Since my husband passed away a few years ago, leaving me with
small children to take care of, I have made it a practice to
go and comfort mourners.
To my great sorrow, these have been many, many people I knew
who needed comfort. I have heard of many incidents with one
repetitive theme: all those who passed away were special
individuals, among the best of their community. They were in
the middle of lives dedicated with an unusual intensity to
the service of Hashem. The families were also unique in the
way they accepted the terrible blow.
It is clear that these people did not deserve this more than
their neighbors. These `untimely' deaths must be a
kapora for all of Klal Yisroel.
How many more sacrifices can a community afford? If Hashem
punishes us through the suffering of its individuals, He
wants to bring us closer together, to feel our brotherhood
towards one another and to feel He is our joint Father. We
must rebuild sholom into our homes, shuls, yeshivos.
We must find peaceful solutions to our disputes without
trampling on Kovod HaTorah.
Surely Hashem wants us to be careful about the possessions of
our fellow Jews and prevent them from suffering losses.
Surely Hashem wants us women to be careful about the laws of
modesty - to wear loosefitting dresses, with hem, sleeve and
necklines according to requirement. We must make the
adjustments of what we buy to conform to Halocha.
We must not harm others through our speech and improve it
constantly through the study of shemiras haloshon.
If we are a generation of orphans as compared to previous
generations, this is in order to bring us closer to our
Father, to make us pray to Him. Why, then, do we often find
ourselves mumbling in our davening, as if to say, G-d
forbid, that He cannot help us, when He is the ONLY ONE Who
can? How much worse is it when we indulge in idle chatter in
our shuls and disrupt the concentration of those who do pray
in absorbed sincerity?
At the shiva of these two boys, Rebbetzin Piltz
suggested that we resolve to say asher yotzar with
special concentration, for this blessing acknowledges that we
are totally dependent upon Hashem every moment of our lives;
He is our lifeline, our survival.
We do not want any more such sacrifices. We cannot afford
this terrible price, and have no way of knowing who will be
next, G-d forbid. We must stop our busy schedules to take
stock. And to make some important decisions regarding the
future.
May we know of no more suffering and may Hashem soon bring
Moshiach, in our times.
