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Consoling His People
Part I. Worldly Consolations
A Commandment
When Yeshayah Hanavi made that famous statement× Ö·×Ö²××Ö¼ × Ö·×Ö²××Ö¼ ×¢Ö·×Ö“Ö¼×Ā ā You should doubly console My people,Ā he was not saying it of his own mind; it says at the end of thatĀ possuk:Ā ×Ö¹××ַר ×Ö±×Ö¹×§Öµ××Ö¶× āĀ Your Elokim is saying this. It means that Hashem is the One commanding us to perform this service of consoling.
And who are we commanded to console?AmiĀ ā My nation. The Am Yisroel are the ones who deserve an especial measure of encouragement. He adds a reason there: ×Ö“Ö¼× ×Öø×§Ö°×Öø× ×Ö“×Ö·Ö¼× ×ַשֵּ×× ×ּ֓פְ×Ö·×Ö“× ×Ö°Ö¼×Öø× ×Ö·×Ö¹Ö¼××ŖÖ¶××Öø.Ā It means that the Jewish nation has suffered much. Not only theĀ churban. Even today we know that the gentiles do not love Jews; and if you look like a Jew, they surely donāt love you. The Jew is surrounded by gentiles who often cause trouble and the Jew is constantly struggling against that.
Itās Not Easy
Besides, in order to be an observant Jew a certain amount of sacrifice is always required. To raise aĀ frumĀ family certainly takes work. A Jewish mother is especially busy. The children are climbing the walls and sheās haggard and tired. And her husband is out in the factory working long hours so that he could payĀ schar limudĀ and rent for his big family.
And of course everybody has someĀ pekel;Ā everybody has some troubles in life. There is no such thing as a human being who doesnāt need consolation; even a millionaire, a billionaire, he has some difficulties in life. Some have more than you think.
And therefore Hakodosh Boruch Hu is commanding us through the mouth of the Navi that we should always consider it our function in life to console the Jewish people. EveryĀ frumĀ Jew deserves the greatest amount of help and compassion and encouragement. And the Navi is talking to us; it says × Ö·×Ö²××Ö¼ ā plural āĀ everybodyĀ has to console My people.
A New Attitude
Now again, letās not live merely by superficiality, by words without thinking what weāre saying. This statement of Yeshayah Hanavi actually means whatās being said here. And so when it comes to how oneĀ frumĀ Jew deals with anotherĀ frumĀ Jew, what should be the attitude? × Ö·×Ö²××Ö¼ ā Console!
And not only once. × Ö·×Ö²××Ö¼ × Ö·×Ö²××Ö¼! Console and console some more! The fact that the word is repeated comes to emphasize that this should be done constantly. āConsole and console againā means that always,Ā tamid,Ā you should continue to cause consolation to My people. Not once a year on Shabbos Nachamu because of the Churban Bais Hamikdash. All year round, all our lives, we should listen to the Will of Hashem to comfort the Jewish nation.
And not only people in general, but everyĀ yachid. Every individual we encounter, itās aĀ chiyuvĀ upon us to try to make him happy. Of course you have your own worries too; you donāt have time to spend at length with everyone but as much as possible you have to do that. Itās aĀ chiyuv, a big responsibility, and itās something to think about because youāre hearing now about a new career for theĀ frumĀ Jew; to make it an ideal to encourage our fellow Jews and to make them happy.
Of course the preface to that career isĀ sur meira, to turn away from bad. It means that as much as possible we should make it our business never to cause any sadness to a fellow Jew. No quarreling. Quarrels make people unhappy and thatās the direct opposite of whatās expected of you. To be coldĀ chas veshalom;Ā to say the wrong words to a fellow Jew thatās not calledĀ nachamu nachamu ami.Ā Itās the opposite ofĀ tanchumim. We have to console. Thatās what Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants.
The Lollipop Cure
Now, exactly how to do that requires study. You have to be trained for that, but in many cases itās not difficult at all. Youāll be surprised but you want to know what kind of consolation is needed most? In most cases itās a lollipop. A lollipop! Iāll explain that.
