In this week’s Torah
Portion, life on this planet is destroyed. I believe the Torah is showing us
that everything in the material world is vulnerable. Since mankind has left the
Garden of Eden, life has been a cycle of destruction and rebirth. We depend on
Hashem’s promise of techias Hamaisim (Resurrection of the Dead). Just as
“Noah” is the second Torah Portion, so “Techias
Hamaisim” is the second blessing in Shemoneh Esreh: “And You [Hashem]
are faithful to revive the dead!”
Right now, the news
is alarming. Sounds of war reverberate. Haters of Israel raise their voices.
The United States, the “bastion of democracy,” echoes with anger and increasing
anti-Semitism. In Northern Syria, a confrontation is unfolding which could
involve America and Russia in direct conflict.
It behooves us to
study this Torah Portion as a guide to survival in a time of world catastrophe.
It is clear that Hashem values His beautiful world and those who inhabit it.
Based on that premise, it seems that we should try to live in such a way that
we give Hashem a reason to save us.
Every Shabbos we say, “Moshe rejoiced in
the gift of his portion, that You called him an ‘eved ne’eman’… a faithful
servant.” Hashem watches over those who desire to serve Him. “Then those
who fear Hashem spoke to one another and Hashem listened and heard and a book
of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Hashem and those who
give thought to His Name.” (Malachi 3:16)
I once had
occasion, when my father was honored in 2007, to visit the White House. Hashem
answered my prayers and I was able to speak personally to President George W.
Bush. I discussed the historical role of Israel, how the Patriarchs’ children
are returning to the Holy Land in accordance with Biblical prophecy and how he
could actually ally himself with Hashem’s plan. I also praised him personally
(he was under fire at the time) for his belief in G-d and his adherence to
Biblical ideals of morality. Shortly after our conversation, one of his aides
came to thank me, saying “The President needs to know he has friends.” It is
considered praiseworthy in our world to show honor even to a “king” of flesh
and blood.
In Israel recently, I had a taxi driver with a
strange hair style. I thought, what kind of creature is this? Just before our
destination, he stopped short and started yelling. Standing alone in the middle
of the street was a small child, dressed only in a diaper. I jumped out of one
side of the taxi and he jumped out the other. He started running up and down
the street yelling for people to come out of their houses while I carried the
child to the sidewalk. Finally, a lady appeared who knew where this baby lived.
She took him home. The taxi driver turned out to be a compassionate Jew! “Mi k’amcha Yisroel, goy echad b’aretz … Who
is like Your people, like Israel, a unique nation on earth!” (II Samuel 7:23)
There are surprising examples of kedusha (sanctity) in this
world, like gold buried beneath the earth, but one must dig for it. During the
days leading up to Yom Kippur we lay the foundation for a new year by
breaking open our souls before our Creator. This is the “digging.”
Dovid Hamelech says of Hashem, “You reduce man to pulp and
…say, ‘Repent, O sons of man….’” (Psalm 90) We awaken early to say Selichos. We try to tell
the truth about ourselves: “The lurking enemy (the Evil Inclination) is
concealed within (man) from the time of his birth…No strength nor might does
the body have to stand against it and hold its own…. Consider, L-rd, our aching
spirit; look at (our) broken hearts … Strong, Mighty One, we have not forgotten
Your name. Please do not forget us for all eternity!” (Selicha 98)
We are exceedingly vulnerable to the Evil Inclination, but, if we are
honest with ourselves, we have a chance for survival. There is hope for one who “speaks truth
within his heart.” On such a basis, a new world can be built.
From many places in
Yerushalayim, one can see Kever Shmuel Hanovi (the Burial Place of Samuel the Prophet), high on a
hill behind Ramot. It looks out over
the Holy City, watching and guarding us. Hashem said to the Prophet, “Fill
your horn with oil and go forth; I shall send you to Yishai Bais Halachmi (Yishai,
the inhabitant of Bais Lechem)….
“Yishai
presented his seven sons before Shmuel, but Shmuel said to Yishai, ‘Hashem has
not chosen these.’
“Then Shmuel
said: ‘Are these all the boys?’
“(Yishai) sent
and brought (Dovid). He was ruddy with fair eyes and a pleasing appearance. Hashem
then said, ‘Arise and anoint him, for this is he!’ Shmuel took the horn and
anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the spirit of Hashem passed over
Dovid from that day on.” (I Samuel 16:1ff) The gold is buried deep within the earth. One must dig for it.
We may think we
know how Moshiach will come, but it
is hidden from us. “A heavenly voice rang out and proclaimed, ‘It is My
secret! It is My secret!” (Sanhedrin 94a), on which Rashi comments, “The
time of Moshiach is known only to [Hashem].”
On misty days,
especially at dusk, if you look at Kever Shmuel Hanovi, it appears like
a man mounted upon a donkey. Through the mists of Golus, a figure is approaching. “For behold, your king will come
to you, righteous and victorious is he, a humble man riding upon a donkey.”
(Zechariah 9:9)
We will survive
every Flood, every challenge, every blow, every enemy. Soon, suddenly, in
Hashem’s abundant mercies, the surging waters will recede and the redeemer will
come.
PICTURE CAPTION
Kever Shmuel Hanovi through the mist.
Do you see the man riding upon the donkey?