Making sense of world events

I am going to do something out of character with this post, and I accede that it represents a failing in myself. My better judgment tells me to never make predictions, and to generally try to avoid reading the news and hype that we, the Moshiach blogosphere, create for ourselves. For better or for worse, I part here from better judgment.

With that introduction, naturally you the reader may take what I am about to say with a grain of salt. I think that would indeed be well-advised.

A number of thoughts have been parading around my mind over the last bit of time. I watched with interest as the Israeli media coverage on North Korea stood in stark contrast with the American media coverage. Here we had the Israeli media reporting North Korea testing a second missile and threatening to "attack offensively without mercy" but not a word of this was mentioned in the American media. This seemed odd to me. It also was strange that not one blog that I have read seems to have made note of it. When there finally was mention made of the sanctions being prepared, nothing was even said of the North's response. Then immediately afterward, North Korea has completely disappeared from the news. Perhaps just for the moment.

The parade continues with thoughts about Tamuz and Av coming. I came across an interesting piece of Zohar on Shavuos that was in my machzor, and it stated that the months of Nissan and Iyar, as well as Sivan until Shavuos, were given to the Jewish People. The months of Tamuz and Av, however, were given to Esav. This fact hit me with a certain weight when I considered that both last year on Rosh Chodesh Av, as well as this year on Rosh Chodesh Av, a certain event transpires - a solar eclipse. The solar eclipse, as we know from the Gemara in Succah, represents a negative sign for the nations of the world. Is it a coincidence that it occurs in the very months that represent the power of Esav?

Following last year's eclipse, the world entered a steady economic decline. Edom elected a leader who represents an unprecendented shift from truth to falsehood. I don't think it is necessary to continue the litany.

Rosh Chodesh Tamuz also pranced across my mind's stage, as I realized that if the sin of the spies happened on Tisha B'av, they left forty days earlier, on Rosh Chodesh Tamuz, to begin their act of spying. As I said in the Parsha Podcast, the forty days represent a development of something that was conceived.

While Tisha B'av represents for us the loss of the light of Moshiach in the Midbar, it is also called the day that Moshiach is born. Hashem's way is to take the evil itself and use it for His very purpose. He is like the Master Chess Player, who knows how to use every move of His opponent for His own benefit. Our Chazal tell us that Tisha B'av will be a holiday when Moshiach comes. In a similar vein, Esav's grandchild, Amalek, who lives to destroy the Jewish people, is actually used as an instrument by Hashem to bring about the ultimate redemption, and the ultimate glory of His true chosen nation.

It is possible that Tisha B'av should have been the day when the Jewish people began their ascent to the Holy Land. This was the day the spies would have returned with the information to guide the people along the paths of Eretz Yisrael. It would have represented the culmination of the Exodus in this respect. When the opportunity was lost, the day still retained that potential, and it would indeed one day take on that greatest joy.

When Rebbe Akiva saw the Har Habayis lying in utter desolation, he laughed. He knew that in its destruction lay the potential for its ultimate deliverance. He was Moshiach ben Yosef - who is 'codenamed' the איש צמח - the man who sprouts. In fact whenever we talk of the צמח דוד, it is a veiled reference to him. Rebbe Akiva knew the secret - he knew the joke. The destruction itself is the construction - סתירת זקנים בנין. The redemption sprouts from the destruction.

Is it any clearer than the Holocaust? Of course, we can not fathom the depths of this devastating event, but isn't it obvious that the destruction there directly led to a tremendous growth for our people in the the Holy Land?

The Zohar quoted earlier shows that there is a certain power that Esav has in the months of Tamuz and Av. This power was only given to him by Hashem in order to ultimately be handed back to the Jewish people when they return to their former glory. This power was wielded to destroy the second Beis Hamikdash, but that very destruction was the seed for Esav's ultimate destruction. Tamuz and Av are only temporarily given to him. They are also the instrument for Esav's downfall.

