| Dear Yeshiva Family:
In this week's parshah we revisit the untimely demise of Aharon Hakohen's children as a result of their sin. Chazal offer several possibilities for what they were found guilty of. Rashi, in Parshas Mishpatim (24:10,11), explains that at the time of the giving of the Torah, they took an improper, unauthorized look at the Shechina. Obviously, such a "crime" is beyond our understanding, but the point I'd like to focus on is what Rashi states afterwards, that the punishment should have been meted out immediately, but to not tamper with the joyous spirit enveloping Klal Yisrael on the occasion of the giving of the Torah, Hashem pushed off the punishment until the day of the setting up of the Mishkan.
This begs the question: why isn't the inauguration of the Mishkan also a national day of joy that should be sacrosanct? In fact, the Medrash in the beginning of Parshas Shemini discusses the joy of the inaugural day of the Mishkan and says it rivaled the joy of the creation of the world!
Rav Shimon Schwab zt"l explains that the problem with tampering with the joy of the giving of the Torah is that joy is an integral, crucial component to Torah learning. If one is missing the joy in his Torah learning, that learning is considered flawed. Whereas the joy felt on the inaugural day of the Mishkan was just a byproduct of something special happening and therefore Hashem felt that the joy on that day could be marred.
Learning Torah is supposed to be a joyous, even exhilarating activity. When learning Torah, one should feel rejuvenated and inspired by the learning. Torah should talk to a person; resonating and connecting with him. Sometimes a person connects better with different styles of learning or different segments of the Torah, and a person should try and connect specifically with a part of Torah that makes him feel alive! The best way one can feel invigorated by Torah learning is by having a participatory role in the learning. Not just listening to a shiur, but by being an active listener, or participant; by having the ability to challenge and voice one's own opinion. This is why customarily learning has been done with a chavrusa, a study partner, in a vibrant, active, and loud Beis Midrash!
We have mentioned several times the astounding events that are currently taking place at universities across America. Riot police closing down a protest at Columbia, an hour-long brawl at UCLA, Northwestern caving into the demands of a Pro-Palestinian mob, and just plain insanity at nearly every university across the country. How are we to approach this, and what are we to feel when we watch clips of protesters chanting and drumming that make it look like 1939 Berlin?
Over the past six months, nearly every discussion on this topic includes the frustrating, rhetorical question comparing such anti-Semitism with other crimes against racial minorities, namely: if this was anti-Black or anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, it would be shut down immediately, so why is anti-Semitism still so pervasive and inexplicably tolerated?
The reason is because all of this is being orchestrated from above. I do not claim to understand and know Hashem's plans, but while we are in this world, we do the best we can in trying to do what we understand to be Hashem's will. Knowing that everything that happens is orchestrated and has a plan, we know that many times we will watch as things, even on the global scale, don't make sense, except if we believe that Hashem runs the world with the destiny of His children in mind.
We don't know everything for sure, but one thing is certain: we have hundreds of thousands of unaffiliated Jews in America's centers of higher learning. Many of them do not know the first thing about their Yiddishkeit. Nothing. This world is not just a place to get through for 70-80 years, but a place that exists for us to connect to Hashem. Anti-Semitism is a tool that is used by Hashem to awaken His people. If it takes a "stick" to wake some people up and investigate their Judaism, then it's possible Hashem would use the stick to wake up His people. Certainly, such protests attract some Jews already on that side, and for certain people these protests will perhaps be more of a loss than a gain in terms of their Judaism. However, there are a lot of people who, if not today, then in a year from now will, because of such protests, look at their Judaism and ask themselves what it means to be a Jew.
If this is true, then our reaction to watching the news should be different. Instead of becoming incensed at the screens as we watch the seeming lawlessness of the protests and cannot believe this is happening, there is something positive to do. Instead of "Walter Mitty-style" imagining being able to magically quell all the protests and "teach the protestors a lesson," we should redirect our righteous fury to offer a remedy for the situation. Yet, we first have to understand that even if we were able to magically calm the protests, that would only cause the impotency of this "stick." Hashem will have His way, and we should understand that if we were to "take care" of these thousand protestors, it would only cause more protesters to come out of the woodwork. The reason is because this is a message from Hashem, and the message will be delivered. If this indeed is a message, then the remedy is not to remove the stick, as that would be missing the point, but rather to discover and act on the message.
Let me digress to say that, of course, if someone does wield real influence, he should exert his influence. Having a social media account that can inform and counter protestors in a dignified manner is of course important to those that have that avenue available to them; this is appropriate hishtadlus, the required effort to do our part. I am referring above to the majority of us, who are just watching from the sidelines at what is going on and wondering how we should respond.
Our job is not to take down the hooligans. Our job is to react to the situation Hashem has set up for us. A stick has stirred the pot. Our job is not to stop the stirring, for the majority of us will be powerless to do so; rather, our job is to take advantage of the stirred pot, of the uncertainty being felt by many, and use what is going on to inspire those who still need to be inspired. There should not be mere tens of new recruits to a Shabbos seudah being run by Olami, Chabad, or a Hillel house, but rather there could be hundreds, if not thousands, of people searching for answers. We could be reaching out to people to spread the message of enjoying learning and true meaning in life!
However, to spread the message of light we need to feel that light permeated in our own life! Being someone who is living a beautiful, joyous, fulfilling life will be the best response to the dark, hateful, emptiness of their world! This is the best way for us to be ambassadors for the solution to the anti-Semitism.
If we lead a life of Torah, of which we know that joyful learning is a must, we will be equipped to spread the true message and combat the insanity we are currently witnessing in the world.
Rabbi Moshe Revah Rosh HaYeshiva, HTC - Beis HaMidrash LaTorah moshe.revah@htc.edu | 
No comments:
Post a Comment