Here is a man walking with his little boy in the street, and the boy is weeping and howling as if the worst thing just happened to him. What is it? He lost his little toy, a plastic whistle letās say from the Five and Dime discount store.
Now, what does the father do? The father could tell him, āMy son what are you crying for? Arenāt you happy that you are alive? Arenāt you happy that you are wearingĀ tzitzis, that youāre a Jew? Arenāt you happy that Hashem gave us the Torah and that ×ÖøÖ¼× ×֓שְ×רָ×Öµ× ×Öµ×©× ×Öø×Ö¶× ×Öµ×Ö¶×§ ×Ö°×¢×Ö¹×Öø× ×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼×?
That is what the father could say ā that would beĀ tanchumimĀ ofĀ seichelĀ after all ā but he doesnāt say that because it wouldnāt help. It wouldnāt help at all. What helps? A lollipop, that does the trick. If it has different colors, even better! And so the father gives him a lollipop to suck on and the little boy is consoled now. Aha!Ā Nachamu nachamu ami.Ā You wereĀ menachemĀ a fellow Jew!
Twisted Minds
Thatās what theĀ possukĀ says ×¢Ö“× ×¢Ö“×§ÖµÖ¼×©× ×ŖÖ“Ö¼×ŖÖ°×¤Ö·Ö¼×ŖÖøÖ¼× āĀ with somebody whose mind is crooked we have to deal crookedlyĀ (Tehillim 18:27). Now some people misunderstand that; they think it means you can cheat a crooked man. No, it doesnāt mean that. ×¢Ö“× ×¢Ö“×§ÖµÖ¼×©× ā With a man whose mind is crooked, you canāt talk straight things to him but you want to put into his mind a straight idea. How do you put a straight idea into a twisted box? So ×ŖÖ“Ö¼×ŖÖ°×¤Ö·Ö¼×ŖÖøÖ¼× ā you take your idea and twist it so it should fit into his crooked mind. After a while the idea straightens itself out and his mind will straighten out too. But you have to get it into his mind, even in a twisted form.
When you talk to the child, you canāt talk straight; he is an ×¢Ö“×§ÖµÖ¼×©× ā a childās mind is ע֓קֵּש×; and by giving him a lollipop you are twisting your mind for him. What is a lollipop after all? Is that any consolation for weeping in this world? No; itās twisted. Never mind! ×¢Ö“× ×¢Ö“×§ÖµÖ¼×©× ×ŖÖ“Ö¼×ŖÖ°×¤Ö·Ö¼×ŖÖøÖ¼×, twist yourself to fit in. And after a while, when his mind is calm, you might go over to him and say, āMy little boy, isnāt it a nice sunny day?ā So now you introduced a higherĀ madreigehĀ to him; to appreciate a nice day is a bigĀ madreigeh. A little later you can talk to him about higher things, about the greatness of being from the Am Yisroel, the greatness of Olam Habo.
The Smile Lolly
And therefore, when you are dealing with people, you canāt always talk to themĀ inyanimĀ ofĀ emes, ofĀ ruchniyusĀ andĀ seichel. You canāt tell them about the ideals of great achievements in this world, how glorious it is to live in this world where you can doĀ mitzvosĀ andĀ maasim tovim; how itās all a hallway to the Next World. ×Ö·×ŖÖ°×§Öµ× ×¢Ö·×¦Ö°×Ö°×Öø ×ַּפְּר×Ö¹×Ö°××ֹר ×Ö°Ö¼×Öµ× ×©Ö¶××ŖÖ“Ö¼×ÖøÖ¼× Öµ×” ×Ö“×ְרַקְ×Ö“××. You canāt tell that to people who are sad; sometimes you have to give them something, a lollipop, to suck on.
Now, there are various ways of giving candy to a person. You canāt give a grown person a lollipop, but there are various other substitutes that take its place. Hereās one that works for adults ā a smile! Showing a friendly face is one form of consolation thatās always available.And even though you donāt know the man,but heās a fellow Jew; so remind yourself about what Yeshayah Hanavi said and console him by showing him a friendly face, a smile.
