The following talk was delivered in Yeshivas Lomza,
Petach
Tikva, during the Second World War, in the midst of the
battle at El Alamein, in Egypt. Its relevance to these times
makes
it a fitting subject, particularly now.
We do not rightly
appreciate or understand the times in which
we are living in. We all
know that only an outright miracle
and great mercy make it possible
for us to gather here today
in the yeshiva and to continue to study
in relative
tranquility. A mere hairsbreadth separated us from
devastation and destruction, G-d forbid. Had the Germans
ym'sh succeeded in forging ahead just a little more,
they
would have broken the front lines at the Egyptian
border, and then
our entire situation would have been
destroyed and we would have
shared the same fate as our
unfortunate brethren in Europe.
How
terrified were we a mere week ago, and how quickly were
we able to
revert to our complacency without experiencing the
threat of the
situation in its full measure! The
gemora in Taanis, perek
beis teaches that if
there are three fatalities in a city with
five hundred men,
it is necessary to rouse that city and its environs
by
blowing the shofar to mourn the loss. Yet here, a
honed
sword is poised at the jugular of the entire yishuv
and the
danger of total annihilation looms in front of
our noses; how then
can we be such fools as not to feel the
prickle of the sword's
point?
And even if things seem to have quieted down, somewhat,
still, we cannot know how things will eventually turn out.
Our
situation hangs upon a precarious balance. True, even a
soldier at
the battlefront can become accustomed to dangerous
situations and
even feel apathetic to the imminent threats
surrounding him, but it
is not human to be totally
insensitive to one's condition. This is
especially true for
one who believes in Hashem. Not for a moment can
we blind our
eyes to what is liable to happen, even if our ears do
not
register the cannon thunder.
In normal times, a person is
incapable of grasping heavenly
retribution, G-d forbid, but when it
looms upon our immediate
horizon in all of its dreadful magnitude,
one cannot retain
his equanimity. At such a time, we are obligated to
submit
before Hashem; we must display the natural fear that is
evoked at such a time, even while placing our full trust in
the A-
mighty.
Some fools attempt to downplay the danger and lull public
fears. They find this an opportune time to play up national
pride.
All of their interest is focused on creating armed
Jewish brigades
which they feel is the pinnacle of Jewish
success. This, "surely,"
will save and protect the millions
of Jews all over the world. Their
perverted imagination
conjures up the image of a Jew armed to the
hilt as the only
solution to the German threat. A ridiculous notion,
similar
to the Lithuanian generals who so proudly declared that their
minuscule army was invincible, at the very time that they
were
threatened by the mighty, massive military armaments of
Russia and
Germany.
Woe unto us if Jewish leadership reaches such a myopic
state
that we mirror-mimic the aspirations and attitudes of the
gentiles, as the prophet stated it, "Like unto the nations is
the
House of Israel."
This is a direct result of the gross materialism
which such a
large portion of our people has embraced in this period.
It
is so foreign to the true spirit of Judaism. The notion that
Jewish might is the concretization of Jewish hope is
completely
strange. It is the height of alienation, because
it plugs up ears
from ever hearing the message of
emunah and bitochon.
At that point, all senses
are desensitized; the antennae of faith
have become
atrophied, and even imminent danger no longer speaks to
them.
Is the only solution to ingest the bitter pill of suicide
or
to go join them at the front lines and fight?
Such attitudes
infiltrate our camp, too, in various forms.
People talk about the
necessity of self defense as a Torah-
mandated mitzvah, an
indispensable aspect of
hishtadlus. Before allowing such
notions to gain sway,
we must delve into the true ways of the Torah
and test
ourselves to see if we are really removed from the influence
of the outer world.
So here we are. Let us think for a moment:
What does it
behoove us to do at this juncture, according to the
dictates
of emunah? What follows may seem perhaps a sublime
madreigoh. Still in all, it constitutes the alef-
beis
which every Jew should aim for.
Ramban writes in his commentary on
Iyov, referring to
the verse, "He does not lift His eye from
the righteous one,"
that those tzaddikim who focus their
hearts and eyes
always upon Hashem are paid back by Hashem's focusing
His
eyes upon them, as it were, from the beginning of the year
until
the end of year. One who wholeheartedly cleaves always
unto Hashem,
will not wrest his very thoughts from Him to
consider worldly
matters. Such a person is always guarded
from the vicissitudes of his
times, even those resulting from
causes in nature. He will be
protected even by miracle, and
it will be as if he is invulnerable to
any normal occurrences
or disasters that surface with time. His
closeness and
adherence to Hashem will verily preserve and protect
him
completely.
But one who is distanced from Hashem in thought
and deed,
even if he is not deserving of punishment by dint of his
sins, will be subject to happenstance and circumstance, that
is, to
natural causes that will affect him.
