Cheshbon Nefesh and Nechama - Va'etchanan
נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי יֹאמַר אֱ-לֹקֵיכֶם (ישעיהו מ, א)
In many of my shiurim, I try to tie the parsha in with current events, and attempt (based on sources) to suggest tikkunim for the many ills that afflict our beloved nation, all the while trying to prevent, or at least minimize, offending or shaming anyone. For this reason, I usually adopt the approaches of רֶמֶז or מָשָׁל, in the hope that most will understand and draw the appropriate conclusions.
We live in a very complicated and confusing time and amidst the pervading fog of propaganda and misdirection there is a dire need for clarity. In this shiur I am uncharacteristically going to digress from my normal modus operandi. In the spirit of sefer Devarim, which is to a large extent rebuke, in this shiur I will spell things out without mincing words and try to be as clear and plain as possible. This is therefore a little longer than my regular shiurim, but is required reading nonetheless.
Who am I to "rebuke" anyone in Am Yisrael? I am a nobody! However, some things need to be said and to do so takes courage, even at the risk of arousing everyone's ire. This was one of the primary failings in the episode of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, that the Chachamim, R' Zecharia ben Avkulas, was afraid to speak out against the influential people of his generation and prevent the spread of sinat chinam. It is very unlikely that anyone will come away from reading this, without being offended to some extent and that is OK. Nobody is squeaky clean in all of this, we ALL have cheshbon nefesh to do, including yours truly.
We are in the midst of a war, both without and within, but it is not crystal-clear what kind of war it is. Some say it is a religious war, a clash of "religions". The exterior war, an epic clash between the religions of Islam vs. Judaism. The internal war, a self-destructive battle between the religious/traditional and secular/liberal Jews. To classify it as purely a religious war though, is inaccurate. To be sure, certain aspects of this war are religion related, however the honest truth is that it is not a clash of "religions" per se, but rather a power struggle, weaponizing "religion" and brainwashing the masses, as a means to obtain power and control.
The Rambam (הלכות עבודה זרה וחוקות הגויים א, ב), describing how avodah zara originated, explains that it started with a misconception, but ended up as a means by which power-hungry people manipulated the masses to achieve power. This is as relevant today as it was then.
I have decided to structure this discussion by addressing the different groups in turn, beginning with those - outside Am Yisrael and ending with those - within Am Yisrael.
The Arabs
Muhammad was a false prophet who "cut and pasted" segments of the preceding religions (Judaism, Christianity) to create a new hotchpotch of a "religion" called Islam. Muhammad thought the entire world would follow him – the Jews because of the Jewish parts and the Christians because of the Christian parts. When neither obliged, and their reaction was ridicule rather than applause, Muhammad did an about-face and turned Islam into a "religion" of hate against those who ridiculed him, both the Jews and the Christians, who are to this day defined as "infidels". Muhammad and his successors could not have been less interested in religion or serving G-d. It always was and remains, a doctrine totally focused on power, imperialism and world domination.
There is a misconception and a well propagandized lie that Jews in the Diaspora were well treated by the Muslims and prospered in their lands for thousands of years. This is historically false. This assertion is primarily comparative, that the Jews, during their centuries of exile, were better treated by the Muslims than by the Christians, which in some instances was the case. However, even then, the treatment of the Jews by the Arabs was abysmal (albeit sometimes less abysmal than that of the Christians). Jews in the Arab ghettos and mellahs were perpetually exposed to the whim of the Arabs who frequently robbed, raped and murdered them.
This misconception is more prevalent amongst Ashkenazi Jews than Sephardi Jews. The Sefardi Jews who lived in the Arab countries know the truth only too well, from personal experience. They and their present-day descendants in Israel, understand the truth about the Arab "religion" and mentality better than anyone. It is therefore not surprising that political parties consisting of large percentages of Sefardi Jews, like the Likkud, are right wing and do not trust the Arabs at all.
It is possible to make peaceful alliances with Arab nations who do not seek our destruction, but it must be clarified that the purpose of the alliance is truly for peace and not used as a temporary springboard to pursue hostile intentions against us.