Encourage your fellow Jew. Letās say youāre sitting on the bus or on the subway; all the seats are occupied and aĀ frumĀ Jew comes in ā nobody looks at him with a friendly face. What do you do? You get up and sayĀ shalom aleichemĀ and shake hands with him demonstratively. After that you could sit down on your seat again, but at least you have shown that youāre honoring this man. Thatās what we have to do. Not just sit and ignore him. How could you ignore aĀ frumĀ Jew who walked into the bus or into the subway? Our job is to get up, sayĀ shalom aleichemĀ and greet him. Let the world see that he is important.
LetĀ himĀ know heās important! Heāll be happier. It makes him more healthy. It changes his entire day and he will never forget it.
Be An Actor
It takes a little training, a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, youāre on your way. Otherwise, youāre aĀ golem, an untrained fellow. Some people pass you on the street. They know you but they barely acknowledge you. A smile, surely not. That shows heās notĀ mechunach.Ā Heās not trained. You have to greet a fellow JewĀ besimchah. AĀ frumĀ Jew especially. A black hat Jew, you should greet him withĀ simchah. Even no black hat. Any Jew with aĀ yarmulke,Ā you should greet him with a smile.
Does it cost money to smile? And itās an obligation. Itās notĀ midas chassidus;Ā itāsnot doing beyond the line of duty. So he says, āBut where does it say that?āĀ Nachamu nachamu amiĀ means that! And therefore we must learn that attitude, at home, in business, on the street, in theĀ beis haknesses,Ā in theĀ yeshivah;Ā wherever we are we must learn to make other Jews happy. And even though you donāt love him,Ā actĀ like you love him. Make him feel good! Itās an obligation.
Take a Nosh
Now before I go on with the subject ā I havenāt started yet ā I want to add a very important point. And that is the following: included inĀ nachamu nachamu amiĀ is yourself. Why only others? Hakodosh Boruch Hu says to you, × Ö·×Ö²××Ö¼ × Ö·×Ö²××Ö¼ ×¢Ö·×Ö“Ö¼× ā console others and console yourself. After all, when we say ×¢Ö·×Ö“Ö¼×, you are also included; you are also Hashemās people and so you have to console yourself. You have to learn how to cheer yourself up.
And so if you are sad and you donāt know why you are sad, then you had better get busy with fulfilling that obligation. Maybe you are that little boy who is crying over nothing. So Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, āTake a lollipop.ā Just like you have to give lollipops to others, sometimes you have to give to yourself as well.
Sometimes a candy or a piece of cake is important to give you a lift. Many times people are down and they need a lift and then itās recommended that they take a nosh and enjoy life a little bit more than the regular routine. It doesnāt mean you have to run afterĀ nosherei, snacks, good times, no. It doesnāt mean you have to drinkĀ shnapps.Ā But sometimes thatās also a way of beingĀ menachemĀ yourself. Anything that wonāt harm you, that wonāt enslave you into wrong habits, you areĀ mechuyevĀ to do.
Get Rosy Glasses
However the best way for a person is to learn the art of optimism; to put on rosy glasses and look at the world and see everything in a rosy light. Thatās the real happiness, the real consolation, that Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants you to do. A Jew should try to be happy in this world, in Hashemās world, because itās aĀ mitzvahĀ to make himself, a Jew, happy. Be happy with your feet. Be happy with your lungs. Your kidneys are working? Your heart is pumping? Oh wah, is that aĀ nechama!
Other things too. Go to sleep on time by all means. Make sure this Jew over here (the Rav pointed to himself) goes to sleep on time. Itās very important. It will make you happy. āEarly to bedā is very important. Tell this Jew to eat his meals on time: āEat breakfast every day.ā
But most important is to teach others and yourself to live a life of appreciation. All the things that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is doing for you are included in theĀ mitzvahĀ ofĀ nachamu nachamu ami āĀ Hashem made those things cheer us up and the more you focus on them, the more you talk about them to yourself and others, the more you are fulfilling theĀ mitzvahĀ of āConsole My people.ā
Part II. National Consolations
Some Lomdus
But when we look at thisĀ haftorah, when Yeshayah starts explaining, we notice that he doesnāt give any such examples that you just heard now; he speaks of entirely different things, a higher form of consolation.
