Almighty,
by the Torah You gave,
You shaped the world,
and through it, the world lives.
The Torah is a wellspring of life,
given to humanity
so that life may be guarded
and the path of life may be walked.
For in the Torah it is taught
that by living its words,
a person truly lives.
When the world is at peace,
the Torah is studied,
entered gently,
with attention and devotion.
When the world stands in danger,
life is preserved and defended,
so that the Torah
may still be studied
in safety and dignity.
For the Torah was given for the sake of life,
and the preservation and defense of life
become the fulfillment of commandments.
Within the Torah itself
You revealed a law
that shelters life —
pikuach nefesh.
It rests
at the very heart of the Torah.
There are times of waiting,
and there are times of rising.
There are generations of dispersion,
and there comes a moment of return.
So it was in the wilderness.
Some saw the land
and saw only its hardships.
And they said,
“We are small in our own eyes.”
But others said:
“God is with us —
whom should we fear?
If God is with us,
we will enter
the Promised Land.”
And the path was taken
by those who stepped forward.
For faith,
when joined with action,
guards life.
You lead the world,
weaving its many lines
into a single design.
You bound
Moses and David —
law and sovereignty.
You bound
David and Ruth —
Israel
and one who came
from among the nations.
And from this binding
emerged the kingdom
from which Mashiach will come.
You guard
every thread.
And if at the root there was
the discipline of Lithuania,
the light of Vilna,
and the voice of the Maggid of Dubno,
who spoke to the hearts of
Israel in Russia,
then, in an hour of danger,
that very line
entered history.
His name was Jabotinsky.
He spoke of return
so that Jews might live.
He spoke of a state
so that Torah
could be studied without fear.
He spoke of strength
not as conquest,
but as a wall
that protects life.
And You blessed this path.
And Israel endured.
And wars became defense,
never desire.
And the language returned.
And the people gathered.
And the land awakened.
We see this,
and we thank You.
For life.
For protection.
For the path You opened.
For Mashiach comes
where life is guarded
and a vessel is prepared.
And this is not the end,
but the beginning of the way.
And thus the Torah speaks,
in its living meaning:
“Preserve life —
and you shall live.”
Let this psalm be read
when doubt weighs on the heart.
Let it be spoken
when life must be chosen.
Let it stand
for the preservation of life
and for the future
of the Jewish people.
Rabbi Moshe (Mikhail) Salita is a Brooklyn-based rabbi, legal scholar, and emerging animal chaplain whose work unites Jewish spirituality, international law, and compassion for all living beings.
He holds a Master’s in International Law (with honors) from the National University “Odesa Law Academy,” where he is currently a PhD student researching the restitution of unlawfully confiscated Jewish communal property in Soviet Ukraine. He also earned a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Pratt Institute (New York) and a Master’s in Education and Special Education from Touro University, with graduate certificates in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Bilingual Education.
Rabbi Salita is an ordained rabbi of the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute (JSLI), a Doctor of Ministry student in Jewish Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Foundation, and an Animal Chaplain-in-Training with the Compassion Consortium in New York. His mission is to weave together justice, mercy, and creation care into one sacred path of Tikkun Olam — healing the moral and spiritual wounds of the world.
He serves as Executive Director of the Salita Foundation, originally founded by his brother, Dmitriy Salita — former WBF World Champion boxer, and inductee of both the New York Boxing Hall of Fame and the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Today, Rabbi Salita leads the Foundation toward a broader vision — uniting humanitarian ethics, environmental awareness, and cultural restitution.
Through the Foundation, he has launched the “Eco-Kosher Initiative,” a global program encouraging support for businesses and individuals who respect the environment, animals, and their communities. For him, “eco-kosher” is not limited to food — it is a moral philosophy of living in balance with creation, where sustainability and holiness walk hand in hand.
He is also devoted to preserving and gaining international recognition for the rare Israeli cat breed Kanaani — a living symbol of harmony between Jewish heritage and the natural world.
A descendant of Sruel ben Aharon Lekhtman, a Ruzhiner Hasid and brick-factory owner in Kitai-Gorod, Kamianets-Podilskyi — once a spiritual heart of the Ruzhin Hasidic movement in Tsarist-era Ukraine — Rabbi Salita continues his ancestor’s legacy of faith, integrity, and bridge-building. Sruel Lekhtman served as a close friend and estate manager for Pan Dembitsky, a Polish landowner remembered with respect in both Jewish and Ukrainian memory. Their friendship, crossing lines of faith and culture, remains a profound symbol of coexistence — especially meaningful for Ukraine today.
Although Rabbi Salita received Reform rabbinic education in the spirit of Jewish Universalism, he maintains a deep spiritual connection with Chabad, whose living Hasidic tradition unites intellect, compassion, and joy.
Following the example of the prophets — from Adam, the first caretaker of creation, to King Solomon, who understood the language of animals, and to Rav Papa, the sage who spoke kindly of cats — Rabbi Salita teaches that true holiness is revealed through compassion for all living beings. His life’s work is to show that caring for animals and serving God are one and the same sacred breath.
