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12 Av 5761 - August 1, 2001 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Opinion & Comment
The Way to Nechomoh

by Rav Yisroel Spiegel

We are now in the weeks of nechomoh for the churban of the Beis Hamikdash. The nevi'im console us in the haftoros following Tisha B'Av starting from "Nachamu, nachamu ami" -- (Yeshaya 40:1). If we think somewhat deeper we can find nechomoh in the Torah's instructing us how to reach peace and tranquility in Eretz Yisroel, the land Hashem swore to give to our fathers. It is naturally the greatest nechomoh that after all the tragedies that have befallen us we can be zocheh to return to the way we once lived.

There is a deluge of thunderous voices from every direction: hostile Arab countries surround us, the world is against us. There is no country in the world like Hashem's inheritance in Eretz Yisroel which is so resented and threatened and so many crucial decisions have been made concerning it. Almost all non-Jews seem to challenge Eretz Yisroel's remaining in Jewish hands.

Each year Jews read the pesukim that guide them how to live peacefully in Eretz Yisroel without any protests from other nations:

"Wherefore it shall come to pass, if you hearken to these judgments and heed and do them, that Hashem your Elokim shall safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you, and will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land: your corn and your wine and your oil, the offspring of your cattle and the flocks of your sheep in the land which He swore to your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples" (Devorim 7:12-14).

These eternal pesukim determine clearly: If "You harken to these judgments and heed and do them" then and only then "Hashem your Elokim shall safeguard for you . . ." We should not expect to be saved by sophisticated political tactics. We dare not rely on the "stately demeanor" of political leaders and surely not on the heretical outlook of "Let us decide our own fate!" The only way to be saved is to listen to what the Torah tells us. We must study the Torah and follow its guidance and mitzvos.

The Torah later writes: "Every mitzvah which I command you this day, you shall observe to do, that you may live and multiply and go in and possess the land which Hashem swore to your fathers" (Devorim 8:1). Rashi (ibid.) explains that "every mitzvah" means exactly that -- to observe all mitzvos, without any exception.

This is what we have been Divinely commanded and guided. This is the way we must live. The Torah is showing us a distinct way to inherit Eretz Yisroel when "He will deliver their kings into your hand . . . A man will not stand up against you until you have destroyed them;" this is the greatest nechomoh there can be.

It is imperative that we constantly remind ourselves of the above. We must be aware of the nechomoh the Torah is giving us.

There are many who become terribly depressed when they contemplate our present situation. They reason that Jews living in Eretz Yisroel have no way out of this predicament and that they must continue to feel like bnei Yisroel before krias Yam Suf, whose only choice is either jumping in the ocean or facing the enemy awaiting them in the desert.

We must take time to reflect and see correctly what has really happened. It is not the nechomoh of the Torah and the nevi'im that has disappointed them, chas vesholom. It is the few vain comforts that our nation has embraced over the years that have really disillusioned them. The belief that through the kindness of other nations we can be delivered from golus and our suffering is what has caused them to become disheartened.

This fruitless plan of trying to convince world leaders to recognize the legitimate right of Jews to a National Home and an independent country was adopted by Zionism. Theodore Herzl, founder of Zionism, embraced this task wholeheartedly and coined the impressive slogan: "If you wish, it is not a dream." A hundred years after he had uttered that slogan and fifty years after the State was founded according to his "prophecy" there are, however, many who are disappointed -- and no one is really pleased.

Am Yisroel await the redemption and long for a nechomoh and do not want to be deceived. They want the true and tangible nechomoh from Hashem.

Actually what has happened to us is nothing new. It is as long as the golus, repeated throughout our history. During the bitter golus and persecution, a gnawing away of our hopes and a weakening in emunah is always possible. Those who suffer are understandably likely to pursue illusions and falsehoods, to be ready to adopt even something that looks partially true.

In modern times we have seen the Enlightenment Movements and those following foreign cultures as agents who request a nechomoh from the non-Jews. This has been even at the price of annulling their own lifestyle and assimilating amongst them.