Now we shouldnāt make any error. Although Yeshayah Hanavi doesnāt talk about enjoying the pleasures of life, of being happy and optimistic by means ofĀ gashmiyus, nevertheless he certainly intended that. Only that he goes on and heās talking to us on a higher level.
If you study theĀ haftorah,Ā youāll see that the entireĀ haftorahĀ is talking about the greatness of Hashem. Take a look at theĀ pesukimĀ inside and youāll see that itās so. Now what does that have to do with the consolation ofĀ nachamu nachamu ami? Itās aĀ lomdisheĀ question Iām asking now.
You know, if Yeshayah would have said, āMy people! Be consoled because Iām going to rebuild Yerushalayim once again. You will come back to Eretz Yisroel and live in the shadow of the Beis Hamikdash,ā so we would understand that. But Yeshayah Hanavi is instead consoling us with the great thought that Hashem is the Power that rules the universe. We have to understand that.
The Terrible Tragedy
In theĀ haftorahĀ of the week afterĀ Shabbos Nachamu,Ā Yeshayah Hanavi begins with the words ×Ö·×ŖÖ¹Ö¼××ֶר צ֓×Ö¼×Ö¹× ×¢Ö²×Öø×Ö·× Ö“× ×ַשֵּ×× ×Ö·×ַשֵּ×× ×©Ö°××Öµ×Öø× Ö“×Ā ā Tzion says āHashem forsook me and Hashem forgot meā.
What was the occasion for these words? One of the most tragic events in our history transpired at that time. It was the beginning of the Churban. The ten tribes that had separated from Yehudah and Binyomin and formed a kingdom to themselves, were now carried off into captivity.
The division, the separation, was a tragedy of such terrible dimensions that no one could even think of it. But now came the finale of that tragedy ā the nation of Assyria, Ashur, made an invasion and carried off the ten tribes. Our brothers went lost.
We canāt even begin to understand what a blow this was. We had been in the land since we came out of Mitzrayim, and we were together, all theĀ shivtei Kah,Ā one nation together, and it never occurred to anyone that we would ever be separated from our land. Today weāreĀ accustomed to āthe wandering Jewā, but at that time it was fixed in the Jewish concept that weāre here forever. It would never occur to us that a tribe could go lost.
Shaking The Foundations
This tragic episode rocked the nation to the foundations. Of course, they believed implicitly in Hashem. There was no question that Hakodosh Boruch Hu had been guiding them since the days of the beginning of the nation. They couldnāt forget the miracles ofĀ Yetzias Mitzrayim,Ā all the wonders that Hashem had done for them.Their great-grandfathers were witnesses.
But now all of a sudden it seemed like Hakodosh Boruch Hu was tired of them and He had forgotten about them. That was the conclusion to which many came. Otherwise it couldnāt be that such a tragedy could take place. Some people become very angry at Hashem because of that. And some who were more charitable said, āHashem forgot about us.ā
So the Navi tells us, āImpossible! ×ֲת֓שְ××Ö·Ö¼× ×֓שָּ×× ×¢×Ö¼×Öø×ּ ā Can a woman forget her baby?Ā Itās impossible. Hashem is always thinking about you.ā
Immense Numbers
Now the Gemara (Brachos 32b) goes on and explains what it means that Hashem doesnāt forget about His people, what it means that He thinks about them always.
×Öø×ַר ×Ö·×§ÖøÖ¼××Ö¹×©× ×ָּר×Ö¼×Ö° ××Ö¼×Ā ā Listen to what Hashem says.Ā Now the following is just a picturesque language. But itās not an exaggeration; itās an understatement. Remember. It may seem like an exaggeration but itās an understatement.
