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by Rabbi E. Tauger
Teves
A Month
When We Look for Answers
When good things happen, we do not have any
problem explaining them. Yes, perhaps we'd like things to be even
better or maybe we're surprised at how good they are, but as long
as they're good, we have no real philosophical difficulty. If they're
good, we'll take them.
It's when things get bad, that we start having philosophical problems.
After all, we expect G-d to be good and when He does not show us
overt and revealed good, we naturally ask: why?
The answers given are generally a mixture or variation of two themes:
a) The refrain of the believers: "It's really good. Only outwardly
does it appear bad. You will see - at a later time, in a different
lifetime, or in the afterlife - how this difficulty and anguish
was really good."
b) The complaint of the faithless: "Open your eyes and see
how bad things are. And don't bring G-d into the picture. Whether
or not He exists, He isn't going to do anything to help you. You've
got to put your nose to the grindstone and get out of this difficulty
yourself."
Though there is no set time when situations that provoke this conflict
arise, there is a connection between it and the month of Teves.
First of all, Teves is a month of bitter winter when the warmth
of the previous year has been forgotten and there is not yet any
intimation of the warmth of the summer to come.
But more important, Teves is mentioned twice in the Bible. Both
of those situations were negative. Our people's response to these
situations and the aftermath to those responses grant us insight
on how to resolve the conflicting positions mentioned above.
A Good G-d Should Do Good
What's the support for the believers' position?
Some of the basic tenets of Jewish faith. As the Baal Shem Tov taught,
everything that occurs - even the twisting and turning of a leaf
in the wind - is the result of careful Divine providence. He wills
even the slightest details of all that happens.
And if He wills it, it must be good. Is there any way that it could
be otherwise?
If it does not appear good, we explain that the problem is with
our perception. We are limited; He is infinite, and thus our near-sightedness
prevents us from appreciating His ultimate goodness.
There is no way of disputing the fundamentals of this argument,
but the operational application may leave a lot to be desired. For
there is the tendency to be lulled into passivity. For since G-d
is doing everything anyway, what need is there for me to act?
Getting Going Yourself
In that vein, the pragmatism of the second position possesses an
undeniable advantage. To believe that G-d will continuously work
good on one's behalf regardless of the effort he invests is obviously
childish and unrealistic. Moreover, it makes our lives appear purposeless.
For if everything is predetermined, why is it necessary for us to
exist at all? To put it in the vernacular: It isn't much of a thriller
if the outcome is known from the beginning.
On the other hand, to take G-d out of the picture is equally undesirable.
First of all, it cuts man off from a positive and powerful source
of influence. There is only so much you can do on your own. When,
by contrast, you see yourself as acting in tandem with G-d, your
efforts are supplemented by those of a higher power.
Moreover, even if one was willing to forgo the positive advantage
of G-d's help and try to "go it alone," such an approach
would ignore reality. It is G-d's world and He has a plan. Anyone
who does not pay attention to this is swimming against the tide
and can have only limited success.
Support for Jerusalem
How then do we respond to adversity? Teves
teaches us lessons. The first time Teves is mentioned in the Bible
is as the month when Nebuchadnetzar began the siege of Jerusalem.
At that time, G-d sent the prophet Jeremiah to warn the people of
the upcoming destruction and urge them to repent.
They, however, refused to hear his words, nor those of the many
other prophets whom G-d sent. They were convinced that G-d would
never allow His Temple and His city to be destroyed. As a result
of that conviction, they failed to heed the warnings they were given
and continued their undesirable conduct as if nothing had happened.
What was G-d's intent? The Bible hints at it in the word it uses
to describe the siege: samech. Samech means "support."
G-d wanted to bolster Jerusalem. He sought that the people repent
and turn to Him in teshuvah and He sent messengers to motivate the
people to that goal. Had that happened He would have transformed
Nebuchadnetzar's siege into a positive influence as He had done
years before when Sannecreib besieged the city. The people, however,
ignored the messages and their neglect caused Jerusalem's destruction.
But this did not have to be the outcome. The negative factors could
have - and ideally should have - been transformed into positive
ones. How could that have been done? Not by standing still and listening
to spiritual platitudes, but by listening to the directives G-d
conveyed through His prophet and acting upon them.
