"We find ourselves in a most grim situation. This is a troublesome time for all of Jewry." These were the opening words expressed painfully by HaRav Yehoshua Eichenstein: Those who were murdered so brutally, all the wounded and the captured ones! It is terrible and horrific. May Hashem have mercy upon them all and rescue us from their hands.
The first principle which we must know is what Chazal taught us: Hashem looked into the Torah and created the world. Everything in the world, in Creation, is to be found in the Torah, written or hinted therein.
This is how the world has been conducted throughout the generations. Everything appears there, written or alluded to, from the very time of Creation, in Ha'azinu, in the lives of our Ovos and in many other places.
In order to learn the proper outlook regarding our situation today, we must see and attempt to understand the root or source in the Torah of what is now taking place, how to relate to it, and what behooves us to do under the circumstances.
Where, indeed, do we find the root in the Torah to this difficult present situation?
HaRav Eichenstein: Klal Yisroel was destined to experience four exiles: Babylon, Medea, Greece and Rome. The exile, or subjugation under Yishmoel, was not enumerated (by most commentaries). And these ask why it is not included.
In his commentary, Eitz Hadaas Tov, HaRav Chaim Vital discusses (Tehillim 124) this question thus:
The exile of Yishmoel is not included because it is an additional one and different in essence. In Daniel these exiles were enumerated through parable and comparison to certain animals.
Yishmoel has a different nature and cannot be compared to animals. He falls under the category of 'a wild man' (pere Odom). He shares parental merit being the son of Avrohom and the fact that he circumcises himself which grants him Heavenly assistance and a special power to succeed in his ways.
Rav Chaim Vital writes: "There remains a fifth and last exile in this world which will be the most difficult one, that of Yishmoel who was called 'a wild man.' He is not compared to animals.
At this time, Jewry will unanimously declare; 'It was only thanks to Hashem Who protected us when man rose up against us.' He is indeed referred to as 'man' being the son of Avrohom granting him paternal merit, as he requested, 'Would that Yishmoel live before [in Your presence and estimation'] You.'
He also has ]to his credit] the merit of circumcision, which adds to his being referred to as 'man.' This is also why his exile [of Jewry] is more difficult than the other four. Chazal say that he was also called 'Yishmoel' because when that time comes, Jewry will cry out loudly and then Hashem will heed their cry and answer it."
He explains, quoting from Pirkei deRabi Eliezer (chapter 30 and chapter 32), that the exile of Yishmoel will follow the Roman exile and will be the most trying one. During that exile, Jewry will suffer terribly with strange afflictions to such a degree that in the total despair of their affliction, they will understand that they are powerless and that their only respite will be to cry out to Hashem for salvation.
Furthermore, "Whatever was written about the Yishmoel exile where they will inflict upon Jewry peculiar and terrible suffering which have never before existed is a reflection upon his name, Yishmoel. At that time, we will be utterly helpless, in complete despair, and will only know that we must cry out of Hashem and trust that He will rescue us.
"The underpinning of our trust will be that He created Heaven and earth, purely for the sake of Jewry who will keep the Torah, as Chazal say: Bereishis - because of 'reishis', which refers to the Torah and to Jewry, as is also written, "Were it not for My covenant of day and night, I would not have established the laws of Heaven" [check].
"If so, than it obligates Him [at it were] to rescue us from their hands with a total and speedy future salvation so that there be a continued existence of the Creation, for it can only exist because of Jewry."
We now see and understand tangibly how this is developing and the words of Rabbi Chaim Vital written with Divine spirit are being realized in full. We are surrounded with enemies from the Arab nations who attempt to strike at us and annihilate us. They have tremendous military capacity which they can use in mutual conjunction. There is no natural way for us to repel them.
Our dealing with the terrible terror shows us how difficult and cruel this Ishmaelite exile actually is, with no ordinary way for us to deal with it. This should lead us to the realization that we have no way of arresting the situation and as a result of what has happened until now, we are beginning to feel the full brunt of this exile and need to cry out to Hashem, realizing that we have no hope for salvation through natural means.
HaRav Yehoshua continues to analyze the situation:
If we contemplate, we see that when the State was established, it was based on the ideology that the reason for the Holocaust was because Jewry did not have an army of its own to protect it, which is why they went 'like sheep to slaughter.' Now we have a state and an army to rely upon. This attitude cannot help but have some influence upon each of us and we feel sure of ourselves, with no cause for fear because of 'our might and the strength of our hands.'
But this is dangerous because to survive the Ishmaelite exile, we must not feel safe and protected but completely nullified, which happens when Yishmoel is strong and mighty. We will then all come to the realization that there is no natural way for us to survive. The only resort is to trust in Hashem, for this alone will bring salvation.
In the Six Day War, when our enemies rose up against us, the situation was desperate. We were certain that our enemies would destroy us. The government prepared huge plots for burial. At this time, everyone understands how precarious was our condition. The general atmosphere, even in the army, was hopeless and helpless, and our only help would come from our Heavenly Father. And truly, at that time, we saw amazing miracles in that war which brought in its wake great exaltation and thanks to Hashem.
But then afterwards everything was destroyed, as they began to deny the Providence and the miracles and explained everything as their power and the might of their hand.
If we reach a clear recognition that we are surrounded by great enemies from all sides. They can destroy us at any time. There is no hope. Then all will recognize that we should not depend on the might of our arms at all, that according to natural laws cannot succeed. Then all will realize that everything is in the hands of Heaven and then the yeshu'a will come.
But we live in the golus of Yishmoel. We must uproot from ourselves the confidence in the power of our arms. As long as we trust our own might, we cannot be redeemed from the golus of Yishmoel! We must recognize ein od milevado. Certainly we also have to do normal hishtadlus. We must use all available means to fight. But we should not place our faith in it. Hishtadlus is necessary — but it will not bring the yeshu'a.
In our generation, the spirit of the outside world breaks through every fence and framework. We must erect an intellectual barrier. We must understand how far the outside world is from Torah and keep ourselves separate. We must understand and recognize our responsibility as cheil Hashem and that we have no part of the outside world.
One of the things that is getting stronger and stronger is the desire to raise our standard of living and to live a life of excesses and materialism. We must know that there are things that a person needs because of his nature, for his physical and mental health. But there are many things that people chase after that they do not truly need.
The world today is built on a desire to lead a life of excesses and entertainment and one who desires a life of Torah cannot desire a life of material excess. The desire for material things damages the desire to grow in Torah. In recent years there is a big decline in the hope for gadlus in Torah and this is one of the things that needs to change.