Radical Jihadist Islam - Amalek
Most of the Muslims in the world are not radical Jihadists. Most of them, living in Muslim countries and worldwide, are normative people, interested in living their lives as best as they can, raising their children and prospering. They bear no love for the Jews, quite the opposite - their religion indoctrinates them, from birth, to hate and kill the Jew, but this is not translated into action. They will not mix socially with Jews, they will not invite them to their children's weddings, etc. but they will not pull out an axe one day and go next door and slaughter their Jewish neighbor.
Radical Jihadist Islam on the other hand is dedicated to translating the hateful teachings of the Quran into action. To seek out the infidel, the Jew (and Christian) and to actively kill them, violently, the more the better.
It is not that the Jews pose an immediate territorial threat to them, their lands do not border with Jewish lands. However, they will travel great lengths to infiltrate foreign lands with large populations of Jews and Christians (or lands that border on large populations of Jews and Christians) and sow terror and death, directly or by proxy.
This is the definition of Amalek in the Torah. Amalek was a nation who the Israelites posed no military threat to when they left Egypt. Amalek travelled great distances to attack Am Yisrael, purely out of indoctrinated hate.
A modern example of this is the Ayatollah radical jihadist regime in Iran, who are hell bent on one solitary purpose. Developing nuclear capability so that they can destroy Israel. Israel has never expressed or has any intention of attacking Iran for imperialist purposes - to conquer Iran and settle their territory. If Iran would not continually threaten Israel's very existence, Israel would bear no animosity toward them.
Despite this, the Ayatollah regime in Iran is prepared to go to great lengths to destroy Israel, even at the cost of destroying Iran itself. Their hate is such that the world is not large enough to accommodate both them and the Jews. This is the definition of Amalek. It is "them or us", there is no middle ground either way and for this reason the Torah commands us to eradicate them, before they eradicate us. Eradicating them is not genocide, it is self-defense.
Iran purposely infiltrates countries/regions that border on Israel, like Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Gaza, who then serve as military proxies for their homicidal agenda.
The international court of "justice" in the Hague accuses Israel of regarding all Gazans as Amalek. Hamas, Iran's military proxy in Gaza, is, like Iran, by biblical definition – Amalek. As for the non-military civilians in Gaza - those who support Hamas are like Hamas. Those who do not support and assist Hamas, are not Amalek, they are simply Arabs. Israel will not purposely target a non-military area in Gaza. However, if Hamas/Amalek cynically use their own civilians as human shields in the hope that Israel will not defend itself against them, the death of those Arab civilians is the responsibility of Hamas, not Israel. Israel will not commit suicide because Hamas are hiding behind their own human, civilian shields.
The radical jihadists, the Ayatollahs and their proxies, could not care less for religion or G-d (see Rambam above). All they are interested in is power and money (they are all multi billionaires). They are simply weaponizing Islam to destroy Am Yisrael by recruiting and brainwashing the masses.
The Christians
A cornerstone of the Christian doctrine is that G-d had forsaken Am Yisrael when He destroyed the 2nd Temple, after we sinned, and the new "chosen people" are now the Christians.
This doctrine held water until Jews returned to their ancestral homeland and established a Jewish state in 1948. Prior to that, the Jews around the world were downtrodden and oppressed, which seemed like the fulfilment of the Christian "prophecy". However, when the Jewish State was reestablished in 1948 and visibly flourished for all to see – the agriculture, the infrastructure, the economy, the military, the learning, etc., this put a serious spanner in the works for the Christian doctrine. The Christian world is now grappling with and trying to explain this reversal and negation of their raison d'etre.
Part of the Christian world remains steadfast in their hate for the Jews, who they claim killed their "messiah". This is the reason stated, but it is actually weaponization of a religious doctrine to mask the real reason they hate us – jealousy. Most often this hate is subdued, but sometimes explodes for all to see, as is happening now all over the world.
