It is now the month of Elul, and the Yomim Noraim are
drawing near. Those days of judgment and forgiveness are
designated for self-examination (cheshbon hanefesh).
Introspection is required both at the individual and the
community level: each individual must reflect and search his
deeds. Simultaneously, every person must consider the state
of the community: he or she should examine his milieu, the
level of religious observance as a whole.
Am Yisroel is obliged to give an accounting as the
Nation of Hashem, whose task it is to stand as a moral
compass before the rest of the world. This is especially
relevant since on Rosh Hashanah, all of creation is judged
regarding its fulfillment of the mission given it by its
Creator.
A man may be aware of how great and all-encompassing G-d's
creation is. He may perceive himself as a dwarf, a tiny cog
in the total glorious scheme which is comprised of millions
of people, of heaven, earth, the celestial spheres and all
the rest of nature. Nevertheless, the place of the individual
remains established and firm. The Creator bestowed upon man
unique faculties and abilities, thus making him the apex of
creation -- and this is man's greatness.
This is not only a privilege, it is a tremendous
responsibility as well: To the degree that man is exalted
above inanimate objects, vegetation, and animal life
(domem, tzomei'ach and chai) he is obligated to
uphold his unique status as the chosen of creation. He must
not deceive himself into thinking, "What am I? Merely an
inconsequential speck of dust in a great and wondrous
universe," and thereby excuse himself from the duty of making
a personal accounting. The fact is that he is man, with a
mind and intellect. It is therefore incumbent upon him to
contemplate and make an accounting of his actions!
Perhaps we will better understand the concept of a personal
and collective accounting by means of a concrete example
taken from daily life. We open a newspaper and notice various
headlines. Some stand out, and some are less noticeable.
Certain headings are, R"l, painful, and others bear
good tidings.
The question that routinely comes to mind is "What's new
today?" This seems to be a natural enough question. What
could be improper here?
If we stop for a minute during these days of introspection
and contemplate, we will realize that everything we read in
today's paper as "news" -- although it is indeed new to us --
was already decided and inscribed on the Yomim Noraim,
on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; will there be a war in the
Persian Gulf? How will Saddam Hussein behave and what will
President Bush's reaction be? -- All of this is determined on
Rosh Hashanah. "And of the nations it is said who will perish
by sword and who will dwell in peace."
How will the economy look? Will the price of oil once again
create economic instability among the nations? "Who will
starve and who will be satiated."
We tremble at the possibility of fatal traffic accidents and
grave injuries, yet this was already decided on Rosh
Hashanah, when the inhabitants of the world passed before
Hashem like a flock of sheep, and, "He fixed the length of
their lifetimes and inscribed their destinies; Who will live
and who will die? Who will perish by water and who by
fire?"
Insolvency and prosperity have also been determined. "Who
will become poor and who will become wealthy?"
The purpose of this contemplation is not to turn man into an
apathetic, indifferent being, who thinks that since
everything is inscribed from Above, he is exempt from
worrying and taking action. On the contrary! A person's deeds
determine his fate!
Although we are accustomed to express the wishes that others
be "inscribed for a good life," we at the same time say in
the Musaf of Rosh Hashanah: "Each man's seal is
engraved upon it" (Vechosom kol odom bo). Each one of
us "writes" with his own deeds that which will be decreed on
himself.
Chazal have thus explained (Eichoh Rabboh 3:31): "Ever
since it was said, `Behold, I have set before you life and
good, death and evil' (Devorim 30:15), evil and good
no longer emanate from the mouth of the Exalted One"
(Eichoh, 3:38).
The Torah taught us both the source of authentic life and the
basis of evil. Since that point, man is responsible for the
presence of good and evil in the world, because these are the
result of his actions. This is the meaning of Chazal's
statement, "Happy is he who does one mitzvah, for he tips the
scales for himself and the entire world to the side of merit.
Woe to him who does one aveiroh, for he tips the
scales for himself and the entire world to the side of debt .
. . because of one sin, both he and the world lost a great
deal of good" (Kiddushin, 40).
The soul-searching and repentance of the individual is of
great import, because it is so tightly interwoven with the
destiny of the whole: A person's actions affect the fate of
the nation and of the whole world, as well as determining his
own future. "When an individual does teshuvoh, both he
and the entire world are forgiven (Yoma, 86)."
* * *
During these days of soul-searching, we must examine our
attitudes towards others. "Others" in this context denotes
various groups and institutions, as well as individuals.
It is in the nature of man to be affected by what he sees.
Because of this, perceived images determine how one relates
to his environment. Often, misconceptions and incorrect
attitudes are formed because of a person's tendency to notice
only what is visible on the surface. As we all know,
worthless matter tends to float to the top.
Meanwhile, positive qualities are characteristically
concealed beneath that which is inferior. Thus, man tends to
focus on the highly-visible negative aspects, and his
approach is skewed by this shallow, one-sided perception.