The Need for Direction
This concept is reinforced by the events
associated with the second mention of Teves in the Bible: as the
month in which Esther was taken by Achasverush. To become queen
may be every woman's dream, but a lustful, impetuous gentile monarch
was certainly not the ideal man the righteous Esther was seeking
as a husband. The marriage was most definitely a painful challenge
for her. Nevertheless, she appreciated - as in fact materialized
- that there was a Divine intent in her being taken.
What did she do to allow the Divine intent to be realized? "Esther
carried out Mordechai's directive." She sought the guidance
of a Torah leader and followed it carefully.
To summarize, both events of Teves teach the same lesson: When confronted
with adversity, don't remain passive: act. But do not act on your
own. Find a Torah authority and listen to his directives.
Breaking Down the Walls of Exile
These concepts also apply when confronting
the greatest adversity possible: exile. The Lubavitcher Rebbe has
told us to precipitate the Redemption by anticipating its advances
in our contemporary experience. That means internalizing the ideals
of Mashiach into our life. Simply put, one is willing to step out
of his way to do a favor for others, he seeks "the knowledge
of G-d" and that grants him his greatest satisfaction, and
he desires that these values spread. This approach will influence
others and motivate them to look at things differently. And as these
ripples of change begin to spread, the world at large will be moved,
enabling these principles to come to consummate fulfillment.
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Telling
Tales
In connection with the yahrzeit
of of the Alter Rebbe, R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi, on the 24th of
Teves, we'd like to share this story which crystallizes one of his
fundamental teachings.
When Napoleon invaded Russia, the Alter Rebbe
sided with the Russian Czar - not so much because he appreciated
the Czar's policies, but because he feared what would happen if
Napoleon would be victorious. "If the Czar prevails, it will
continue to be difficult for the Jews materially, but spiritually
they will prosper. If Napoleon prevails, by contrast, they will
prosper materially, but falter spiritually."
Following the Alter Rebbe's directives, some of the chassidim took
an active role in supporting the Russian war effort. One of them,
Moshe Meisels, served as a spy. He would pretend to be a wholesale
merchant purveying goods to the French, while secretly listening
to their military secrets and communicating them to the Russians.
Once, it became a little bit too obvious that he was listening to
the French plans and he aroused their suspicions. Now in wartime,
when a Jew was caught as a suspected spy, not too many questions
were asked. He would be executed on the spot.
Moshe Meisels was a quick and persuasive talker and so that verdict
was not handed down immediately. There were enough people who believed
his protests of innocence. There were, however, an equal number
whose suspicions were aroused. As the argument between the two sides
became heated, Napoleon himself happened to be passing by. "I'll
show you whether he is a spy or not," he told his officers.
And putting his hand over Moshe's heart as a primitive polygraph,
he began to question him.
Moshe remained calm and answered the queries confidently. Napoleon
was impressed and released him.
Afterwards, Moshe said: "Now I know I have mastered the Alter
Rebbe's teachings. For he would always emphasize that the mind must
rule the heart, controlling its impulses."
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Torah
readings of the month
Parshas VaYigash
This Torah reading tells us
how Jacob and his family made their journey from the Land of Israel
to meet Joseph in Egypt. Jacob was hesitant about leaving the Holy
Land, and it was not until he received a pledge of assurance from
G-d that he resolved to do so.
Why was he hesitant? It's obvious. Eretz Yisrael is the Holy Land,
"the land on which the eyes of G-d are [focused] from the beginning
of the year to the end of the year." That is certainly where
Jacob our Patriarch would like to have spent his final days.
So why did he go to Egypt? Our Sages answer that Jacob should have
been taken to Egypt in chains of iron, but out of G-d's kindness,
He ordained that Jacob's son become the viceroy and that Jacob make
his journey to that land by royal invitation.
But that just deflects the question: Jacob went to Egypt, because
G-d wanted him to. But why did G-d want him to? And why does He
want us, Jacob's descendants, to continue living in the different
Egypts of our widespread Diaspora?
The Jews were created with a mission: to make this world a dwelling
for G-d. And that does not mean only the Land of Israel. On the
contrary, since Eretz Yisroel has an inherent dimension of holiness,
the essence of that mission is directed outside.
