Emuna: Removing Tradition (and Openness) from Traditional

by Rav Avraham Vasserman, Community Rabbi in Givatayim, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

What does it mean to be a traditional Jew, as opposed to an orthodox observant Jew? There are many answers, but most "traditionally," the way it developed in the Orient amongst Sephardic Jews was the following: Faith in the G-d of Israel, belief that He gave the Torah to Israel at Mt. Sinai, belief in the concept of Divine reward and punishment, and respect for Halakhah [Jewish Law]. In their world, rabbis are greatly respected and are invited to important occasions, while family connections are warm and important. At the same time, the Halakhah is not fully observed, and families might go for a Sabbath drive to the beach after the father and sons return from synagogue. There is a comfortable openness towards those who are not observant of Jewish Law barely at all, even if the parents might sigh in regret that their children are not as traditional as they would have liked them to be. Often, when something substantial happens in their lives, they might take upon themselves an additional mitzvah, such as lighting Sabbath candles or wearing tefillin. 

This way of life is not an ideology, but rather just the way they are. Sometimes people even express the wish to be more observant, but "my spouse doesn't agree," or, "it's too hard to commit." This is a style that appreciates Jewish religiosity while not feeling bound by it, and it has much beauty and positivity, especially in its openness to different degrees of observance – including even those who are very religious. 

Most unfortunately, in recent years there are those who have been trying to reframe this "traditional," practical way of life as a methodological ideology that declares openly that Halakhah "means nothing to us." Nothing could be further from the truth. 

In essence, the reframing is a type of Reform – not vis-à-vis Orthodoxy, but of traditional appreciation of Judaism. "Our way of life has nothing to do with religious life," these reformers paraphrase what was once said by certain Zionists about Zionism. This attempt to impose agendas on the large mesorati (traditional) public in Israel, on the large sector of grandparents and parents who recite Kiddush and Grace after Meals at their festive Sabbath meals – together with their children who do not normally do so – is nothing more than cynical advantage-taking of their good hearts. The vast majority of mesorati Jews in Israel want nothing to do with such a (non-)relationship to Jewish Law and to Jews who are more or less observant than they are.

Rav Kook (d. 1935) lived in a generation when many Jews abandoned their Torah beliefs and lives. In his profound analysis of this phenomenon, Rav Kook explains that one of its reasons is that it is hard for many people to find G-d in detailed laws, such as not cooking or making a phone call on the Sabbath. They still seek a connection with G-d, however – in the belief, sometimes, that this will be an even deeper connection. It is manifest partly in the "short cut" of being a good person, helping others, honoring parents, kissing the Torah scroll in the synagogue, and believing that G-d wants the best for all of us.

Rav Kook then goes a step further, and explains that this is basically the influence of Christianity. Though this sounds surprising, it is a fact that many Christians believe that what determines whether they are "saved" in the Next World is whether or not they believed in Jesus as their savior – and not necessarily their deeds in This World. 

That is, man wanted an escape from legalisms, and therefore created a different spiritual and religious ideology. But in his desire to remain connected to the original divine revelation and to eternal life, he came up with a twist in the plot: He turned the Torah into the "Old Covenant (Testament)," one which still exists but is no longer relevant. Instead, goes the claim, there is a "New Covenant" which no longer requires the laws of the Torah, but still believes in the Creator and His supervision, reward and punishment, and more. This new covenant emphasizes the ethics and morality of the Torah, in place of its laws and other teachings, even though the latter includes within them all of the former. This is precisely the problematic issue caused by stealing the lights of the Torah and detaching them from the practical mitzvot.

Some readers will yell out: "Are you calling these good Jews, Christians?! Have they instituted a new religion?!" Of course not. But it is important to know the common denominator between them, and that is the desire to throw off the yoke of the law. The Christians chose the idea of a new revelation, while some Jews went with a pick-and-choose attitude towards the mitzvot, keeping some and rejecting the others. 

Don't worry: Saba and Savta [your grandparents] will always be happy to welcome you, even if you come by car on the Sabbath. But don't dress them up with agendas that they never considered. 

