by Rabbi E. Tauger

Sivan

A Month When We Confront Persecution

The Shabbos before the advent of a new month is distinguished as Shabbos Mevorchim, the Saturday of blessing. A special prayer is recited to bestow manifold beneficence on our people in the coming month. Usually, directly after reciting this prayer, we proceed to the prayer Ashrei yoshvei veisecho, "Happy are those who dwell in Your house." We omit the prayer Av Harachamim, "Merciful Father," which is recited in memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives to sanctify G-d's name, for the festive nature of Shabbos Mevorchim would be disturbed by the mention of this prayer. There is, however, one month when an exception is made. After blessing the month of Sivan, we recite the Av Harachamim prayer. For Sivan is set aside as a month of martyrdom. In the era of the crusades in France, horrible tragedies occurred and later in the Cossack revolt in Poland and the Ukraine of 1648, hundreds of thousands of Jews met their death in this month. Thus despite the festive nature of this Shabbos, there is no way we could continue without showing reverence for the martyrs.
Now we Jews have confronted persecution. So frequently that it is a wonder that Sivan is singled out. There probably isn't a single month when thousands of Jews have'nt been killed at one point in history.

Tears Throughout the Ages

We find it hard to understand that over history so many of our neighbors have a long tradition of hating us to the point of extermination. We can't comprehend why they do it. We certainly wouldn't do it to others. On the contrary, we have a natural desire for peace and brotherhood. And yet try as we can to spread these ideals, violent anti-semitism continually rears its head.
With the advent of modern society, we thought we were finished with the problem, that it was a thing of the past, a sociological phenomenon of the dark ages, or of any culture when unsophisticated people would unknowingly blame those whom they considered foreigners for the former's problems. And then came the Holocaust. Who perpetrated it? Not an emerging third world country, but the leaders of culture and science of the time, the nation that stood at the head of civilization.
In the more than half a century that has passed since then, we have let those events recede into history without feeling their pain acutely. Until very recently, we tried very hard to assume that it could not happen again, that now things are different and the world has changed to the point that Western society has accepted us as brothers.
Anyone who has been reading the news for the last few months can no longer accept that hypothesis. Senior citizens have been blown up at a Seder, whole families wiped out at weddings and Bar Mitzvahs, and mothers and babies slain by bombs in shopping centers and coffee shops. And you'd think at least we'd see some understanding on the part of the nations of the world. Not a chance! Instead, a defensive action in which the lives of soldiers were sacrificed to minimize civilian casualties is called a "holocaust." You'd think that especially in a world sensitized to terrorism by Sept. 11th, it would be clear that suicide bombers were the bad guys. But the world just doesn't seem to see it that way.

Seeing the Light and Not the Darkness

There are people who harp on these points, who focus on how much the world hates us, what the nations have done to us in the past and what they could do to us in the future.
This is not the intent of this message. On the contrary, Chassidism always teaches to appreciate the good in every entity, to concentrate on that positive quality, and highlight it. There is definitely no point in emphasizing the negative. That doesn't lead anywhere. It doesn't give us a starting point from which to advance further.
So why talk about anti-semitism?
We need to appreciate that we are unique, to see portrayed across the canvass of history that we are not just another nation, but that we stand out as a distinct entity. The intent is not that we are better than others. All mankind is created in the image of G-d and there is no way of grading which of G-d's works are better than the rest. Unquestionably, however, the Jews are different, marked for a Divine mission that is poles apart from that given to other nations.
When we are told this as an axiom of spiritual truth, we may find it hard to accept, for no one wants to be different than everyone else. But when we see that history shows us that we have been singled out - in the present as well as the past - we become inspired to confidently accept that distinction.

Aligning With Our Mission

Perhaps the reason the month of Sivan is set aside to highlight this message of uniqueness is that Sivan marks the anniversary of the Giving of the Torah. With that event, our national identity was defined for all time. Who is a Jew? A man or a woman who carries forward the Divine torch given at Sinai. From that time onward, the Torah has taught us who we are and how we should conduct ourselves.
Our identity as Jews is not forced upon us by the nations around us. Instead, it is granted to us by G-d and communicated to us in the Torah. When a Jew is faced with an identity crisis, he need not grope for guidance. All that is necessary for him to do is open the Torah and follow its guidelines.

Where We are Going, Not Only Where We've Been

The awareness of our unique national identity is also a key to bringing ourselves and the world to a state of fulfillment. For the Torah is G-d's blueprint for a perfect society, a world where all of its inhabitants, Jews and non-Jews, live in harmony. It is perhaps simplistic to say that as the Creator of the world and mankind, He certainly knows how the world should be run and as the essence of good, He would surely inform man of what to do to enable the world to reach that ideal. But simplistic or not, that is what the Torah is - G-d's instruction to man on how to make the world the way it should be.
In the era of Mashiach, this ideal will blossom into fruition. Mashiach will teach the Jews and through them all mankind to conduct themselves as G-d wants. The way of life we will lead and the culture we create will be an outgrowth of the principles and values that He reveals in the Torah. This will bring about abundant good, not only spiritual fulfillment, but also a world where - to quote Maimonides - "There will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor competition, for good things will flow in abundance, and all the delights will be freely available like dust." In this climate of affluence and wellbeing: "The occupation of the world will be solely to know G-d."

