Part II
The first part reviewed the insight of R' Tzodok Hacohen
of Lublin ztvk'l who taught that all the wisdom and
knowledge in the world is a by-product of the wisdom that is
found among those who study Torah. Advances in other fields
of human intellectual endeavor come about because of progress
and success in Torah study. Yet the Chovos Halevovos points
out that progress in secular areas is accompanied by
deterioration in moral areas. As the body is more pampered,
the mind becomes dull. HaRav Dessler expands on this by
pointing out that people's tremendous travel in our days is
nothing but the fulfillment of the curse of Kayin. They do
not realize that far from bettering the world, the unbridled
material progress accompanied by moral decay is only ruining
olom hazeh.
HaRav Dessler also says about new
discoveries, "They use all their inventions for destruction
and ruin. For instance, let us consider the shortening of
distances by improved transportation such as ships and
planes. Today these are used for destruction. Whereas before
all wars caused only local ruin, now devastation is
worldwide. Chazal (Sanhedrin 71b) have taught us that
`it is beneficial for tzaddikim and the world when
tzaddikim meet, but it is detrimental for
reshoim and the world when reshoim meet.'
"Any invention or discovery can be beneficial only when
tzaddikim use it. People are mistaken if they believe
that refinement of character needs no effort. Such an
assessment is foolish beyond belief. Only when the Melech
Hamoshiach will come and the `earth shall be full of the
knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea'
(Yeshaya 11:9), and people will give to others, then --
and only then -- will olam hazeh be perfect."
He writes that we can learn the Torah outlook on wisdom of
olam hazeh from the first inventor: Tuval Kayin "the
forger of every sharp instrument in brass and iron"
(Bereishis 4:22). How did humanity react after seeing
his invention? They were probably truly amazed and excited.
People presumably plowed fields either with their hands, with
sticks, or with stones until the eminent inventor, Tuval
Kayin, lightened their workload tremendously through his
discovery of iron and its various uses. Chazal, however, say
that destruction is the result of that development, according
to the Torah. Tuval Kayin increased the potential for
destruction. Rashi (Bereishis 4:22) explains: "Tuval
Kayin -- [the first word] is derived from the word
tavlin (spice). He `spiced' and dressed- up the trade
of Kayin by making weapons for murderers."
Maran further explains that this was the mistake of the
dor hamabul, for which they were punished by the fact
that the springs of earth's deep waters split open. This was
measure for measure: a result of their aspiration to
concentrate on the material elements of olam hazeh.
They clung to their mistaken beliefs as the Midrash
Tanchuma (Bereishis ch. 7) writes: "`The pity of
reshoim is cruel' (Mishlei 12:10). People of
the dor hamabul were cruel . . . When HaKodosh
Boruch Hu brought up the deep waters . . . they took
their children and put them in holes of the deep waters to
plug them up."
The Aggadas Bereishis (ch. 4) adds: "They had many
children and each one would take his son and put him on the
deep waters and [use the children as] patches so the water
would not drown them. When the water would rise again they
would take other children and put them on the deep waters.
See their pity -- `The pity of reshoim is cruel.'"
HaRav Dessler explains: "The explanation of these amazing
ma'amorim is as follows: When people try to improve
olam hazeh their anguish will heighten. Instead of
realizing they are sinking in materialism, they look for ways
to develop material life even more, hoping thereby to achieve
more satisfaction in olam hazeh. When this fails, they
attempt to capture this elusive satisfaction for their
children in olam hazeh. It is amazing to see how they
blindly walk to their ruin.
"Currently we see the unemployment of tens of thousands
caused by industrialism and the increased worry and stress of
raising the standard of living. All their economic research
aimed at improving life only wrecks it further. Nonetheless,
they all think that in a short while the world will improve,
and even if in this generation they do not reach true
happiness, surely the next generation will be successful. In
this way they raise their children to cling to materialism
and to develop it further. This is what the Midrash
means when it says that they put their children in holes of
the deep waters to plug them up so as not to drown. They do
not want to realize that this would not even help their
children. Even if they put patches on top of patches, one
after the other, they cannot protect themselves from the
destruction that tumah brings in its wake. The result
is that their pity for their children is actually cruelty
since they are hastening their children's devastation.
"Happiness in olam hazeh can only actually be achieved
by being satisfied with a minimum of olam hazeh and
having a fervent aspiration for spiritual achievement. This
is what Chazal (Ovos 6:4) write: `This is the way of
Torah . . . You will be happy in olam hazeh.' "
One question still remains. Although
technological progress is likely to turn into an instrument
for destruction in the hands of people who have devoted all
their efforts to material progress and have neglected the
moral aspects of life, do not these miraculous inventions
show that our modern era has some special quality? Do we not
see that Heaven has granted such sophisticated inventions in
our times?
We quoted above R' Tzodok Hacohen that the growth of
knowledge throughout the world is only because of the growth
of Torah learning at that particular time. Nonetheless, we
must remember that as far as ruchniyus is concerned, a
constant digression is taking place over the years, a
yeridas hadoros.