" `Nachamu, nachamu ami' -- they sinned doubly, were punished doubly, and are consoled doubly" (Midrash Eichoh 1:24). In two ways we find ourselves entangled in an inescapable situation: first of all when we disobey the Torah's guidance on how to inherit Eretz Yisroel: "Do not go up for Hashem is not among you so that you may not be smitten before your enemies" (Bamidbar 14:42). Second, even after entering Eretz Yisroel according to Hashem's command and in the way the Torah has directed us, we should not forget the Divine warning of "Beware lest you forget Hashem your Elokim, by not keeping His commandments and His judgments and His statutes which I command you this day" (Devorim 8:11).

In both these matters the "Zionist Redemption" has sinned against the Jewish Nation. They sought the benevolence of the non-Jews and even relied on the heretical concept of "my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth" (Devorim 8:17). Jews will control their own destiny, they said.

In addition, they decided to set up in Eretz Yisroel an explicit and mapped- out plan to create a populace that will forget Hashem's name and will uproot emunah and Torah. This is the direct opposite of the conditions the Torah has given for obtaining our rights in Eretz Yisroel and our being able to continue living there.

Today's reality as far as Eretz Yisroel and the Jews living within it is complicated and it is therefore not entirely similar to any of the above ways. "Official" Zionist historians indeed claim that all that we have accomplished in Eretz Yisroel is a direct result of what they did. They claim this not only to help forget and overlook what others have done but mainly to deepen the heretical concept of relying on the kindness of other nations and our own strength. Such a concept of military supremacy opposes the Jewish emunah of, "For they did not get the land in possessing by their own sword nor did their own arm save them, but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your countenance because You did favorably accept them" (Tehillim 44:4).

The historical truth is that the roots of the renewed Jewish settlement in Eretz Yisroel are kodesh. They begin from the aliya of the Ramban more than seven hundred years ago, the aliya of Spanish Jews after their expulsion, and the aliya of the Chassidim, talmidim of the Baal Shem Tov, and the Perushim, talmidim of the Vilna Gaon, that took place some two hundred years ago. All of these aliyos were, of course, carried out according to all the conditions that the Torah and Chazal require to fulfill the mitzvah of living in Eretz Yisroel. This is a mitzvah that obligates us today too, one whose main requirement is our living a Torah lifestyle in Eretz Yisroel and fulfilling Hashem's mitzvos.

From these foundations and their offshoots the Torah community exists and flourishes in Eretz Yisroel. This Torah community is doubtless, as we believe, the decisive factor in our ability to live here. This belief is reinforced when we constantly see the abundant and amazingly evident Divine rachamim protecting the Jews living in Eretz Yisroel from their many enemies.

The ways of the Supreme Hashgochoh are hidden from us but it is impossible to ignore what we do happen to see clearly: in contrast to all the many dark shades that it is unnecessary to write about in detail, the many rays of intense light have, boruch Hashem, increased. This bright radiance prevents the anti-religious from strengthening their heretical hold over the Jews in Eretz Yisroel, a hold they once thought was absolute.

Heaven has rachmonus on the remnants of His people and the land has been favorable to them. It is, boruch Hashem, being built, developed and is flourishing. Eretz Yisroel is a "land in which you shall eat bread without scarceness, you shall not lack any thing in it" (Devorim 8:9) in its broadest meaning.

It is popular knowledge that Maran the Chofetz Chaim zy'a often hinted in his last years about the terrible tragedy that was about to befall European Jewry. The only nechomoh that he told those who asked him about our future was, "Upon Mount Zion there will be refuge and it will be holy" (Ovadia 1:17). The Chofetz Chaim said this to the Ponevezher Rav zt'l too, and he later placed this posuk on top of the yeshiva's building in Bnei Brak.

"Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your countenance because You favorably accepted them" (Tehillim 4:4). Although today light and darkness are mixed together, we doubtless see Hashem's blessing. Indeed the dense dark shades around us both cripple and unsettle us. They cause us to worry endlessly since this darkness strengthens our enemies who wish to destroy us.

On the other hand, we must realize a magnificent fact: the land that was desolate when in the hands of various non- Jewish conquerors for so many years has been kind to us and desires us. It has been fulfilled "I will bring the land into desolation and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it" (Vayikra 26:32). The Ramban explains: "The posuk is telling us good tidings: during all the goluyos our land does not accept our enemies."

From the time the aliya of Jews to Eretz Yisroel started, the land has been redeemed from its desolation and has, boruch Hashem, accepted us graciously.