It is no coincidence that the solar eclipses have fallen in Av. As the power is drawn out of Esav and returned to the Jewish people, it becomes increasingly clear that there is a fall that is taking place in the Western world.

According to Rav Shimon Kessin, the sparks of Holiness have been almost completely removed from Edom, and we are seeing the final stages as they are completely transferred back to us, and the dawn of the era of Moshiach commences. While this is exciting, it also entails difficult times. Just as a woman giving birth undergoes birth trauma, our Chazal say that there is a birthing process of Moshiach that can entail great difficulty.

I would again return to a previous theme, which is that Tisha B'av represents a time of rising from the dust, of sprouting from the ashes. The potential for this is laid, however, on Rosh Chodesh Tamuz. Then, the seed of redemption is planted. But we only reep what we sow - whatever happens on Tisha B'av reveals what was planted previously.

We can use this time for introspection. Our sages tell us that whoever mourns the destruction of Jerusalem merits to see its rebuilding. I visited the Kotel today, and I had not been there since Pesach, so I tore my shirt and felt the sadness of the destruction wash over me. I went down to daven, and as I stepped back from the Kotel, I watched admiringly as some non-observant Jews placed tefillin on their arms and heads. There were a number of people interested, more than the few guys stationed to help could handle, so I gave a hand and explained to a young man from Connecticut a little bit of the significance of the Tefillin. The love of God for His people. Our love for Him. We rap ourselves in that love, and He does too. I walked away feeling really nice.

I can't help but think how the Kotel, the ultimate symbol of our destruction, somehow draws these Jews, who literally know nothing, and are also the symbol of our destruction. Yet there are dedicated people who will give a spark of light to their lost brethren, helping them to strap on a mitzvah, make a little connection to Hashem. Right there at the very site of our greatest devastation, the seeds are being planted for a new light to shine on Tzion. May it be soon. Amen.

Moshiach, now?

The following comment was posted on the previous post:

Please, Ari, please don't fall into the trap of predicting a scary downfall of America. Just three months ago, I asked R. Chaim Kanievsky if I should move my family to E"Y. I was all excited about it.

He replied that I cannot come without parnassah. I asked him if I should just "cash out" and come. He said, "Then you spend it and go back. What's the point?"

Parnassah is in the hands of HaShem. Thus, for us, so is moving to E'Y. In the meantime, we must have faith that HaShem is going to orchestrate the kibbutz galius we just read about in the Pesach haftorah.

Please don't be insensitive to those who b'emes long to come to E"Y, but don't have the financial capabilities (yet!) to do so.

I would just like to clarify my general approach with this blog. I really try not to make any predictions, and it was not my intent to predict the fall of the US. I was merely sharing a story with you that I thought would be interesting. I personally firmly believe that every single person must ask a shailah in regards to how they should proceed with life, and rest assured that if they follow da'as Torah, Hashem will not steer them wrong. I encourage everyone to do so, and it is interesting to me that when you asked R' Chaim he responded that way, as someone else recently told me in a conversation that they asked an American Gadol (who is very serious about the idea of living in Eretz Yisrael) the same question and received the same exact answer - one can not come here without a realistic plan for parnassah.

One thought I would like to mention that hits me as I am writing this, is that even if a particular Gadol, say, R' Kanievsky, told one person that this is the proper approach, he may not tell the next person the same thing. Our Gedolim are gifted with Ruach Hakodesh and receive constant guidance as they help out the Klal as well as the many individuals who seek their guidance. I almost laugh as I think about the obviousness of it, but I think we've learned that what a Gadol says for one person will not necessarily apply to another. Just because you read in this blog that R' Chaim told 'anonymous' not to come here doesn't mean you shouldn't ask your rav if it might be the right thing for you.