Emuna: Gentile Involvement in Our Affairs Does Not End Well

by Rav Avraham Vasserman, Yeshivot Ramat Gan and Givatayim, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The famous pre-Tisha B'Av story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza has suffered a fate similar to that of other famous Jewish texts. That is, when we assume that we already know the message they intend to give over, their main points are liable to be overlooked.

To quickly review, the Talmud tells us that Bar Kamtza came by mistake to a party given by his enemy (the invitation had really been proffered to someone named Kamtza). Even after Bar Kamtza offered to pay for entire feast in order not to be thrown out in humiliation, the host did not agree, and in fact threw him out in front of all the guests – including Sages. Bar Kamtza then took revenge by informing on the Jews to the Roman emperor, and in fact, as the Talmud concludes, "Because of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Jerusalem was destroyed." (Tr. Gittin 55b)

The heading of this story is the verse, "Fortunate is he who is always afraid; he who hardens his heart falls into misfortune" (Proverbs 28,14). Rashi on the Gemara explains that the Jews of the time did not think or foresee the results of their actions:

·         The host did not think what could happen as a result of embarrassing Bar Kamtza;

·         the Sages did not realize that their silence and failure to protest the injustice would lead to a tremendous drive for revenge by Bar Kamtza;

·         the Sage Zecharia ben Avkulas, who objected to various Halakhic solutions that could have avoided the problems caused by Bar Kamtza, was too "scrupulous", and in fact the Gemara says that it was this trait of his that led ultimately to the destruction and the exile.

·         And even those who burnt the storehouses of food in order to get the Jews to fight did not think that their hunger would lead to destruction. (Note, also, that this part of the story happened at the end, when the conquest of Jerusalem was practically a done deal.)

Whose fault was it, then, that the Temple was destroyed and the nation was exiled? The answer is: Bar Kamtza – a Jew who had a fight with another Jew, was insulted by him and his fellow Jews who didn't come to his aid, and chose to bring the Romans on so that they would take his vengeance upon them. This last point was the ultimate mistake.

Our Sages note that Yaakov Avinu was perhaps the first one to make this sinful error. After a long period of separation from his brother Esav, who had vowed to kill him, Yaakov turned to him of his own initiative. When Yaakov sent him scouts with a message of peace, the Medrash Rabba (75,3) says that G-d said [paraphrased], "He was walking on his way, why did you have to remind him of your existence?"

The Ramban adds that in his opinion, this is a hint that we ourselves actually started our downfall at the hands of the Edomites [Esav's son Edom is traditionally regarded as the ancestor of the Christian Roman empire]. He writes that it is recorded in history [by Josephus] that Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, fighting for the crown, each sought Roman support, to the point where the Romans ultimately took over altogether, and ended up destroying the Temple and exiling the Jews.

Also in his commentary to the Torah passages of strong rebuke (the tokhecha of Parashat Bechukotai; Vayikra 26), the Ramban notes that involving the Gentiles in our internal struggles is what caused our destruction: "King Agrippas [the last Jewish king of Judea] went to Rome at the end of the Second Temple period, and for this, the House was destroyed."

Some centuries earlier, after many blood-soaked wars between Israel and Judea, King Pekach of Israel asked the army of Aram to get involved – and King Achaz of Judea followed suit with the Assyrians, despite being warned by the Prophet Yeshayahu not to do so. Ultimately the Assyrians captured Israel, and nearly captured Judea as well if not for the great miracle that felled the army of Nevuchadnezzar. But the Jewish downfall had started, and ultimately the Babylonians captured Judea, destroyed the First Temple, and exiled the Jews.

Actually, even the conflict between Joseph and his brothers was marked by this son. The fraternal conflict did not have to result in such a sharp break, had it not been for the brothers' wretched decision to sell him to Gentiles. The fight between them was certainly not a good thing, but if it would have remained within the family, it could have been solved. Once others got involved, however, the family ties were broken – nearly for good. Though peace was ultimately restored between them, the sale was actually what brought about the Egyptian exile and bondage.

Yes, there were many reasons for our Exile. Fraternal hatred, of course, is very well known, but our Sages have also mentioned Sabbath desecration, Shemittah desecration, Avoda Zarah, sexual sins, murder, and more. But the sin of turning to Gentiles and asking for their help against other Jews – this is not just the sin, but the punishment itself for violating our brotherhood! Though the perpetrators believe that they are accomplishing something positive – such as the Reformers who worked with foreign authorities to close synagogues and Jewish schools that did not agree to participate in their "progress" – they actually thus brought destruction upon themselves.