×Ö“Ö¼×ŖÖ“Ö¼×Ā āĀ āMy daughter,āHashem says to the Jewish people, ×ā× ×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼××Ö¹×Ŗ ×ָּרָ××ŖÖ“× ×ָּרָק֓××¢Ö·Ā āĀ āI created twelve constellations in the sky.ā The sky is divided up by the astronomers of ancient times into twelve areas called twelve constellations. ×Ö°×¢Ö·× ×ÖøÖ¼× ×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼× ×Ö¼×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼× ×ָּרָ××ŖÖ“× ××Ö¹ שְ××ֹש֓××× ×Ö·×Ö“×Ā āĀ āAnd I created thirty armies of stars on each constellation,Ā ×Ö°×¢Ö·× ×ÖøÖ¼× ×Ö·×Ö“× ×Ö°×Ö·×Ö“× ×ָּרָ××ŖÖ“× ××Ö¹ שְ××ֹש֓××× ×Ö“×Ö°××Ö¹×Ā ā and each one of these armies has thirty legions of stars.Ā ×Ö°×¢Ö·× ×ÖøÖ¼× ×Ö“×Ö°××Ö¹× ×Ö°×Ö“×Ö°××Ö¹× ×ָּרָ××ŖÖ“× ××Ö¹ שְ××ֹש֓××× ×ØÖ·×Ö²××Ö¹×Ā ā and every legion has thirty regiments of stars, ×Ö°×¢Ö·× ×ÖøÖ¼× ×ØÖ·×Ö²××Ö¹× ×ְרַ×Ö²××Ö¹×Ā ×ָּרָ××ŖÖ“× ××Ö¹ שְ××ֹש֓××× ×§Ö°×ØÖø××Ö¹×Ā ā and in every regiment there are thirty squads of stars,Ā ×Ö°×¢Ö·× ×ÖøÖ¼× ×§Ö°×ØÖø××Ö¹× ×ּקְרָ××Ö¹× ×ָּרָ××ŖÖ“× ××Ö¹ שְ××ֹש֓××× ×Ö“×”Ö°×Ö°×ØÖø× āĀ and every squad has thirty detachments of stars.Ā Now pay attention to this: ×Ö°×¢Ö·× ×ÖøÖ¼× ×Ö“×”Ö°×Ö°×ØÖø× ×Ö°×Ö“×”Ö°×Ö°×ØÖø× ×ŖÖøÖ¼×Ö“××ŖÖ“× ×Ö¼×Ö¹ שְ××Ö¹×©× ×Öµ××Ö¹×Ŗ ×ְש֓×שּ֓××× ×Ö·×Ö²×֓שָּ×× ×Ö·×Ö°×¤Öµ× ×ØÖ“×Ö¼×Ö¹× ×Ö¼×Ö¹×Öø×Ö“×× āĀ And for each detachment I have put in 365,000 times 10,000 of stars.ā
You, Yes, You!
Now, thatās already many millions and billions of stars! And Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, ×Ö°×Ö»×ÖøÖ¼× ×Ö¹× ×ָּרָ××ŖÖ“× ×Ö¶×ÖøÖ¼× ×ּ֓שְ××Ö“××Öµ×Ö°Ā āAll of these millions of stars I created only because of you.āĀ We have to get that in our minds. The millions of stars in space ā by the way there are more than millions and billions. There are trillions of stars. And some of them are very big, much bigger than the sun. āAnd all of them have been created only because of you,ā Hashem says. āSo how can you say I have forsaken you and forgotten you?ā
The truth is itās aĀ possukĀ in Chumash. In the Chumash it says as follows ā they are words we have to study and remember. When you go home tonight, take out a Chumash and memorize thisĀ possuk.Ā If you canāt say it in the original, memorize the English: ×Öµ× ×Ö·×ַשֵּ×× ×Ö±×Ö¹×§Ö¶××Öø ×ַשָּ××Ö·×Ö“× ×ּשְ××Öµ× ×ַשָּ××Öø×Ö“×Ā ā Behold to Hashem belongs the heavens and the heavens above the heavens.Ā It means āAll of space is Mine, and everything in all of space is Mine.ā But רַק ×Ö·Ö¼×Ö²×Ö¹×ŖÖ¶××Öø ×ָשַ××§ ×ַשֵּ×× ×Ö°×Ö·×Ö²×Öø× ××Ö¹×ŖÖø×, only in your forefathers did Hashem delight to love them.