There are many sources to
uphold this premise. It is written,
"The feet of His adherents does
He guard, and the wicked ones
shall be silenced in darkness." Those
who are close to Hashem
are perfectly protected, while those who are
distanced from
Hashem are prone and prey to happenings from whose
harm
nothing will save them.
Simply stated, one who walks in the
dark is liable to fall if
he is not watchful and does not walk
slowly. But this is not
the rule with the righteous, for "He does not
remove His eyes
from the righteous one." And thus, he will not, can
not,
stumble. "Hashem's eye is upon those who fear Him."
This is
a novel concept, completely different from what we
are used to
thinking: It is not, as we might assume, that
when a person cleaves
unto Hashem, Hashem will surely save
him, even if it requires a
miracle; that Hashem will go out
of His way, so to speak, and change
the course of nature in
that instance to protect His follower. This
is not to say
that this is false. Hashem will save him, but that is
not how
we are supposed to look at it.
Rather, when a person
cleaves wholly unto Hashem, he
generates a new and different nature
of superior protection
which supersedes normal physical protection. A
person who is
severed from Hashem is really prone to the rule of
natural
law and all that entails. Whereas one who cleaves unto Hashem
allies himself to a higher governing power, a superior law, a
supernatural law that is altogether not subject to the normal
vicissitudes and ravages of natural law.
This is no miracle. It
is a different course of natural law
that is beyond the normal
physical world; it is metaphysical
and supernatural. A man of this
caliber is more like a
celestial being who is certainly not subject
to the normal
laws of nature and time.
This is a steadfast tenet
of faith from which follows the
corollary that the very reality and
substance of our faith
should be a striving to become closer to
Hashem. The highest
degree of our faith is not only expressed through
a greater
understanding but through an actual closeness to Hashem --
with all this entails. Included in this is the initiation
into a new
reality of (super)natural law of divine protection
from all kinds of
harm that man is heir to in normal life.
There is no doubt that if
this were our goal in our daily G-
dly service in getting closer to
Hashem, that we would not be
frightened in the least of the threats
that the future holds.
Our second nature, which we would have assumed
through our
total devotion to Hashem, would grant us immense serenity
and
equanimity. We would feel a total trust that creates pure
peace.
A person who wholly believes in Hashem does not need to be
told, "You must not fear. Remain calm and collected." He is
serene,
no matter what. He feels in his very bones, in the
very inner
recesses of his soul, that no harm will come to
him. He feels
secure.
"Sinners in Zion are afraid." Fear can only exist where
there
is sin. The righteous are fearful only when they feel they
are
growing apart from Hashem. But when they feel close to
Him, they are
living in a different world.
And so it is. Their reality is
different, the governing laws
of "nature" are such that are
invulnerable to natural
disasters or other causes of harm. Only one
who imagines that
his safety and defense is dependent upon his own
powers is
afraid of a confrontation, a clash of power. But a person
who
considers his physical might of no consequence and relies
purely
on Hashem, will go through the motions of self
protection, since this
is an obligation from the Torah, but
his trust will rest only in
Hashem.
Hashem established the world to run according to natural
law,
and so, a person is not permitted to rely on miracles, but he
will surely not ascribe his safety or success to the means
and
measures he took to protect himself. He will acknowledge
only that it
was the will of Hashem.
As adherents to Torah, it is our duty to
try with all our
might to approach Hashem. We must firmly believe
that "He
will not remove His sight from the righteous." We must
strengthen ourselves in emunah. We must become
absorbed in
Him, so to speak.
Such dreadful times are propitious for us to
discount worldly
matters for we see how ultimately, they simply don't
count.
Everything can go up in smoke or come tumbling down in a
twinkling. What possible content can human life have if it is
not
consecrated to Hashem? And if it is, it assumes new
meaning and
purpose, a new dimension, a supranatural level of
existence which
bequeaths serenity of spirit.
Today it is easier to realize that
this world is a passing
shadow, like that made by a bird in flight,
as Chazal noted.
Hashem's world, the one of the spirit, stands firm
and
secure, giving no legitimacy to fear and anxiety. Would that
we
felt the signs of proximity to Hashem, that we more fully
realized
our obligation in serving Hashem. Let us not allow
external
difficulties to deter us from toiling in Torah and
yiras
Shomayim. From such knowledge we will derive
advantage even from
this difficult state of things.
"Seek Hashem when He is
accessible." For the Jewish people,
there is no such thing as hard
times. Even the Days of
Judgment are times of drawing closer to Him.
There is no
difference between "When I came out of Egypt" and "When I
went out of Jerusalem." Precisely now, we can gain ready
access to
our hearts, for they have become tenderized and are
more receptive.
These times are geared for spiritual
ascent.
Let us utilize
them!