On Tisha B'Av – the ninth day of the month of Av (August 13^th this year) – we fast in commemoration of the destruction of both Holy Temples 2,500 and 2,000 years ago, respectively. Our fast is also so that we remember "our wicked deeds, and those of our forefathers, which caused them and ourselves those tribulations" (Rambam, Laws of Fasts, Chapter 5).

Now, too, as in the past, there are those who seek support from the Gentiles in order to impose their way on their Jewish brethren. Even if their intentions are for good, there is nothing more contemptible. When the natural brotherly ties between one Jew and another are violated, destruction is already at our doorstep.

As cited above: "Fortunate is he who is always afraid" (Proverbs 28,14).

Emuna: Israel's International Relations in the Bible

by Rav Avraham Vasserman, Yeshivat Ramat Gan, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

What does the Bible tell us about political alliances? It tells us that they can have some benefits, but that we must not rely on them. 

Let us start with the Prophets. They are not against diplomatic ties, but they most definitely oppose the idea that an alliance or treaty with a particular country or super-power will bring us salvation. On the contrary: An alliance of this nature leads to loss of faith in G-d and to the drifting away from Torah life. This is because our ally gains the ability to influence us both spiritually and culturally. 

But the problem is political as well. We occasionally hear things like, "Our relationship with the United States has never been better," or, "The U.S. is our 'best friend forever.'" There was even one leader who said that we and the U.S. "have an intimate relationship." Those who say such things ignore the well-known rule of international relations coined by Charles de Gaulle: "Nations don't have friends - only interests."

They also ignore Israel's relatively short history as a state, during which we have felt first-hand the wishy-washiness of friendships with more than a few countries. France, for instance, was our good friend up until the Six Day War, when it turned its back on us. The U.S. was hostile towards us just before we established our state, pressuring us heavily not to declare independence – and only afterwards began to support us.  

We must also not forget that during our War of Independence, we received our needed weapons not from the West, but from eastern European Communist nations. The USSR had no relations with us for many years, until suddenly its interests determined that developing diplomatic ties with Israel was a good idea. There is no reason to assume that the Russians suddenly began to appreciate the Bible and its endorsement of the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel. Rather, they saw that we could be their key to the Western economies. Things change by the minute in international diplomacy.

One of the most important lessons of the Holocaust is that we must never depend on other nations when it comes to our own survival. Let us recall the apathy of the United States towards the destruction of European Jewry in the 1940's. Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, said at the time: "Future historians will find in Jewish history two things that they will not be able to believe: the murder of the millions, and the apathy of the Western world to it."

This is nothing new. All of our Prophets warned us against relying on treaties with other countries. Most unfortunately, too many kings during the First Temple period ignored them, and suffered the consequences. Even King Solomon erred in this regard, marrying Pharaoh's daughter in order to forge an alliance with the Egyptian power. How bitterly ironic it was that the royal dynasty in Egypt was soon overthrown, and Shlomo's wife, and Shlomo with her, became enemies of the Egyptian regime overnight. The new Pharaoh even gave refuge to Shlomo's adversary Yerovam – soon to become the first king of the breakaway kingdom – when he first began his rebellion against Shlomo. That is to say, it was precisely the coalition that Shlomo made with Egypt that brought about the unwanted result.

Some 200 years later, several kings after Yerovam, King Hoshea ben Elah forged a covenant with Egypt against the powerful kingdom of Assyria (Ashur). When the Assyrians in fact attacked Israel, Egypt did not lift a finger to help us – and the Ten Tribes were exiled, up to this very day. 

Tzidkiyahu, too – the last king of the Davidic dynasty – fell into the trap of allying with Egypt, against the counsel and warnings of the Prophet Yirmiyahu. When Judea rebelled against Bavel, Egypt again sat on the sidelines – and the kingdom of Judea was overthrown and 70 years of exile began. This is why Egypt is known as a "leaning staff of a broken reed" (Kings II 18,21). 