Hashem turned His back on the trillions of huge heavenly bodies and loved our forefathers. He loved Avraham. āāAvraham, youāre everything to Me.ā He loved Yitzchak. āYitzchok, youāre everything to Me.ā He loved Yaakov. āYaakov, youāre everything to Me.
So you might think itās only our forefathers. Hashem says no, ×ÖøÖ¼×Ö¶×Ā ā all of you!Ā And your children too, ×Ö·Ö¼×Ö¼×Ö¹× ×Ö·×Ö¶Ö¼×, as of this day.Ā Whatever day you might be listening to these words it wonāt ever change. Hashem loves every Jew with such an intensity that itās remarkable. And Heās thinking about all of us more than trillions of stars, more than anything else in the universe.
The Adopted Princess
And now we can understand what Heās telling us in theĀ haftorah.Ā The wholeĀ haftorahĀ goes on to speak about the greatness of Hashem because thatās our greatness, thatās our trueĀ nechamah.Ā Because the more we understand the vastness, the infinity of Hashem, His wisdom and His kindliness that have no end, the more consoled we are. The greater Hashem becomes in our mind then the greater becomes our understanding of what it means that Hashem loves us. The greater You are, Hashem, the more honored we are.
Hereās aĀ mashal.Ā Suppose you got a letter from the king of England informing you of the good news that he has adopted you as his son. Youāre a prince now! Such a letter, you might have aĀ yetzer horaĀ to visit him; youāll be able to tell people about your new patron. It sounds like a very a bigĀ kavodĀ after all.
Trust me, however, the king of England is a very smallĀ kavod, a very small honor. Itās almost nothing. The fact that so many people would like thatĀ kavodĀ is meaningless. Who is he? Heās aĀ shiker.Ā Heās aĀ goy.Ā Sometimes heās an adulterer too. I say āsometimesā because Iām considerate. Whatever he is, heās a nobody. Heās not aĀ chochomĀ or a scientist. At least if he was a scientist, maybe. But heās a nobody.
And therefore itās important to knowĀ whoĀ is adopting you as his son. When theĀ Melech Malchei Hamlachim Hakodosh Boruch HuĀ saysĀ banim atemĀ laHashem Elokeichem,Ā youāre My children, it means that the King of All Kings is saying, āIām adopting you as My son.ā Oh, thatās the greatest honor that you could ever think of.
āYou have to know who I am,ā Hashem says. āI am everything. If I love you then thereās nothing bigger in the world than that.ā And so when He says, āIām more interested in you than anything else in the universe,ā thatās the only thing that counts ā thatās the great consolation of Olam Hazeh.
Ethnocentricity in The Bible
We have to study that. You know today you come into a place full ofĀ frumĀ Jews,Ā boruch Hashem. Boruch Hashem!Ā But because there are so many of them, they become unimportant to you. āItās justĀ frumĀ Jews,ā you think. Oh no! When you look at even one Jew, when you see one Jew walking in the street, heās more important than anything else in the world. Not the Jewish nation; a single Jew walking in the street! A littleĀ yeshivahĀ boy. A Beis Yaakov girl. You have to know that one Jew is more important than billions of stars. Every individual Jew! Man or woman, boy or girl, is more important to Hakodosh Boruch Hu than all the stars in space.
I remember when that Arab killed Kahane so a certain gentile writer was making fun of Kahane. He was ridiculing him and he accused him of ethnocentricity. Ethnocentricity means he was interested so much in the Jewish people; ethno, his own nation, centricity, is the center of everything.
