A most impressive gathering took place this past Thursday evening in the batei medrash of Beis Yeshaya of Yeshivas Mir when HaGaon HaRav David Cohen shlita was requested by the Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel to fortify the avreichim against the threatening waves of these present times. He also agreed to answer complex questions arising during this period from the audience, presented to him by HaRav Hillel Mann, from the staff of Nesivos Aviezer and Bircas Shmuel. The replies constituted a document for all times.
He began by clarifying that never have we experienced such a dreadful period where we are faced with Divine concealment to a degree that no one has previously imagined possible. It is a reality whereby beis medrash scholars are seized and cast into prison like hardened criminals, merely for the 'crime' of dedicating their lives to Torah. Including in these harsh times are the economic hardships imposed upon them which find them financially and altogether helpless.
He said that the Vilna Gaon's view of the fourth exile, which he named as that of the rabble, the erev rav, was erroneously accepted by the public who think that this specifically refers to the government Legislative Advisor or similarly, to the High Court, which represent the erev rav. But the Gra did not have this in mind at all but included all of the government heads of that exile.
While there does exist a 'rabble' which acts openly, there is another form of rabble which also operates in full view by thrusting forth cloven feet as if to show that they are 'kosher,' but within, are no different. We cannot say that it true of any single person because this is not a proper definition in a specified outlook.
Our lives today are subject to a rule whose prime essence is to raise an arm against the Torah of Moshe Rabbenu. And even if they have political interests and pretty words here and there, they are, notwithstanding, basically the rabble.
We have become serene these past years to relative prosperity in which we felt part of the government, belonging to it. We have forgotten that we are still in golus. We must realize that this state is the most difficult, heralding the final Redemption. The pangs preceding the coming of Moshiach are like those preceding birth.
He quoted a verse in Koheles, "The wisdom of the Learned Scribes is abused." It seems as if their wisdom will bloom, but the Shechina shouts to the Torah scholars that hard times will come upon them. The snake's venom is like the crunching bite of the boors upon the chachomim, and these are the very pangs of Moshiach. These are considered as the worse from the nations. We must remind ourselves that we are at the summit of the exile, which is expressed through the persecution of talmidei chachomim.
I am reminded of the time when the government came into the hands of Menachem Begin and Rabbenu, HaRav Shach, decided to join the Coalition under the then prime minister. Many attacked him for this. During those days, I went to him with HaRav Bornstein zt"l to discuss a certain matter.
He began speaking about this in a very pained voice. "Do you really believe that this was an easy decision? We don't want to be part of the government; we don't want to have anything to do with it, which is why we do not seek any ministerial post, not of foreign affairs, security or internal matters. Our only objective was to pass laws for the Torah public and its interests like autopsies, drafting of women and the like."
These things have lost their clarity with time, with people arguing that we have become partners with the Right and that we have thus become part of the government. We have never sought such things in the past.
There is a public on the sidelines which has fallen sway with those who believed in 'my strength and the power of my hand' in the various battles. But here, too, Hashem showed us during the war of Simchas Torah that this was shattered to shards. They attempted to revive this, if only to be shown that it was nonsense.
At this point, the Jewish people finds itself in great danger at the final stages of the golus. Some think that if we are now dealing with Iran, which is considered 'a dreadful king who declares outright that he is out to totally destroy, decimate and demolish the Jewish people, and talks about his atomic bombs, even having postponed this goal for a month or two, we now can't help seeing how all submit and how everything returns to its former place.
We note how their desire for revenge is growing and that we all find ourselves in grave danger. There were some in our own camp who revered certain figures in the government, but eventually realized that it was unrealistic and deceptive. We admit that our people are endangered and that our Torah scholars are being oppressed in every way.