If we had been zocheh and the aliyos to Eretz Yisroel in the last generations would have been according to the Torah's guidelines and with pure intentions, we would today be living here securely. We would not be threatened day and night by enemies surrounding us. Our distant "friends" who are kind to our enemies while being particularly demanding only with us would have acted differently.

We must believe that just as we have to thank those who study Torah and the multitudes who fulfill its mitzvos for our being privileged to experience daily miracles, it is also vital that we realize that suffering comes as a result of our sins. The greatest sin causing us hardship is that Jews have "mingled among the nations and learned their deeds" (Tehillim 106:25).

HaRav Naftoli Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (the Netziv) in Ha'ameik Dovor writes on the posuk, "It is a people who shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations" (Bamidbar 23:9): as long as the Jewish Nation is "alone" and does not mingle with other nations it will "dwell" in serenity and honor. However, if the Jewish People is "among the nations," when it wants to mix together with them, then "it will not be reckoned" -- non-Jews will not consider them at all. They will disgrace them and try to harm them.

As long as we continue to look for worthless consolation either through our might or from the benevolence of other nations, we will suffer, and this suffering, Rachmono litzlan, includes the bloodshed of Jews living in our land. HaRav Meir Shapira zt'l, the founder and head of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, in his speech at the Second Knessia Gedolah, connected four haftoros of nechomoh.

He cited a Yalkut Shimoni in which Chazal tell us that when HaKodosh Boruch Hu sent Yisroel to golus He called out to all of the nations to console them. Yisroel, however, immediately started crying and was not prepared to accept any nechomoh from them. This is the content of the four haftoros. HaKodosh Boruch Hu calls out to the nations "Nachamu, nachamu ami" -- comfort My nation Yisroel (the haftorah of Voeschanon). Knesses Yisroel, however, answers while crying: "And Zion says Hashem has forsaken me and Hashem has forgotten me" (Yeshaya 49:14). You are telling non-Jews to console us but we want only You to console us (the haftorah of Eikev). Hashem answers, "O you poor, afflicted, tossed with tempest and not comforted." I only wanted to test you if you would agree to be comforted by the nations (the haftorah of Re'ei). Since you are afflicted and refuse to be consoled by others and desire only HaKodosh Boruch Hu to comfort you, therefore "I, even I, am He that comforts you" (Yeshaya 51:12), (the haftorah of Shofetim).

This speech of the Lubliner Rav was after the pogrom of 5689 (1929) in Hebron. At the speech's conclusion he said something just as applicable seventy-two years ago as today: "We are finishing maseches Zevochim. May HaKodosh Boruch Hu help us to honor His name that there will not be anymore zevochim of Jews who are slaughtered. We have given enough sacrifices and we now want to sacrifice zevochim as per Divine will in the Beis Hamikdosh, to offer incense of real menochos. May He have rachmonus on us and that "the earth will be full of knowledge of Hashem" (Yeshaya 11:9). May that knowledge of Hashem overshadow and stand up against the culture and enlightenment of the twentieth century."

In this connection it is fitting to reflect about what HaRav Elchonon Wassermann Hy'd wrote in Ikvesa Demeshicha (pg. 41): "Eretz Yisroel takes up a principal place in the Torah. Three sedorim of Shas are also connected to Eretz Yisroel: Zero'im, Kodshim, Taharos. A large portion of the remaining sedorim is also connected with Eretz Yisroel. In seder Mo'ed there are several masechtos [connected with Eretz Yisroel] such as Yoma, Shekolim, Chagigah, the last part of Pesochim, the last chapters of Sukkah and Taanis. In seder Noshim: Nozir and Sotah. In Nezikin: Sanhedrin, Makkos, and Horayos. This summary shows that almost two thirds of Shas is connected to Eretz Yisroel and that same relationship is in the Chumash too. It is therefore understandable that Eretz Yisroel is a mitzvah in itself."

Boruch Hashem, we were zocheh to a great miracle. In contrast to those who wanted to make "Eretz Yisroel without Torah," there is a Torah Jewry in Eretz Yisroel that is constantly extending its borders. This large community of yirei Hashem is living proof to the fact that "Eretz Yisroel takes up a principle part in the Torah." Through widespread observance of the Torah and mitzvos in Eretz Yisroel we are zocheh that Eretz Yisroel can be called the land of the Jewish People, a land suitable to receive the rachamim and chassodim of Hashem Who has bequeathed to us this "desirable, good and spacious land."


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