But it wasn't only Egypt. While Hoshea was allying with Egypt, King Achaz of Judea was working out a deal with Assyria. Initial results were positive for Judea, but, as mentioned, it led to the catastrophe of the exile of our Ten Tribes, and also to the conquest by "friendly" Assyria of large parts of Judea. Under the reign of Achaz's son Chizkiyahu, Judea was nearly wiped out; only the miraculous defeat of Sancheriv's tremendous army prevented this. This is why the Prophet Hoshea says (14,1-4): "Return, o Israel, to Hashem your G-d… Assyria will not save us, we will not ride upon horses [a reference to Egypt, the land of war horses]." We must return to, and rely only upon, our G-d.

Later on, Yirmiyahu rebuked his generation (2,18): "And now, why are you going to Egypt to drink the water of the Shihor and what have you to do in the way of Assyria to drink the river's water?"  Even what appears at first to be a beneficial treaty with positive results – when it becomes a relationship of dependence and cancellation of our own judgements, the results are calamitous. This is what happened with Chizkiyahu, who developed an alliance with Bavel after the miraculous defeat of Ashur – but the Prophet Yeshayahu told him even then that the time will come when Bavel will destroy the Beit HaMikdash. This of is exactly what happened, despite the early years of a beneficial alliance.

Were the prophets opposed to all diplomatic ties? Not at all. Even military cooperation was not necessarily frowned upon. But they most definitely did oppose absolute reliance on alliances with others. They taught that this approach is not only politically wrong, but also means cultural reliance upon them, leading to a loss of faith in G-d and a drifting away from Torah. This is what happened with King Shlomo when his wives' negative influences brought idol-worship to his kingdom. Other kings, too, were influenced by the pagan practices of the countries with which they forged covenants. 

This is of course true today with our own reliance upon the Americans. We have long seen how the perversions of American culture have infiltrated us and gained a stronghold.  One of the reasons is that we depend on their political and economic strength. This reliance also prevents us from fulfilling the great Torah mitzvah of holding on to our Land. We must know that our salvation comes only and exclusively through G-d, and that our political and military success depends only on His love and support for us.

When Israel functions in the light of the teachings of the Prophets, it will be totally independent, free of the yoke of others, trusting in its G-d, and developing its own strengths. It will forge international ties based on a position of strength, and with its spiritual and existential interests as a supreme value. This approach is the correct one even practically, for it frees us from being subjugated to the "stronger" country. May we have the foresight, vision, and faith in G-d to adopt it!

Emuna: The Difficulties Involved in Waking Up – as in the Days of Yore

by Rav Avraham Vasserman, Givatayim, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

 "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." So said the renowned Winston Churchill, who led Great Britain to victory in World War II. Many in Israel today are finally awakening from the "conception" that held that we should hope for the best while feeding the crocodile. This includes even the most sworn supporters of co-existence with the residents of Gaza. Some of them have even become extremists on the other end of the spectrum, demanding that not a single Arab remain there after the war. It is very simple, they explain: One cannot be neighbors with the Satan.

But there are still those who hold on to the idea that we must distinguish between Hamas terrorists and "innocent Gazans" – as if they never saw the videos of that terrible October 7th showing the "non-involved" breaking the fences down to pave the way for the terrorists, and even accompanying them on their mission to murder and rape and burn and kidnap.

But even worse is the approach of the State of Israel in its officialdom, especially the security network, regarding the Palestinian Authority. It continues in many ways to feed the crocodile, saying that the PA is different than Hamas. Even after it is realized that one or both of them together will actually eat us first – because there's no one else around – many in official Israel begin to hope that the crocodile will simply turn into a domesticated iguana. 

Despite all sorts of imaginative attempts to distinguish between how Hamas and Fatah, respectively, behave, it is still clear to all that the PA, if it only received half a chance, would perform exactly as Hamas did and is doing. After all, the PA's financial support for the perpetrators of the attacks – the monthly salaries that the PA pays the terrorists' families – actually renders them their dispatchers. Murders by otherwise "not involved" terrorists are carried out sparsely, with an average of more than one dead Jew every two weeks. However, just because large numbers of Jews are not murdered in one day, but are spread out over time, doesn't make it more tolerable or containable. 