Now I was thinking how silly that is. Why blame Kahane? Hashem said that already. And so every Jew has to be ethnocentric; otherwise heās not a Torah Jew ā heās rebelling against the Torah. Every Jew has to think that. But not only that the center ofĀ ourĀ thoughts is the Jewish people. No, thatās not it. Hashem says āItās the center ofĀ MyĀ thoughts! Can I forget you? Could be Iāll forget the stars. I donāt forget anything but if I would forget, I would forget the stars and the planets and everything else. But I wouldnāt forget you.ā
More Than Trillions
And that brings us to the higher level ofĀ nachamu nachamu ami. My people should be consoled just because of that, just because of that word:Ā AmiĀ ā āThey are My nation. Thatās the consolation, that youāre My people.ā
And so we begin to see a new way to console ourselves. We have to practice up this idea that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is trying to hammer into our minds that He loves every one of us more than any amount, more than trillions and trillions of huge worlds in space.
Itās not aĀ guzmaĀ like people who never study this will think. They go through life never thinking about this subject so they think Iām just talking; that Iām just saying words so that we could have a lecture. No, no; Iām saying it because we have to practice it. As you walk in the street and you see aĀ frumĀ Jew walking over there ā you donāt know him but one thing you do know; to Hashem he is more important than the entire universe.
Start Preaching
Thatās part of the function ofĀ nachamu nachamu ami.Ā We have to preach to the Jewish nation how important they are. You canāt put it in the newspapers but Jews should preach it to themselves. You must talk again and again and again about this great point. Thereās nothing in the world except the Jewish people! Every observant Jew is of vast importance and we have to talk to our children about it. Talk to your neighbors. Theyāll laugh at you? Say it anyhow. Find different ways to say it; one day you present it like this, one day like this. It goes in. It goes in and itās a consolation.
And like we said earlier, itās not enough to tell others.Ā Nachamu nachamuĀ means ourselves. We have to console ourselves and teach this to ourselves. So continually you should say, āHashem loves me more than He loves the entire universe. Of course He loves me more than all the trees; He loves me more than all the mountains and the oceans, more than all the animals. He loves me more than all the Italians. He loves me more than all the Irishmen; more than anybody else in the world, He loves me. He loves me more than even the whole world. If the whole universe was populated with nations and I was the only Jew, He loves only me more than all of them.ā Thatās how we fulfillĀ nachamu nachamu ami.
Part III. Otherworldly Consolations
Servants in This World
And now we come to the final word in this subject ofĀ nachamu nachamu ami.Ā Actually itās the most important, the most genuine, consolation we can give the Am Yisroel. Iām talking about theĀ nechamahĀ of Olam Habo, the consolation of the World to Come. Olam Habo, thatās everything! And any consolation in this world pales in comparison to theĀ nechamahĀ of Olam Habo.
Now, the truth is that even in this world we do see a great deal of consolation for the Jewish people. Donāt we see that in many places there are gentile servants in the Jewish homes? In this neighborhood many people have gentile servants. But nowhere will you find a Jew working as a servant in a gentile home. You donāt see that. Never is there a Jew who works for a gentile as a domestic in the house.
Even inĀ golusĀ weāre superior in our physical lives, above all the other nations. Even in Lithuania and Poland where the Jews were pretty poor, they had peasant women, servant girls working in their houses. I remember when I was in Lithuania inĀ yeshivahĀ aĀ goyĀ once said to me, āI wish you Jews would have your own country and weād go there to live and youād work inĀ ourĀ houses!ā
The Kuzari when heās talking about how Hashem takes care of us inĀ golusĀ he says like this:Ā KiĀ avadim anachnu,Ā itās true we are servants. To a certain extent, we are subject to the nations, and yet even in our servitude, Hashem didnāt forsake us. And he explains that our economic status among the nations has always been better than that of the majority of the people. Weāre always a little lower than the nobility than the aristocracy, but weāre superior to the majority of the people. Itās something thatās true everywhere. Wherever you go the Jew lives a better physical life than most of the people.
Satisfaction in This World
So even in thisĀ golus, we see that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is consoling us. The Jew who is aĀ frumĀ person lives a happier life than others. Even the olden day gentiles who lived more decently than today, yet they never lived as happily as the Am Yisroel. I remember the old gentiles, the decent ones.