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Telling Tales

OShavuos is the anniversary of the Giving of the Torah. As the following story indicates, the study of the Torah is not meant to be an abstract, theoretical discipline, but a tool to enhance the depth and meaning with which we fill our lives.
When Reb Pinchas Horowitz first became a disciple of the Maggid of Mezeritch, the Maggid advised him to study with Reb Zusha of Anapoli.
Reb Pinchas went to Reb Zusycha and told him of the Maggid's advice. Reb Zusycha humbly replied that he could not understand why the Maggid would send anyone to study with him, but that he would be happy to join as great a sage as Reb Pinchas in his intellectual endeavors.
"What should we study?" Reb Pinchas asked.
"Whatever you are studying" Reb Zusha replied.
Reb Pinchas took out a volume of Talmud and began explaining the following passage. When there are only nine people in the synagogue, there is an opinion that the ark of the synagogue can be counted to complete the quorum of ten necessary for prayer. The Talmud then asks: Is the ark a person? For no matter how holy the ark is, it is humans that are required to fulfill the quorum for prayer.
As Reb Pinchas explained this, Reb Zusha interrupted: "What does the Talmud mean: 'Is the ark a person?' Everyone knows the ark is only an object."
Reb Pinchas was puzzled; the question was obviously rhetorical. Didn't his partner appreciate that?
Reb Zusha continued: "Maybe the intent is that a person can be an ark in which the Torah is contained, a veritable repository of knowledge, but unless he is a person, unless that knowledge is integrated with his humanity, the question remains whether or not he can be counted among the community."
Reb Pinchas understood that this was the lesson the Maggid had wanted him to learn from Reb Zusycha, not how to augment his knowledge, but how to use his knowledge to refine himself and change his character.

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Torah readings of the month

Parshas Naso

This week's Torah reading describes the mitzvah of a sotah. When a woman was suspected of adultery, her husband would bring her to the Temple and tell the court of his complaint against her. If she admitted her guilt, the couple would divorce. If not, a scroll containing G-d's name and a curse would be blotted out in water and then the woman would be given the water to drink. If she was guilty, she would die, but if she had been accused unnecessarily, she would receive blessings.
The commentaries note that generally, we are forbidden to blot out G-d's name. Why then is this permitted in this instance? They explain that it is as if G-d says: "Let My name be blotted out by water if only peace will be established between a woman and her husband."
G-d's name is holy. But there is something more sacred: the bond between a husband and a wife; and if preserving that bond requires that G-d's name be blotted out, we do so without equivocation.
Blotting out G-d's name for the sake of marital peace does more than show us how important an ideal marital peace is, it also demonstrates the manner in which that ideal can be realized. Just as G-d is willing to sacrifice His name for this purpose; so, too, a husband and a wife must be willing to make sacrifices for their bond to be perpetuated. They may want different things - and their wants may be of legitimate worth and value. But there is nothing of greater worth and value than G-d's name. If He is willing to have His name sacrificed for the sake of marital peace, surely a husband and/or wife should be willing to make sacrifices.

Parshas Bahaaloscha

This Torah reading reiterates the story of the manna, emphasizing how for the entire journey of the Jews through the desert, they were sustained by G-d's revealed kindness. The Rebbe Maharash explains that this is not merely a story of the past. Instead, at all times, even when we do not openly appreciate it, G-d is sustaining us and providing for our needs.

Parshas Shelach

This week's Torah reading relates how Moses sent spies to explore Eretz Yisrael and bring back information regarding the land and its defenses. The spies overstepped the limits of their mission and came back with a disheartening report, telling the people that it was impossible for them to conquer the land. Our people accepted their statements, saying: "Why is G-d bringing us to this land to die by the sword?… Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?"
When G-d heard this, He was enraged and declared: "I will smite them with the plague and annihilate them." Even after Moses was able to mollify His anger, as a result of this sin, it was decreed that the people would wander 40 years in the desert. Now this was not the first time the Jews had tried G-d's patience in their journey through the desert. On the contrary, continually - before and after this event - they showed a lack of sensitivity to His will. Yet, with the possible exception of the sin of the Golden Calf, there was no other transgression that evoked such severe punishment. Why did the refusal to enter the land warrant such a harsh response?
Because Eretz Yisrael is central to Jewish life. Judaism is not a lofty, spiritual religion. Instead, it is a way of life to be followed down here on the material plane with clear and explicit guidelines for every element of human experience. When He created the world, G-d set Eretz Yisrael aside for the Jewish people to provide them with a place where Judaism can be lived in a full and complete manner.
Therefore the Jews' refusal to enter Eretz Yisrael was so crucial. It ran in direct contradiction with G-d's intent in creation. He had no want for a people who sought a spiritual experience in the desert. Instead, He desired men and women who would live ordinary lives immersed in everyday realities and yet suffuse these realities with spiritual truth and meaning.

Parshas Korach

TThis week's Torah reading mentions several of the agricultural laws applicable to the produce of Eretz Yisrael and the gifts to be granted to the priests and the Levites from that produce. This reinforces the message highlighted above. Judaism is not a spiritual religion, dealing only with the way we pray and study. Instead, it is an all-encompassing way of life, including also the way we earn our livelihood. When a farmer works in his field, he must be aware that this is not separate from his spiritual mission, but instead, an integral part of it.

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