Another part of the Christian world has curtailed the animosity and adopted a welcoming hand of friendship and tolerance toward Jews. The latter may very well be more destructive for Am Yisrael than the former. More Jewish souls have been lost to assimilation than to persecution.
As with the Arabs, it is permissible to make peaceful alliances with the Christian nations provided that the purpose of such is not to surreptitiously destroy Am Yisrael by assimilation.
Radical Christian White Supremacy Groups - Amalek
Like the Radical Islamic Jihadists, these neo-nazi groups fall into the same category as Amalek, it is them or us.
I will now discuss the various groups within Am Yisrael. There is no group amongst us that is cheshbon nefesh free. If we are to move forward as a nation, it is imperative that we first recognize the flaws within ourselves and work to correct them.
The intolerable present status of Am Yisrael is seemingly indicative of a "religious" war. It appears to be a monumental battle between two life philosophies.
The first regards Am Yisrael as a separatist nation with a destiny inexorably linked to our historical heritage - HKB"H and the Torah. To stand apart from the goyim הֶן עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן (במדבר כג, ט) and serve as a beacon of light to the rest of the world.
The second seeks to make Am Yisrael a nation like all other Western democratic nations. A safe haven for Jews after millennia of persecution with separation of religion and state, a democratic state for all its citizens regardless of race, creed, color and religion.
The Charedi Sector
Of all the sectors, no sector is more devout to the Torah than the Charedi sector – it is their flag. The Gedolei HaDor in Am Yisrael primarily emerge from this sector. As a result, their flaws are to be most harshly judged - הקב"ה מְדַקְדֵּק עִם צַדִּיקִים כְּחוּט הַשְּׂעָרָה.
The purist Charedi philosophy is one of separatism. It takes the premise of הֶן עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן one (mistaken, catastrophic) step further and in addition to separating from the goyim, it also separates from the other factions within Am Yisrael that do not meet their level of devoutness to HKB"H. It is a defensive shita based on the teachings of the Chatam Sofer who says that in a sea of darkness it is imperative to preserve one flawless, untainted gem. This shita originated in galut and was a defensive response to Reform and secularization.
The flaw in this premise is that - if the Charedi shita represents perfection in avodat Hashem, there should be no insecurity. If the Charedim are so secure in their conviction that their shita is the ultimate shita, then they should not be afraid to put it to the test. However, this is not the case, the Charedim are noticeably and continually insecure about their integrity.
Of the entire Charedi community, the only noticeable segment that is fully secure in their shita is Lubavitch. They are the only segment that see themselves as part of Klal Yisrael, with a responsibility to Klal Yisrael. Unlike the remainder of the Charedi world, Lubavitch have a mission to shine light outwards, not only inward, amongst themselves. The rest of the Charedi world lacks a well-developed sense of כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲרֵבִים זֶה לָזֶה. It must be said, however, that there are numerous individuals within the Charedi world, beside Lubavitch, who believe in outreach and helping Klal Yisrael - entrepreneurs who founded organizations like Yad Sarah, Zaka, Yedidim, Daf Yomi, etc. However, by and large, the Charedi leaders and doctrine remain separatist.
This phenomenon has again been highlighted recently with the issue of conscription of the Charedim into the army. The current state of the army at this point in time - is unfit for Charedi conscription. The Charedi fears that the army will actively try to "convert" them from their religious upbringing are not unfounded. The current leaders of the IDF still have a "melting pot" agenda.
Without getting into "old history" of the Charedi world not grasping the enormity of the moment and getting on board prior to and when the State of Israel was established, perhaps thus preventing the loss of millions of lives in the Holocaust, I prefer to concentrate on the present.
The Charedi world is once again reaching a crossroads. Due to their disproportionate population increase (2-5 times that of the rest of the Jewish population), the demographics in the Jewish world are changing. The Charedim are sharply increasing, the secular/liberal Jews are sharply decreasing (due to "woke" philosophies and assimilation), while the National Religious segment are also increasing (but not as fast as the Charedim). At this rate we will soon approach a point when the Charedi sector is the most populous in Am Yisrael.