Our lives must center around serving Hashem, and while צפית לישועה is of course an important thing, it mustn't take over our lives. I realized how compulsively I was checking the news, and I realized that it began when I got very into the whole Moshiach kick. I was never into politics, not here in Israel, and not in the US. It is all a waste of time, and all it does is steer us away from our avodas Hashem. I have really been conscious of not looking at the news, and I am proud to say that I was surprised that I didn't know that 'Durban II' was happening until someone told me about it.

I think it is important to talk and be excited and hopeful about Moshiach's advent, and I do believe he will be here soon. I am happy to say that I don't know how soon, but I do wait for him every day, so I think I'm headed in a good direction. Do I think that the US will fall? I don't know, and I don't wish it upon anyone, certainly not our wonderful brothers and sisters who live there (and might even want to be here in Israel much more than being there). One thing I am sure of is that no matter where we are, Hashem will be taking care of us, and if we have indeed reached the final stages of Geulah, or are nearing them, there will be a tremendous amount of rachamim for us, not destruction ח"ו.

The final redemption will defy logic, and if one takes a look around, the entire world, and the entire state of affairs for the Jewish people as a whole defies all logic. When everything defies logic, it is Hashem's fingerprints, his voice whispering, "I'm here with you." When the winter goes by and it is one of the driest winters in years, and the weather experts are exclaiming that the chances of such a winter are zero - when the chances are zero, this is Hashem speaking. It's no coincidence that this horrible winter in Israel was the worst time for the entire world since the Great Depression. Israel is the conduit for Hashem's goodness. Whatever happens here is a sign of what is happening everywhere else.

Bottom line is that we need to love Hashem, commit to coming close to Him, chuck all the distractions, and focus in on what really counts. We don't need to know what will happen in the future. The more we try to figure it out, the more futile it will be. We can want Moshiach without needing to know when he will be here, and without trying to figure out precisely what will happen and how it will unfold.

In any event, my bet is that it will be interesting, as there's no better 'storyteller' than Hashem. We can sit back and enjoy the show without trying to figure out the ending. We can also get 'into' the story and watch as it progresses without getting carried away and losing sight of what's really important in our lives. We can be excited when we hear that the gematria of ברק אובאמה is the same as the נחש which is also the same as משיח because they are all forces that come into play in the final story. And we can also say that maybe that's not significant and maybe the story will end in a different way. If a great author can give you a surprising and shocking ending, do we think that we can figure out the ending to this story written by Hashem? No matter what it will be interesting, and no matter what it will be the Ultimate Good. Let's try to do this with balance.

Miracles in Ashdod

My wife attends a weekly shiur in chinuch from a certain Rebbetzin Fried (name changed). Rebbetzin Fried has a son who lives in Ashdod. Her son went to ask Rav Kanievsky if it was wise to remain in Ashdod, and Rav Kanievsky said that it is NOT a danger to remain there.

She then told the following story.

A few days ago, the warning siren malfunctioned and did not give people a chance to get to their bomb shelters. The missile fell and no one was hurt. It later became apparent that the place the missile had fallen was on a major bomb shelter where many people who work together normally gather. If the siren had worked properly, there would have been great casualties!

Clearly Hashem is protecting us. Keep up your tefilos wherever you are. This is our greatest protection.

Thoughts under fire

This past Wednesday, I was on a bus on my way to Jerusalem for a Sheva Brachos. The bus driver had the radio on and the radio announcer was giving updates on how many missiles had fallen that day. They proceeded to interview a number of people and it was clear that there was a lot of fear.

As I was listening, I couldn't help thinking to myself that the media is aiding the Palestinians in creating a panic in the general public. When seen through the eyes of the Torah's teachings on Emunah and Bitachon, this fear, while not unfounded, is not necessary. If we trust in Hashem and know that all He does is for our best, and that He is looking out for us, we have nothing to fear.

