Lileui Nishmat my dear Rav, Rav Binyamin Bein Yitzchak Yehuda
whose Yahrtzeit was Rosh Chodesh Mar Cheshvan, Mar Cheshvan 1 this past
Wednesday
In his
weekly parsha blog, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks quotes an interesting D’var Torah he
once heard from his Rav, Rav Dr. Nahum Rabinovich Shlitta current Rosh Yeshiva
of Yeshivat Birkat Moshe in Maalei Adumim, Israel on this week’s parsha. In the
D’var Torah Rav Rabinovich quotes a Midrash from Buber’s Tanchuma (also known
as the Midrash Yelamdenu). Commenting on the verse in the parsha, “ Then God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ark’ (Gen. 8:16), ” the
Midrash makes the observation that God only told Noach to leave the ark after
Noach first thinks to himself, “ since I
only entered the ark with permission (from God), shall I leave without
permission? The Midrash then adds that, however, according to Rabbi Yehuda Bar
Ilai, If he (Rabbi Yehuda) would had been in Noach’s situation he would have
smashed down the doors of the ark before being granted permission ( see http://www.rabbisacks.org/the-courage-to-live-with-uncertainty/#_ftn1).
Based
on this Midrash Rav Rabinovich then teaches a very valuable lesson. That when
the world around us is in a “ flood”
state of wreckage we shouldn’t just wait for God’s permission to heal a
fractured world but act even before being asked to do so. In general I feel
this is an important life lesson. To paraphrase the words of Hillel to be a man
in a place where there are none (Paraphrase Pirkei Avot 2:5) to go above the
call of duty.
Unfortunately
our people are currently a tremendous time of tragedy and sorrow once again.
One only needs to open the newspaper (or read it online) to see the many
stabbings and attacked which have occurred to our holy brothers and sisters in
our holy land. Currently the army and police have done their job by working
tremendously hard to fight against our enemies and protect our people. However, it is up to all of us even those of
us not in the police or army positions in Israel and the diaspora to do our
parts to take the initiative to respond to the recent attacks.
Some
responses which I have seen so far include learning around the clock a
project spearheaded both by my yeshiva in Israel Yeshivat Torat Shraga and my
Alma Mater Yeshiva University in New York. I have also seen countless posts via
Facebook from fellow Jews in both Israel and abroad which depict what is really
going on in Israel right now despite the biased anti-Israel rhetoric which
others maybe spreading using social media.
There
is another area however, which thank God I have also seen strengthened during
this time which I feel is especially important for strive to improve at and that
is increasing or acts of Chesed (kindness)
towards our fellow Jews which has tremendous power to rebuild worlds. Someone
pointed out to me this week that the same shoresh or root of the word neshek
(small gun) is the same as that of neshika (kiss). Therefore, it is especially
important that we go out of our way to take time to do acts of kindness for our
fellow Jews or other acts where we think of them before ourselves more so than
usual. Whether that be davening for specific people injured in the attacks to
be healed or learning in memory of those loss or even extending or even things
as small as clearing our place when eating out at a restaurant so the waiter’s
and manager’s job there is a little bit easier.
May
we merit to not be passive but active in helping our people get through the
current situation despite the current situation and may HASHEM bring us to a
time where all the Jewish people are united in peace and tranquility in our
holy land of Eretz Yisrael with the coming of the Moschiach and the final
redemption may it be speedily in our days.
Good Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom, Gut
Shabbos- Gidon Herschander. Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh 3 Mar Cheshvan,5776.
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