To not grasp the enormity of this event (a second time, like back in the 1800's) would be nothing less than criminal, bordering on evil. The Charedi sector needs to address their new role in Am Yisrael and it cannot continue to be separatist. It needs to take more responsibility for Klal Yisrael, to shine the light of Torah outwards to the entire Am Yisrael and not only inwards within their sector. A large chunk of the blame why the majority of Klal Yisrael today is not Torah observant, is the failure of the Charedi sector to expose the beauty of the Torah in a way that it will attract the rest of Am Yisrael.
The Charedi sector needs to become intensely preoccupied – not with avoiding conscription at all costs – but rather with becoming a leading partner in the system and active in restructuring the IDF, so that it will truly be a צְבָא ה'. And this is but a small example in a much larger mosaic, applying their influence wisely, to positively direct Am Yisrael in the direction of the Geulah.
One cannot escape the feeling that many in the Charedi world are weaponizing the Torah as a means to grasp more and more power and control for their own sector, at the exclusion of others. Not all in the Charedi world are the flawless, untainted gems the Chatam Sofer foresaw, although undoubtedly many are.
As the Charedi sector increases in size, we are seeing growing numbers in the younger generation Charedim who will no longer accept separatism, who want to be more part of Klal Yisrael, without compromising their values.
As for the radical, extreme part of the Charedi sector, the Neturei Karta and such like, who unashamedly participate in demonstrations with Hamas and meet with Iranian leaders, bad mouthing Am Yisrael, delusionally thinking that in doing so they are being mekarev the Geulah – they literally have blood on their hands, no less! By their evil actions they are causing more innocent Jews in Am Yisrael to die by the hands of Amalek. They must be shunned entirely by Am Yisrael.
The National Religious (Dati Leumi) Sector
Of all the sectors, none love Eretz Yisrael more than the National Religious sector. If the Charedi sector have the Torah as their flag, the National Religious sector's flag is Eretz Yisrael – settling the land, farming the land, defending the land. Although Torah is ever present, it mostly takes second place to the "primary" flag of Eretz Yisrael.
There is some parallel between the Charedi/National Religious divide and Beit Shamai/Hillel. If the Charedim did not despise the National Religious sector (more than they despise the secular Jews), this parallel would be true. The defining characteristic of the machloket between Bet Hillel and Shamai is that it was fierce in the Bet HaMidrash, but they married each other and invited each other to their weddings. They certainly did not call Bet Hillel מִסְרוֹחְנִיקִים. (I experienced this after once giving a Lechem HaPanim workshop to a Charedi audience, someone came up to me and asked me if I was a misruchnik), or seek every opportunity to belittle the Gedolei HaDor of the National Religious sector. I will not generalize though, there are many Charedim who marry Dati Leumi and vise versa, but there remains a distinct animosity, directed by the Charedim against the National Religious.
Perhaps the reason for this animosity toward the National Religious sector, who follow the shita of HaRav Kook, is because the Charedim see something in the National Religious sector that is lacking in themselves, an elevated awareness of Klal Yisrael. It is as if we are exposing a raw nerve in them.
That is not to say that the National Religious sector (of which I am a part) is blameless. Many National Religious are not as devout in clinging to HKB"H as they could be. Many of us have become too comfortable in our comfortable lives in modern Eretz Yisrael and have let some things slide. This can often be seen by the rising number of "datlashim" - dati children who have lost their way and stray from Yiddishkeit (it is not only in the Dati Leumi sector, it is also in the Charedi sector, but to a lesser extent).
Without realizing it, the Dati Leumi sector themselves became separatist, by establishing "settlements" (I call them towns and villages) in Yehuda and Shomron and Gush Katif, comprised almost entirely of homogenous Dati Leumi residents, like themselves. In so doing, they de facto ended up doing what the Charedi sector had been doing in Bnei Brak, Meah Shearim and Kiryat Sefer.