We are overly inclined to notice negatives. Simultaneously,
we overlook the positives and ignore our obligation to find
the good at every step. This is not to deny or downplay our
faults -- and this is not the forum to elaborate -- yet it is
also important to know how to rise up and look beyond the
surface. In that way, our attitudes will be determined by the
intrinsic nature and true essence of things, as opposed to
their external appearances.
Perhaps we can in this way contribute to the rectification of
sin'as chinom. While this transgression applies
directly and immediately to the relationship between
individuals, it encompasses a much broader spectrum as well
(e.g. sin'as chinom towards the community).
If we would stop looking only at the outer wrapping and delve
more deeply into what lies beneath, we would find a great
light emanating from every corner. We would smell the
fragrance of Gan Eden wafting from every beis
medrash, yeshiva, and talmud Torah, from every
shiur attended by Jews who toil for a living, from
every gathering of upright and good Yiddin, without
exception or distinction between group, tribe, or
congregation.
Unquestionably, this is not merely because, "A bit of light
dispels a great deal of darkness." It is because the measure
of true good far exceeds whatever bad there may be.
It is frighteningly easy to fall prey to the terrible sin of
sin'as chinom: When one concentrates only on the
negative, his judgment is affected accordingly. There is then
a grave danger of condemning everyone and everything. From
there, one is but a step away from sin'as chinom.
Every congregation and group is composed of individuals, and
from sin'as chinom towards a group, one can easily
come to sin'as chinom towards individuals. During
these days of introspection, we must guard carefully against
becoming entrapped in this manner, for the yetzer hora
seeks to undermine man in any way possible. One of the
primary means at his disposal is to convince man to sin by
persuading him that he is doing something permissible. By
emphasizing the deficiencies of the community and negating
the good, one may deceive himself into thinking that not only
is hatred permissible, it is even a mitzvah!
* * *
Now to discuss a more tangible facet of sin'as chinom:
The quarrels and dissension which (to our great pain) are so
numerous nowadays all stem from sin'as chinom. The Gra
expounds on the posuk, "You shall not hate your
brother in your heart," that the feeling of hatred is
forbidden in and of itself, even when one causes no actual
damage to the other person. Thus, we ask Hashem to forgive
us, "for the sin of baseless hatred (sin'as chinom)
which we have committed before you." We need to seek
atonement for having hated others without cause.
Yet many hate-filled controversies appear to be based on
"causes" and "reasons." This, however, is because people
don't consider the seriousness of their actions. They sow
hatred, aiming to inflame passions and thereby build
themselves up. This has occurred many times; people in
difficult circumstances are provoked and their feelings of
deprivation are cultivated. Public servants accuse each other
of wrongdoing, each with the intention of paving the way for
his own political career. Lacking in qualifications and
unable to demonstrate the personal aptitudes and abilities
required for a government post, they attempt to obtain the
public's approval through mudslinging at others.
These words are obviously not aimed at any specific
individual. Our intention is to point out a phenomenon which
has become increasingly prevalent: The prerequisites for
attaining the status of "public official" are no longer
ability, honesty, and dedication. Such status is now reached
by stepping on others and spreading seeds of dissension. It
is unnecessary to point out specific instances in which this
has occurred, for one can easily find many examples which
confirm our contentions.
If this had indeed become a frequent occurrence among us, it
is fitting that we make it a focus in our cheshbon
hanefesh. Let us do teshuvoh and pray with
complete sincerity and devotion for forgiveness, "for the sin
of baseless hatred which we have committed before You."
Let us correct this defect by eradicating it at the source:
The most fitting and effective teshuvoh for sin'as
chinom is ahavas chinom. We must love each other
unconditionally. We must feel another's pain and cry out
together with him.
The gemora (Menochos, 27) related: "Peleemu asked
Rebbi, `If a person has two heads, on which one should he don
tefillin?' Rebbi answered, `Rise and go into exile, or
accept excommunication. (Rashi: Rebbi thought that Peleemu
was mocking him, and therefore he responded as he did.) While
this transpired, somebody came and said to Rebbi, `My child
was born with two heads. How much must I give to the
Cohen (for pidyon haben?)' An elderly man came
and taught him that he must give the Cohen ten
selo'im (as if he had two bechorim).
Tosafos relates: "Ashmedai removed a person with two
heads from under the ground, in the presence of Shlomo
Hamelech. The two-headed man married a woman, and they
produced children with two heads like the father, and
children with one head like the mother. When the children
came to divide their father's inheritance, those with two
heads demanded a double portion and they brought their
dispute before Shlomo Hamelech."
The Shittoh Mekubetzes explains that Shlomo (in his
wisdom) covered one of the heads (so that if couldn't see
what was happening) and poured a little boiling water on the
other. When both heads cried out in pain, Shlomo decreed that
they are entitled to only one portion.
The concept of, "And you shall love your fellow man as
yourself" (ve'ohavto lerei'acho komocho) becomes a
tangible reality when, if one Jew's head is scalded by
boiling water, the head of his fellowman also cries out!
This article was originally written some years ago and
does not refer to any recent events.