Within the material substance of the world are contained sparks
of G-dliness. Every piece of food we eat, person we meet, or situation
we encounter is maintained by G-dly energy. Our mission is to tap
that energy and use it for a positive purpose. For this purpose,
the Jews have wandered from continent to continent and from land
to land, seeking to reveal the G-dly life-force latent in these
places.
Parshas VaYechi
The Torah reading relates that
before Jacob passed away, he told his sons: "Gather together
and I will tell you what will happen to you in the End of Days."
Our Sages tell us that Jacob wanted to tell his children when Mashiach
will come. Nevertheless, G-d did not desire that he reveal this
information and removed the spirit of prophecy from Jacob. Realizing
this, Jacob spoke to his sons about other matters.
There are several lessons from this narrative, most obviously, that
G-d does not want the time for Mashiach's coming to be known. Some
commentaries have explained the reason is that it might lead to
despair. If people know that they will have to wait for Mashiach,
they might lose hope.
Others explain that it might make people lazy. If they know that
Mashiach won't come until this and this time, they might be less
inclined to apply themselves to their Divine service. To put it
in the vernacular: "Let's party until he's ready to come and
on the day before, we'll get everything in order."
Maimonides says: "I await for his (Mashiach's) coming every
day," i.e., that any day - and every day - Mashiach can come
and indeed, we are looking forward for him to do so. Thus there
is not an appointed date for Mashiach's coming; there is a desired
state within the world. When the world reaches that state of awareness
and that level of conduct, Mashiach will come.
Parshas Shmos
This week's Torah reading concludes
with Moses' complaint to G-d: "Why have You made it worse for
this people? Why have you sent me?"
Apparently, Moses was complaining because his mission had not met
with immediate success. Although he had communicated G-d's word
to Pharaoh, Pharaoh had not responded as desired. Instead of granting
the Jews their freedom, he had increased the yoke of their servitude.
The Jews had not been able to bear the additional burden and they
complained to Moses for approaching Pharaoh.
Now what did Moses do? He immediately complained to G-d. There are
Sages who criticize Moses for his statements. A leader is supposed
to to see a picture even before it is fleshed out entirely and then,
have the strength and the powers of communication to convince others
to accept that vision and make it a reality.
Chassidic thought takes a different perspective. Moses was looking
well past his immediate situation and seeing his long-term mission.
Moses knew that his mission was not merely to inspire the people
to believe in G-d, but to teach them to understand His laws and
create a society in which they would be put into practice. And so,
if he would inspire them, without being able to teach, he would
come up short and would not have fulfilled his purpose.
Moses wanted more than to charge the people with inspiration; he
wanted them to understand why they were making that commitment and
internalize it within their thought system. For this, he turned
to G-d and asked to understand "Why". He wanted G-d to
give him an explanation that would enable the people to understand
what they were experiencing, and not only to summon up the fortitude
to bear it.
Parshas Vaerah
This Torah reading begins the
narrative of the Ten Plagues, the greatest revelation of G-dliness
in the world's spiritual history. Similarly in the era of the Redemption,
G-d will also be revealed - "the world will be filled with
the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the ocean bed."
But the miracles of the plagues ceased and the revelation of the
era of Redemption will be ongoing. The difference is dependent on
the Divine service of Jewish people. Through our efforts to refine
the G-dly sparks that permeate every element of existence, we make
the world fit for Him to be revealed. For thousands of years, we
have been creating the setting, painstaking by showing how every
element of existence can serve as a medium for the revelation of
G-dliness. Very soon, with the coming of Mashiach, we will see the
fruits of our efforts, when "the glory of G-d will be revealed
and all flesh will see."
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Dates of the Month
Teves 5 - Didan Notzach;
the date of the historic ruling ordering the return of the library
of Agudas Chasidei Chabad to its rightful owners
Teves 10 - Asarah BeTeves; the fast commemorating the beginning
of the siege of Jerusalem
Teves 20 - the yahrzeit of Maimonides, the Rambam
Teves 24 - the yahrzeit of the Alter Rebbe, R. Shneur Zalman
of Liadi, founder of Chabad Chassidism
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