Unlike the Charedim, who had no intention of using their "separatism" as a means to lead the way for the rest of Am Yisrael, the National Religious "settlers" fully intended that their pioneering activity would lead the way for the rest of Am Yisrael – like an officer in the army leads his men – קָדִימָה אַחֲרַי. The problem was that while we were leading the way, we did not glance back over our shoulder to see if anyone was following. Then came the expulsion from Gush Katif and spotlighted this flaw.
The National Religious were quick to realize their mistake and have subsequently shifted focus to more balanced "settlement", not only in uncharted territory in Yehuda and Shomron, but also inside large existing Jewish population areas, like Tel Aviv, Haifa, Lod, etc. establishing גַּרְעִינִים in these places to shine Torah outwards and be mekarev.
As with the Charedi sector, the National Religious sector is also increasing disproportionally compared to the secular population, although not as fast. The result of this is that the National Religious sector has ever increasing representation in the Knesset and unlike the Charedim, they are not averse to becoming involved in "national" areas, like education, national security, finance ministry etc.
The problem is that we have little experience in governing, since our tenure is only recent and relatively short, compared to the Likkud, Labor and other ruling parties, who ran the country for the last 70+ years. Also, being the "bridge", Beit Hillel, in Israeli society, we are continually trying to find the middle road and appease both sides. You cannot always appease both sides.
The National Religious sector needs to appoint representatives who know how to lead, not only be populistic, loud and provocative. A perfect example of this is the failed attempt at judicial reform in the recent government. The National Religious sector (and their counterparts in the Likkud) lacked the experience in how to affect a change of this magnitude. We tried to do it in too short a time, instead of having the same patience as the "other side" who achieved the opposite effect over a number of decades.
As with the Charedi sector, with our ever-increasing demographic influence, comes increased responsibility, for Klal Yisrael, not just our own sector. This has not yet fully sunk in, as can clearly be seen by the TV channel 14 and בשבע, which instead of becoming beacons to lead the way and improve the way, have become the mirror image of the "other side" and equally guilty as they are, of all the wrong things. Instead of being a beacon of light that attracts the entire nation, channel 14 and בשבע have turned into a slinging match.
I dream of a true Dati Leumi media channel that leads Am Yisrael with shining light, not one that perpetuates machloket and sinat chinam. Right now, it does not yet exist.
The Secular Sector
There is one thing that nobody can take away from the Secular sector – they built this country physically. They drained the swamps, they built railways and highways, they built the economy, the technology, the brainpower and the startups, they established a judicial system equipped to address a modern country (when the religious sectors came up short in this regard). They established universities and cultural institutions in music, art and theatre.
The major problem with the Secular sector is that, while they have the physical body, they are lacking the "soul".
Instead of embracing our historical soul and heritage, the heritage of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yehoshua, David HaMelech, Shlomo HaMelech, the Beit Mikdash, R' Akiva and Bar Kochba … they tried to "import" a heritage from the goyim. This became their flag – to be a nation like all the other nations, a refuge and safe haven from persecution.
They too did not grasp the historic enormity of the moment when establishing the state and instead of embracing their historical heritage, they tried to create a new one, a man-made heritage lacking true Jewish soul. Traumatized by centuries of Diaspora and the Holocaust, and rejection from the majority of the Torah world, they shunned the eternal Torah values and instead embraced the transient heritage of Marx, Lenin etc.
When we recaptured Har HaBayit in 1967, instead of rejoicing and beginning to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash, as we should have, Dayan gave the keys to the Waqf. It was a shared failure with the Charedim, who also did not seize the moment … and it was lost. HKB"H handed it to us on a plate and we were not grateful. What price in blood have we paid since then!
Until Menachem Begin was elected in 1977, this country was established and run by secular Mapai/Labor. They built this country and its institutions and they ran them for decades. 1977 was the turning point. It signified the waning of the Secular movement and the waxing of the National/Religious movement. This was when the inner "civil war" we are currently experiencing truly began.