But it is very hard to change a conception that has taken hold so widely in the world, and in Israel, and in the heads of so many decision makers and policy setters. In truth, this phenomenon is nothing new.

Remember the Prophet Jeremiah? He had two demands, or exhortations, of the Jewish Nation: Please rectify your evil ways, and please do not embark on the irresponsible adventure of rebelling against Babylonia. But the nation, led by King Yehoyakim, did not listen, and instead did rise up against Bavel. The latter sent international bands of warriors to fight Israel, but even this Divine sign did not move the nation (Kings II 24, 2-4) from its conceptions.

Nor did the terrible death of Yehoyakim – whose corpse was thrown outside the walls and received a donkey's burial – move anyone. The dead, stubborn king's brother, Yehoyachin, continued along the same path, making diplomatic overtures to Egypt against Bavel – whose king then proceeded to lay siege to Jerusalem, capture the city, exile its king and his family, and steal precious Holy Temple vessels. Yirmiyahu again pleaded with the nation to change its ways, and to realize the destruction to which their actions were leading them. The "false prophets" of the time were a particularly hard obstacle, combining words of comfort and solace with assurances that G-d was strong enough to vanquish Israel's enemies in every situation. Jeremiah accused them of "claiming Peace, Peace – but there is no peace."

Yirmiyahu ostensibly won the Battle of the Prophets, for he correctly predicted the untimely death of false-prophet leader Hanania ben Azor (Yirmiyahu 28). But still: Though he could have said, "I told you so," the people were too steeped in their conception, and did not repent. 

The false prophets continued to produce "prophecies of comfort", and Jeremiah was condemned to a cruel death for the crime of national betrayal by having weakened its will. Only at the very last moment was he saved (Jeremiah 38). In place of Yehoyachin, Nebuchadnezzar had appointed Tzidkiyahu, who followed the foolish path of his predecessors and rebelled against him. Oh, the power of the conception! 

Even after Tzidkiyahu woke up to the dangers, it was too late, for other powers in the nation, stronger than him, continued to resist Yirmiyahu's message. Yes, the prophet agreed that G-d could perform miracles, as He had done against Sancheriv – but this generation was not necessarily as worthy as that one, he told them, and therefore it was time to give in. The nation refused to listen: Yirmiyahu was jailed, the Temple was destroyed, and Judea was exiled. 

By now it could have been expected that the nation would finally wake up. But too many Jews continued to worship idols, and too many continued to believe that their future lay with Egypt, and not, as Jeremiah continued to say, with Bavel. He warned that Pharaoh would fall before Nebuchadnezzar, and that the latter would take out his wrath on the Jews there, some of whom had taken part in the assassination of the Bavel-appointed Gedaliah. The people scorned Yirmiyahu once again, and refused to entertain the thought that Egypt could be defeated. When Nebuchadnezzar arrived in Egypt with his armies, it was too late for the Jews to reconsider their old conceptions… 

And Nowadays? 

The Scriptures do not tell us the life story of Yirmiyahu simply so that we can know how many times he failed in his attempts to return the nation to the straight path. This does not honor the Prophet or his prophecies. Rather, it seems that the message is: "If you want to make a change in the nation, do not rely on facts alone!" 

That is, we can say, "We told you so" all we want, but it will not make a dent in those who are convinced otherwise. There are many who cleave to their problematic ideology even in the face of facts that show its falsehood. Why is this? 

It is because even when we see a certain reality, it is sometimes hard to translate it into actions – especially when it involves admitting past mistakes, a change in lifestyle, and/or the loss of precious careers or peace-camp scholarly grants and the like. It seems that there will always be "prophets of peace," with many followers, who will simply not see the catastrophe to which their path leads – even when others see it clearly. On the contrary, they will find ways to justify their approach, and prove that the very catastrophe that we face requires that we continue along the same failed path with even greater force.

Yirmiyahu was alone in his campaign, and therefore the odds against him were great. But today, there are many who are waking up, joining the even greater numbers who from the beginning never agreed to feed the crocodile. Now, then, is the time to lead a march towards national salvation, and to bring about the fulfillment of the verse: "No more will be heard violence (Heb: hamas) in your land, or wasting or destruction in your borders; you shall rather call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise" (Yeshayahu 60,18).