Even the chidushei Torah of our generation do not
point to our being superior to those before us. On the
contrary, we have a kabolo from our gedolei
Torah that our main effort is to try to understand what
rishonim said and to make it clear to our weak
intelligence and to attempt to grasp what they teach us. [So
our learning is certainly on a lower level than theirs.] We
succeed in understanding the succinct teachings of the Rambam
and the Rashbo only after intensive examination, and after
first being fully aware of the full extent of the topic's
basic definitions. In general, as is well known, a decline in
spirituality has taken place over the years. If so, why are
we privileged to have so many impressive technological
innovations?
The Chofetz Chaim ztvk'l relates
directly to this question at the end of Shem Olam. In
that essay he explains at length the decline of the
generations (yeridas hadoros) --"If the previous
generations were like men we are like mules" (Shabbos
112b).
"Indeed I realize that some people who are presumed by
themselves to be wise will have difficulty understanding what
we said. If you say that whoever is earlier in time is
greater ("prior") in wisdom, but do we not see that much more
chochmoh has been revealed now than in the past? For
example, today a precise instrument has been invented to see
the distant stars. Also an instrument for hearing others
(called a telephone) has been invented and one can hear
another's voice dozens of parsohs away. Likewise, in
our days photography has been invented that can sketch a
person's exact likeness on paper even without his knowledge.
Today we even have a record player to record a person's voice
for posterity. Even much later, even after he dies, we can
hear his actual voice from that instrument."
Maran the Chofetz Chaim answers that, on the contrary, these
inventions indicate our inferiority and not our superiority.
He compares this to a school teacher teaching his students to
read Hebrew letters with vowels. With a clever student who
has a quick grasp, it is sufficient to teach the first two
letters on the line, and he will be able to read the rest of
the vowelized words. When the student is of average
capabilities, he needs to be taught additional letters before
he can read. A student who has an especially poor power of
reception needs someone to read for him the whole line from
beginning to end and sometimes he even needs to review all
the lines like a parrot.
The latest inventions, explains the Chofetz Chaim, are
intended to teach us a moral lesson, to strengthen our
emunah.
"The increase of such inventions helps us understand how low
is our level. Shomayim needs to show us miracles for
every foundation of our holy emunah, which was
unnecessary before when every Jew had a strong emunah.
Their aim is to disprove those who argue about
Hashgocho and those who deny it. These inventions show
that there is a `watchful eye, an attentive ear, and all your
deeds are recorded in a book' (Ovos 2:1)."
Previously, explains Maran the Chofetz Chaim, when each Jew
lived with the tangible faith that HaKodosh Boruch Hu
hears his tefillos from Shomayim, people did
not need a telephone to teach them that Hashem implanted in
His creation a method that sound can be sent to remote areas.
Similarly, when people believed in Hashgocho protis
they did not need a telescope to prove that man can see from
earth to heaven, and thereby to understand that surely the
Creator can do the reverse when He supervises what people are
doing. In the past, photography was not necessary to show the
doubtful that a person's good and bad deeds can be recorded
in Heaven as living pictures to testify before Hashem. Record
players are a weak earthly example of the concept of "and a
person is told what he converses" (Chagigah 5b).
"The conclusion is that all the wisdom and processes that
have become known in our time are not the result of our great
wisdom compared to earlier generations, but rather to verify
the idea of Hashgocho to us."
Eighty years have passed since the Chofetz
Chaim printed the above. Telescopes have been vastly improved
and satellites can take pictures from high in the skies and
even read accurately the newspaper that a man is holding in
his hands way down on the Earth. Instead of the old-fashioned
record player and tape recorder we have today the stereo
compact disks. Recent inventions bring new possibilities for
us to learn moral lessons. The problem is that they "are wise
to do evil" and technological progress is not achieving its
real aim in a world wallowing in the frenzied scramble for
materialism.
Scientists have indeed succeeded in gathering crumbs of the
abundant wisdom that Hashem sends to the world and with it
they are creating new devices all the time. This is all
possible because of the chidushei Torah of bnei
Torah and not because of the brain power of the various
scientists and programmers. As R' Tzodok Hacohen writes:
"When a Jew is mechadeish something in Torah wisdom
coming from Hashem, this wisdom spreads throughout the world
and wisdom pertaining to olam hazeh is also innovated
because of it. Scholarly non-Jews capture this wisdom [coming
from Heaven] and think they themselves have innovated it."
Nonetheless, these inventions are intended to help us reflect
on Hashgocho protis and to learn moral lessons. They
are intended to prove to us the existence of a `watchful eye,
an attentive ear, and all your deeds are recorded in a book'
(Ovos 2:1). It is as the Chofetz Chaim writes, that
"all the wisdom and processes that have become known in our
time are not the result of our great wisdom compared to
earlier generations, but rather to verify the idea of
Hashgocho to us." Unfortunately, technological
progress is being used by most of the world in a way that is
clearly negative. They are "wise to do evil," and as the
Chovos Halevovos writes: "To the extent that the world
has become more sophisticated, their understanding has
deteriorated."