Foreseeing the change in demographics and electoral power, those who had until then held positions of power in all the institutions, plotted to retain that power by gradually, slowly and surreptitiously, instituting laws and realities that despite the demographics, would ensure their continued control – in the courts, the academia, the military, the industry, the media – all institutions where democracy is absent, where continuation is on the basis of חָבֵר מֵבִיא חָבֵר.
47 years later we find ourselves in an absurd reality where those who are democratically elected in the "only democratic country in the Middle East" cannot implement the policies of the majority who elected them, because the "old-guard" has castrated the Knesset of its power and relocated it in all the non-democratic institutions they previously and continue to control (what some call the "deep state"). As a result, when the majority in Israel vote right wing, you still get a de facto left wing governing body.
Recognizing this surreptitious "coup", too late, the recent democratically elected right-wing government mistakenly tried to stage a "coup" of their own, to replace all the institutions with more balanced democratic representation – overnight. This resulted in the old-guard flexing their muscles, giving a show of strength, the enormous de facto political strength they wield, and shutting the entire country down. The right wing had to admit defeat, because they have not yet acquired the steel and the mettle required to rule, something the left have acquired over many decades.
Many say that the struggle between the left and the right is a "religious" battle, over the future character of the State of Israel. However, one cannot escape the feeling that this, in fact, is simply a weaponization of "ideals" to brainwash the masses and achieve the true purpose – power! There are players who are directing this debacle who care nothing for ideals, only for power and personal revenge against those who they feel have wronged them (Bibi). They will balk at nothing to achieve this power, including crossing any "accepted" red lines that were once the fabric of Israeli society.
Another element at play here (with the masses, not the leaders, of the left) is an inexplicable fear of the State of Israel being run according to halacha. The fact that any fear exists at all is a failing of the Charedi and National Religious sectors to reveal the true nature and beauty of the Torah. There have been, Rachmana litzlan, too many chilulei Hashem by leading figures in the Torah sectors that repel the uneducated masses.
The liberal left has adopted the destructive "woke" philosophies of the goyim which are foreign to Am Yisrael – they need to wake up and see the destruction they are wreaking.
The Diaspora Jews
It is unlikely that the State of Israel would have survived without the Diaspora Jews. In the Zevulun-Yissachar relationship, the Zevulun burden is predominantly borne by the Diaspora Jews. I am referring to those Diaspora Jews who still have affiliation with Am Yisrael (not those who have fully assimilated and not those radical Charedi elements who have long since ceased being part of Am Yisrael).
One cannot escape the feeling however, of how different things might have been, or might still be, if the Diaspora Jews would have instead chosen to make aliyah and become an integral and primary influence on the State of Israel, from within and not without.
If they would have brought their business and economic skills to bear within the State of Israel - how different Israeli society would be today. What an economic power it would be. Parnasa is not an excuse. HKB"H is mefarnes every creature מִקַּרְנֵי רְאֵמִים עַד בֵּיצֵי כִּנִּים and they would be as successful, or more, in Eretz Yisrael than out of it.
If the entire Torah world in the Diaspora would have made aliyah, the Lubavitch Rebbe together with all his talmidim, running the worldwide operation from Jerusalem, not Brooklyn – how much Torah they would have injected into Israeli society and how different we would look today!
History aside, what was – was, and cannot be undone. Right now, however, Diaspora Jewry have reached a crossroads and need to make a choice. As the Geulah rapidly approaches, it is ultimately going to become a call of מִי לָה' אֵלַי. Diaspora Jewry are right now being faced with this call. HKB"H is sending every possible message that He can, to get them to make the right choice. Those who don't learn from their own history will be doomed to repeat it. It is impossible to forget those Jews back in Egypt who did not answer the call. This is the true test of bitachon in HKB"H, requiring a leap of faith. HKB"H is clearly showing Jewry worldwide where they truly belong.
Regarding the Reform, I have little to say about the Reform except this. The Reform definitely had a role to play as the last line of defense against total assimilation. If they would have fulfilled their true role – saving Jewish souls from oblivion – all would have been well and good. If they would have recognized their role in the Jewish world as Judaism for beginners, to attract lost souls into the fold – all would have been well and good. It is very unlikely that the Orthodox/Charedi world could have achieved that - the chasm between them and souls on the verge of assimilation is like between Earthlings and Martians.
