“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Ki Sisa
21 Adar I 5784/ March 2, 2024
MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE
In a recent edition of her daily WhatsApp, Sivan Rahav-Meir, disseminated
the following:
“Kama Hochman is a 7-year-old girl who lives in Bnei Netzarim, a charming
little moshav in southern Israel. Her father is presently doing reserve duty in
Khan Yunis. This week she decided to write a letter to Yahya Sinwar, the leader
of Hamas. It seems to me that this simple and innocent letter is much truer and
more to the point than the decisions handed down at the Hague or the UN.
“Listen to 7-year-old Kama:
“To Sinwar
Shalom! I am Kama, I’m in second grade and live in the Gaza periphery. I
want to tell you that G-d chose the nation of Israel to be His people and,
therefore, even if you try to kill us, we will win. I am wishing that you will
be caught, and that the nation of Israel will live with quiet and in peace.””
I am impressed with Kama’s perspective. She was obviously taught that she
is part of a special people and that our national ordeal is part of a bigger
picture.
It reminded me of an anecdote that my rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, often
relates:
After the Second World War ended, a former SS guard recounted one
occasion when he was rounding up Jews and throwing them onto trucks to be taken
to be killed. He found a young Jewish boy hiding and pulled him out. The boy
looked him in the eye and said, “I’m Yaakov and you’re Eisav. Even though
you’re about to kill me, I would still rather be Yaakov than Eisav.”
At this year’s Agudah Convention in December 2023, during the popular
Thursday night session entitled, “Asking for a friend” with Rav Aharon
Lopiansky and Rav Yosef Elefant, Rav Elefant said the following:
“As far as children are concerned, I think that Jewish history, our tzaros –
the Holocaust, Crusades, Tach V’tat (the Cossack massacres of 1648-1649), are
all part of the timeline from the Churban; it’s part of the history that dates
back to Har Sinai. Our mesorah, our history, is critical to the
context of our Avodas Hashem and our mission in the world.
“It’s absolutely critical that we speak to children about the historical
context of what’s happening. It’s part of our mesorah, part of our
connection to Sinai.
“Someone from a yeshiva in Lakewood called me a few months ago and said
they have an hour of General Studies a week. What should they teach?
I told them they should
teach Jewish history. The students should have a context of the continuity and
the plan. Teaching Jewish history is not about teaching gory details or trauma.
Children have to know to be able to connect the dots and understand what
happened from the Churban and on, what the Churban caused, why we are what we
are, where we were and where we are going. It’s critical for the
self-definition of our young generation. To miss the opportunity would be a
tremendous shame.”
One additional quote from non-Jewish author, Paul Johnson. In A
History of the Jews, he writes:
“No people have ever insisted more firmly than the Jews that history has
a purpose, and that humanity has a destiny. At a very early stage in their
collective existence they believe they detected a divine scheme for the human
race of which their own society was the pilot.... Judaism is not a product, but
a program, and the Jews are instruments of its fulfillment.
“Jewish history is a record not only of physical facts but of
metaphysical notions. The Jews believe themselves created and commanded to be a
light unto the nations of the world. And they have attempted to obey, to the
best of their considerable powers, that commandment…
“The Jews have been great truth-tellers. And that is why they have been
so hated. A prophet will be feared and sometimes honored, but he will never be
loved. A prophet must prophesy. And the Jews, therefore, will persist in
pursuing truth as they see it wherever it leads.
“Jewish history teaches, if anything can, that there is indeed a purpose
to human existence, and we are not just born to live and die like beasts of the
field….”
Being a Jew isn’t easy, but it is an incredible privilege and
responsibility. Being chosen and special always comes with a price tag.
When viewed in that light, our national travails, painful as they may be,
become purposeful and meaningful. This is certainly true of our current
struggle and anguish in Gaza and beyond. These powerful perspectives are vital
for us to convey to our progeny.
There is no holiday that celebrates the eternity of our people and our
values like Purim. The unbridled joy we feel during Adar is inextricably bound
with knowing we are part of something greater than ourselves and that our
lives, and our deaths, have meaning and purpose. It is the same joy that has
been reflected on the faces of soldiers, and Jews around the world in past
months. It is what grants the incredible conviction of families, including
those who have lost parents, spouses, children, friends and/or neighbors the
conviction and inner strength to carry on.
Despite our collective anguish and personal pain, we have an ethereal
inner pride knowing that we are fighting for something divine and eternal, and
that every one of us is an essential component of that Master Plan.
Shabbat Shalom
& Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani
and Chani Staum
stamtorah@gmail.com
