Weakening the Effects of Our Prayer
The yishuv is presently going through one of its most
difficult periods. We need plenty of Heaven's mercy.
Yishmoel's sword is still gleaming. He has not yet
surrendered his age-old weapon. When an individual is in
need, he pours his heart out to his Creator. Troubles of the
Klal, also happen because HaKodosh Boruch Hu
desires their prayers. Reb Yeruchom zt'l, tells us
that "the reason for all misfortunes is that they are a means
of attaining, `and they cried out' (Shemos 14:10),
whereby Hashem's Name is invoked," (Daas Chochmoh Umussar,
vol.1 pg.7). Now is such a time, a time for "they cried
out," a time for communal prayer.
HaRav Aharon Leib Steinman mentioned to me however, that the
first priority is to banish the scourge of divisiveness from
our midst. Communal prayer is more than the prayers of a
large number of individuals who happen to be praying
together. A thousand people may pray in the same place, at
the same time, but their prayer will not be communal if the
factor that binds them together as a community is lacking.
The plague of discord dissolves the bonds between us.
Certainly, communal prayer is never turned away without a
response but first and foremost, it has to be true communal
prayer.
If we wish to emerge from the current troubles in the merit
of our prayer, we have to uproot every instance of this
despicable phenomenon. We must be united, untainted by
quarrels and divisions, for our prayers to be guaranteed
acceptance. Then, even with each of us praying in his own
place, our prayers will coalesce to become the prayers of a
community, a collective outcry that is certain of evoking a
merciful response.
The Antidote
Busying ourselves with Torah study and with acts of kindness
is one way of preventing ourselves from being swept towards
involvement in arguments and quarrels. The Kli Yokor
writes that, "the sefer Akeidoh mentions a play on the
words of the posuk, `You shall not kindle a fire'
(Shemos 35:3), taking them to mean, `You shall not
ignite the fire of discord on Shabbos,' when people are at
ease from work and there is greater danger of sparking the
fire of discord amid the purposeless pursuits [that people
engage in]."
Learning Torah, rather than remaining idle, is protection
from becoming involved in arguments. Empty time is a
spiritual hazard. If it is not filled with genuine content,
it beckons an array of negative pursuits, among them quarrel-
picking and discord.
Furthermore, viewing others favorably and being unstinting in
one's good opinion of them, is more than just a way of
avoiding the pitfalls of divisiveness; it is actually a
tactic for victory in battle. "Gid'on the son of Yo'osh, was
neither righteous himself, nor the son of a righteous man,
yet because he pleaded Klal Yisroel's cause,
HaKodosh Boruch Hu said to him, `Proceed with this
strength of yours and you will save Yisroel' (Shoftim
6:14)."
HaRav Steinman showed me the following excerpt from the holy
Zohar (cheilek I, addendum to pg. 67): "For seven
years, Gid'on and his father fattened a calf to [sacrifice
to] Ba'al. When HaKodosh Boruch Hu looked for some
merit in which to save Yisroel, He found that Gid'on used to
plead Yisroel's cause."
"Rabbi Abba bar Cahana said, `In Dovid's generation, they
were all righteous, yet because there were slanderers among
them, they would go out to fight and would fall . . . Achov's
generation on the other hand, were idol worshipers but
because there were no slanderers among them, they went into
battle and they were victorious'." (Yerushlami Pei'oh,
perek 1)
We see clearly from Chazal that looking upon others favorably
and being forgoing, are merits that help Klal Yisroel
win in battle. We need the unity that will give us this merit
now.
Closeness to Hashem
Speaking in his home following the September 11 attack on
America, HaRav Moshe Shmuel Shapira discussed Torah's ability
to protect and save and then said, "There is also another
point that needs great improvement among bnei Torah .
. . One of the first things that Rabbeinu Yonah lists that
prevents people from doing teshuvoh, is loshon
hora and talebearing. Chazal said fearsome things about
these sins, which are worse than all others, and one should
flee from loshon hora literally as though from fire.
Our teacher the Or HaChaim zt'l, writes that nothing
distances a person from his Creator more than loshon
hora.
"Now, at a time when we beg for Hashem's favor for both
collective and individual troubles, and are in such need of
His closeness and of a connection with Him, we must find ways
of protecting and distancing ourselves to an even greater
extent from this serious sin. Foreseeing the destruction of
the Beis Hamikdosh, Yirmiyohu Hanovi said, " `Will I
not visit [judgment upon] them for these sins?' says Hashem,
`Shall My soul not be avenged against a nation such as this?'
" Why? Because, `every friend goes talebearing . . . ' (9:3-
8). HaKodosh Boruch Hu cannot let this pass. Let us
undertake to strengthen our Torah study and to avoid
loshon hora and tale bearing in particular and improve
all our interpersonal behavior in general and with this, we
shall merit Hashem's mercy and kindness."
HaRav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz also stressed this point in
his public letter on Sept. 12. "The only answer is to
strengthen prayer -- one's prayers should be wholehearted and
with clear faith -- also to strengthen Torah study and do
kindness and to distance oneself from hatred and
divisiveness. In this way, HaKodosh Boruch Hu should
deal with us in the same way. As we see in Rosh Hashonoh
17, `because he does not insist on his word, you should
not hinder him,' and Rashi explains, `he is forgoing so, do
not be particular with him. And his life was thus spared.'
"
Our Responsibility
The responsibility of learning Torah and doing chesed
and of avoiding dreadful patterns of behavior that can
choliloh vechas have tragic consequences, rests first
and foremost upon the Torah community. The gaon and
tzaddik HaRav Moshe Araner zt'l, writes that
[failings in] Torah and interpersonal relations are among the
things that can delay the Redemption. This must be our
contribution to the nation's safety. "Our strength and the
might of our hand" are not what will protect us. Our only
protection -- and our only hope of rescue -- lie in the
pursuit of these ends: Torah and improvement in our dealings
with others.
The Torah world holds the true keys to Klal Yisroel's
defense. They are the Jewish nation's real army. This is a
tremendous responsibility, especially in such times. We have
the power to save but at the same time, whoever wields this
power can also fail, R'l.
In his introduction to Chumash Bereishis the Netziv
zt'l writes, "`G-d of faith and of no injustice; He is
righteous and [it is] upright' (Devorim 32:4). The
praise `upright' is written to justify HaKodosh Boruch
Hu's judgment at the time of the destruction of the
Second Beis Hamikdosh, when the generation was
stubborn and crooked. We have explained that they were
righteous and pious and that they toiled in Torah, however
they were not straight in their behavior. Thus, because of
the groundless hatred that was in their hearts, they
suspected anyone who behaved differently from themselves in
matters of yiras Shomayim of being either a Sadducee
or a heretic. In this way they reached the point where
bloodshed resulted (i.e. not directly by their hands, for all
they actually did was disgrace others and slander them to the
gentile authorities), as well as every other evil in
existence. Hashem's judgment is therefore acknowledged as
having been `upright' for Hashem cannot suffer such
`tzadikim.' [He] only [tolerates] those whose behavior
towards others is also straight, not crooked, even if it is
for the sake of Heaven, for that destroys Creation and leads
to society's destruction."
We have the power to save ourselves and others. We are able
to bring our Redemption closer. By being careless, by not
paying attention, by allowing ourselves to be swept along in
sullied streams, we will deter salvation and endanger
ourselves and everybody else too. The responsibility for
defending our nation is ours; the time to act is now.