But the Reform failed to realize their true role – to attract lost souls into the fold, and then, when these became interested and part of the fold, to bump them upwards to the next level. Unfortunately, Rachmana litzlan, Reform came to regard themselves as ALL of Judaism.
Who gave them (or anyone) the right to "cut and paste" parts of Hashem's Torah? Fundamental parts of the Torah, clearly stated in the Torah without any interpretation necessary – like observing Shabbat, like not lighting fire on Shabbat (driving, electricity, etc.), like not eating non-Kosher foods. Who gave them the right to think they could perform "conversions" to such an adulterated form of the Torah?
Even if they suddenly, miraculously begin assuming their true role, however, this role is rapidly becoming redundant. The "mouth of the funnel" of the Geulah is narrowing and those that are in are in and those that are not are not. The very least their leaders can do is have the honesty and integrity to preach to their followers that Reform is only the start! And that they must take the next step up and continue, until they are completely חוֹזֵר בִּתְּשׁוּבָה.
The reality in the world and in Am Yisrael right now is highly complex and I truly believe that no single person or sector has the ability on their own to fix the mess. The only way to a path of reconciliation and hope is if each sector stops trying to fix the ills in the other sectors and rather concentrates on fixing the maladies within their own sector.
If each individual, instead of trying to change others, rather makes a concerted effort to improve themselves, to take an honest look at themselves and discard the arrogance and the misconception that they are better than anyone else … perhaps then we will have some light at the end of the tunnel.
The most amazing thing is that all the above sectoral differences evaporate – you know where? On the front line with our troops in Gaza! Back here, in the rear, Am Yisrael is not mamash face to face with Amalek trying to kill us, so we feel we have the "luxury" to continue our prior shenanigans. Out there on the front line, where the real enemy is totally imminent and clear, all these differences fall away. If we don't learn our lesson, Rachmana litzlan, HKB"H is going to bring the front line closer to each and every one of us, until we do.
As often happens (too often unfortunately), we tend to forget the "G-d Factor", that things are at play that are far beyond our understanding and human capability, that despite our faults, HKB"H loves us anyway and will redeem us anyway.
What better time could Hashem have given Iran and Hezbollah to attack us than during the 9 days, if He so willed? The 9 days are notorious in history for bad things to happen to Am Yisrael. Iran and her proxies in fact vowed they would retaliate against us on Tisha Be'Av, but it never happened. HKB"H did not allow it to happen, because He loves us, He has mercy on us and sees how deeply we are suffering already.
HKB"H is fighting for us. What are the chances of the prime minister and foreign minister of Iran, at the same time, crashing with a helicopter into a mountain and being wiped out? There are a lot of mountains in Iran (and in Lebanon and Yemen) and G-d's hand is long.
Things may seem complicated, unclear and confusing, but in fact, they are surprisingly simple. To be saved from this current crisis from within and without and be redeemed, we simply have to follow the last 3 psukim in the parsha –
וְיָדַעְתָּ כִּי ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ הוּא הָאֱ-לֹקִים הָאֵ-ל הַנֶּאֱמָן שֹׁמֵר הַבְּרִית וְהַחֶסֶד לְאֹהֲבָיו וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָו לְאֶלֶף דּוֹר. וּמְשַׁלֵּם לְשֹׂנְאָיו אֶל פָּנָיו לְהַאֲבִידוֹ לֹא יְאַחֵר לְשֹׂנְאוֹ אֶל פָּנָיו יְשַׁלֶּם לוֹ. וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת הַמִּצְוָה וְאֶת הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם לַעֲשׂוֹתָם (דברים ז, ט-יא).
We all need to reconnect with the "mother ship", do tshuva and reestablish our connection with HKB"H. And we will eventually. If out of choice, then it will be less painful.
This is the true comfort.
נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי יֹאמַר אֱ-לֹקֵיכֶם.