Perhaps I do not have the right to say this, as I am living in Ramat Bet Shemesh, where there are no missiles falling, b'ezras Hashem. But my relative who lives in Sderot does. He has told me on numerous occasions that he is not afraid of the rockets. He has tremendous trust in Hashem and knows that each missile has an address. He told me that when the sirens go off there in the middle of the night, others run to their bomb shelters, but he rolls over and pulls the covers over his head.

Tonight, after I had put my son to sleep, he called out and said that he was scared. I came back to his room and he told me that he heard at a neighbor's house something about missiles that made him fearful. I told him that we can trust Hashem, who is constantly taking care of us - providing for our food and all of our needs every day - that He will continue to do so. We have special protection because we are involved in learning Torah and are committed to loving Hashem and doing His mitzvos.

I also told told him something remarkable I heard on Rabbi Chanoch Teller's tape series called "The Righteous Live On." He has a whole lecture about the Mir Yeshiva's story of survival during World War II, and how they escaped to Shanghai. During the war, Shanghai was being bombed, and unbelievably, the natives there knew that if you wanted protection, you should gravitate to the Mir bochurim, as nothing would ever happen to them!

I told my son that we too have that protection, and we have nothing to fear. אמן, כן יהי רצון

Watch your pride

The leaders of Israel make a decision to enter into Gaza, and surprise Hamas with a devastating attack. The operation has begun and there is certainly promise in what is being done.

Yet, we see events unfolding with a superficial eye. We believe that what we see on the surface is what is really happening. When our leaders make decisions or surrender to inaction, we are fooled into believing that it is their own choices that are deciding our future.

When the results seem to be positive, we quickly get caught up in patting ourselves on the back. When things turn a different course, we look immediately for someone to take the blame.

This is all a result of a fundamental mistake. We forget that לב מלכים ביד השם - the hearts of kings (or leaders) are in the hand of Hashem. This means that although on the surface it would seem that there are certain people making decisions, starting wars and showing bravado, all that is really here is a drama that is being written by Hashem Himself. We sit in the audience and watch the actors on stage, believing that it is real and they are spontaneously thinking of their lines. The truth is that each one of them was chosen for their role because they would play their part well. But the script was written by Hashem. What they do and what they choose is not guided by their own intellects. It is guided by the greatest Intellect.

We need to have this perception when we read the news if we want to understand what is really going on. The moment we give in to the pride - yes it is pride to believe that our superficial perception of reality is all that there is - we make a tremendous mistake. When things are going well, the mistake makes us lose sight of Hashem's helping hand. When things are not going as well, the error leads us to despair.

When we trust in Hashem and know that all is from Him, and all is for our ultimate benefit, we can have true appreciation for His good in the good times, and hope for the best, even when times seem bleak. As Dovid Hamelech put it, להגיד בבוקר חסדיך ואמונתך בלילות - To say your praises in the morning [when there is light and all is well], and Your faithfulness in the night [when all seems dark and bleak].

Idols of the Land of Wealth

Something I mentioned in the post Moshiach ben Yosef II was:

I think that the most potent message of the story is that Rebbe Nachman teaches that the most desperate place a person can be is in the Land of Wealth. This place is a land that worships wealth and literally calls the wealthiest people there gods.

Interestingly, Paul Krugman writes the following in his op-ed article in the NY Times:

Think of the way almost everyone important missed the warning signs of an impending crisis. How was that possible? How, for example, could Alan Greenspan have declared, just a few years ago, that “the financial system as a whole has become more resilient” — thanks to derivatives, no less? The answer, I believe, is that there’s an innate tendency on the part of even the elite to idolize men who are making a lot of money, and assume that they know what they’re doing. (Italics mine - ag)

Striking.

Pride Kills

Twenty five people were killed yesterday in a road accident here in Israel. The news reports that the two drivers were 'racing' right before the fatal nightmare. The driver had a record of driving incidents.

This tragedy holds a profound lesson for us.

