeper. Later on, Judah is ready to take his brother Benjamin’s place as a slave. He was acting as his brother’s keeper, and so is Moses when he strikes an Egyptian who is beating one of his brethren.
But what about me? What about you?
The Torah is going to leave the question unanswered, but later (Leviticus 19:16), God is going to make His expectations clear: לא תעמד על־דם רעך (Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor).
God cannot answer Cain’s question for us, but He wants us to be our brother’s keepers.
Interestingly enough, the question, “השמר אחי אנכי” (Am I my brother’s keeper?) includes, in Hebrew, two of the most important words in our own fraternal organization: the word שמר in the plural, שומרים, and the word אחי (brother), which is how we refer to each other at the Shomrim Society.
Our Sages throughout the centuries have striven to define the word “brother” in the context of Cain’s question. In other words, who is my brother toward whom I have a special, unique sense of responsibility?
Of course, we can answer: every human being is my brother, but I am afraid that when the answer is “everyone,” it ends up being “no one.”
So, as I start wrapping up my remarks, I would like to share how I see the concentric circles of care and responsibility by the members of the Shomrim Society.
First, we are the shomrim, brothers and sisters, of the only Jewish fraternal organization in the NYPD. It is not a coincidence that we refer to each other by the titles of “Brother” and “Sister.” We stand for each other, for all the Jewish members of the force who serve and served in the New York Police Department. Like all other fraternal organizations that focus on the distinctiveness of their members, we are here to advocate for our Jewish brothers and sisters, so they will continue to serve while proudly upholding their Jewish identity.
Second, we are the shomrim of this wonderful city and its 8.5 million people, Jews and non-Jews alike. We all raised our right hand, and promised to discharge the duties assigned to us, to the best of our abilities.
Third, we are the shomrim of our Jewish brothers and sisters everywhere, especially in New York City. Our organization is a Jewish one, and the wellbeing of every Jew must be a priority for each of us. We can never let antisemitism be the norm in our city or around the world.
Finally, we should see ourselves as the shomrim of our brothers and sisters in Israel. We begin each of our meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of Hatikvah and we proudly march in the Celebrate Israel Day Parade. The Land of Israel is inseparable from our Jewish identity. The modern State of Israel—which, like any other country, has its flaws and shortcomings—represents the realization of the 2,000-year-old hope of our people, להיות עם חופשי בארצנו, ארץ ציון וירושלים, to be a free nation in our land, the Land of Zion and Jerusalem.
In a few moments, we will remember our brothers and sisters who have passed away, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and who knew too well that they were their brothers’ keepers. The least we can do to honor their memory is to keep the flame bright and to make our best contribution for the betterment of our Shomrim Society, our amazing New York City, the Jewish people, and the State of Israel.
Rabbi Manes Kogan