On occasion I have a simcha that I will sing in Jerusalem and it will require renting a car to bring my keyboard and other equipment. A few times I have called to reserve a car too late, and ended up taking a taxi to and from the job.

It was on one such evening that I met Eli. He is a driver who startled me with his simple smooth attitude about everything. Nothing would perturb him, and he told me that the right question to ask is never, 'Why did you go that way,' but rather, 'Why don't we go that way.' Questions about the past, he told me, are not constructive. Questions about the future are.

There was another bit of wisdom that he said that I would like to focus on. He told me that if he was the minister of transportation, he would remove all of the horns from the cars. Why is that? He said that the horn makes a person feel invincible. So what if you're coming? HONK HONK! I'm here! The horn causes more traffic accidents then it prevents.

The depth behind this statement is that when a person is full of himself at every point as he is driving, there will be no respect on the road. Whaddaya mean? I'm drivin' here! Watch out! When the attitude is pride, destruction is close by one's side.

Another taxi driver (who Eli sent me to) was Yehuda, who told me that at a certain point he realized the pointlessness of getting upset at others' foolishness on the road. When he came to that realization, he had an encounter on the road where he cut someone off, and the other person was enraged. Yehuda was in turn cut off by the guy, and the car slowed down in front of him until they both came to a stop.

A big burly guy got out of the car and came over with a look of death in his eyes and curses on his lips. Instead of getting upset, Yehuda turned to the guy and said to him, "You are right. I deserve whatever you have in mind for me. Give me your best shot."

The big guy didn't know what to do with Yehuda's statement. He grunted something under his breath, got back into his car, slammed the door and drove off.

Pride kills. Humility saves lives.

What in the world is going on?!

I try not to read the news. I try to avoid the news websites and the magazines and papers that bring the news into my home. The news dazzles and confuses. We can always find some tragedy to hold up and either cry from or encourage ourselves with, saying that surely Moshiach is on his way.

But reading the news is like putting on dark glasses that block one's view of reality.

Part of the problem is that no matter what we read we are completely missing the point.

A while ago, I read the headline that said Olmert is giving 250 prisoners to Abbas as a good-will gesture.

My blood began to boil. Is he nuts? On PA television, Abbas is spurring on his people to more and more hatred of the Jews living next door, and we need to show him good will?

As the juices start running in my head I catch myself. I let out a laugh! This makes no sense!

The joke is that the thought is so ludicrous it is clearly Hashem peeking out from behind the scenes.

Hashem you say? In Olmert's idiocy? Come now, you must be kidding. Olmert is just a fool who somehow made it into a position of power by a fluke. Soon we will be rid of him and all will be well. But to say that Hashem is behind his lunacy?

But get this, folks. If you want to find Hashem, you actually have to look for the joke. Find the point that makes absolutely no sense. That is where He is found. How do I explain that?

Things start to make sense when we internalize the fact that Hashem Himself is pulling all the strings. He is placing all of the chess pieces in their positions in order to bring about the final checkmate. He is putting the ideas in the heads of the leaders of each country, orchestrating events so that a beautiful concerto will soon be heard. As the orchestra gets in tune and is about to start playing, the room sounds like a rather awful cacophony. One would be hard pressed to believe that a symphony is about to be heard.

Then the conductor lifts his wand and the whole room is silent, and the music begins.

One could think that the music has only just begun, but in truth, the music was written before and each musician received the musical notes specially prepared for the part he was to play. The conductor also invested much time and effort placing each instrument in its proper place. The wind instruments in their place, the strings in theirs, the brass in theirs, and the percussive instruments in theirs. The concert actually began long before the conductor raised his wand.

One with a discerning ear can indeed hear the music long before. Such a person sees the careful placement and planning, yet hears the cacophony directly preceding the symphony and is struck with the utter humor of the situation. Others will notice the irony only in retrospect. Still others will miss the fact that there ever was an irony to begin with.

We can choose the group we wish to be a part of.