They wereĀ shikurim.Ā Saturday night, there was wife beating all over the whole city. TheĀ goyimĀ got their weekās pay and they went to the bars and got drunk and they used to come home and hit their wives and beat them. From all over the city you could hear the wailing of beaten women. Some of them ā their wives were lucky ā didnāt even make it home. You walked in the streets early Sunday morning you could seeĀ goyim, well-dressedĀ goyim,Ā lying dead drunk on the street. I remember that.Ā GoyimĀ lying dead drunk on the street. But not among Jews. Not among Jews.
Of course by theĀ goyimĀ there always was infidelity; always there were shootings. The better ones only stabbed but there was always violence. Not among Jews however.
And of course today itās a hundred times worse among the gentiles. They donāt have children. Their children are bums. Itās a tragedy what happens to their children; drugs, accidents, violence. The children die early. Meanwhile in the Jewish home thereāsĀ nachasĀ from children. And then from the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And therefore even in this world, the satisfaction of being aĀ frumĀ Jew is evident. Itās HashemāsĀ nechamah,Ā absolutely.
Happiness in The Next World
And on a national level too. Donāt you see that we have rebuilt a great deal of what we lost in Europe; six hundredĀ yeshivos ketanosĀ andĀ mesivtas,Ā boys and girls schools, in America alone! And in Eretz Yisroel too; the New York Times had a big article recently with a headline all across the page. They were unhappy about the growing power of the ultra-orthodox in Eretz Yisroel; they were gnashing their teeth. Let them gnash till they fall out.Ā Boruch Hashem! FrumĀ Jews are increasing everywhere,Ā boruch Hashem. We haveĀ nechamos,Ā no question about it.
But all this is nothing compared to the realĀ nechamah. You might be surprised to hear this but the realĀ nechamahĀ is that everything in this world comes to an end! Even the greatest success in this life wonāt be forever. Sooner or later there comes an end to this life and thatās when the realĀ nechamahĀ begins.
The great success, the great happiness, is Olam Habo, the afterlife. Thatās theĀ nechamahĀ for the Am Yisroel! Hakodosh Boruch Hu has declaredĀ āKol Yisrael yesh lahem chelek leolam haboāĀ and Heāll keep His word. Weāll come together with Hakodosh Boruch Hu in the Next World. And thatās the greatĀ tanchumin;Ā to be together with Hashem.
The Ultimate Consolation
And so included inĀ nachamu nachamu ami,Ā is that we should think about Olam Habo constantly. Speak about it. If they donāt want to listen then think about it yourself, console yourself with the biggest of allĀ tanchumin.Ā After all, what benefit is there if youāre a millionaire and you have fame and you live long but finally you end up in the grave? Is that the happiness that weāre looking forward to?
Thereās no such thing as realĀ nechamahĀ unless a person reinforces all of his thoughts with the very greatĀ tanchuminĀ that Dovid spoke about to himself when he saw difficulties coming on him: ×Ö°Ö¼×ØÖ¹× ×©Ö·××ØÖ°×¢Ö·×¤Ö·Ö¼× ×ְּק֓רְ×Ö“Ö¼× āĀ In the multitude of my thoughts;Ā whatever thoughts I have in my mind, whatever is bothering me, ×ŖÖ·Ö¼× Ö°××Ö¼×Ö¶××Öø ×ְשַ×עַשְ××¢×Ö¼ × Ö·×¤Ö°×©Ö“×× āĀ Your consolations were the delight of my soul.Ā Your consolations, thatās what brings me the real joy.
Which consolations? What was Dovid talking about? He was thinking about Olam Habo! Thatās the ultimate consolation. And itās only the man with anĀ Olam HaboādikehĀ mind who can weather the storms of this world.
The Great Banquet
And so when you sayĀ nachamu ami, youāre thinking āBe consoled my people. But we should be doubly consoled,Ā nachamu nachamu, because not only in this world are we the fortunate ones but in the Next World too we are the ones singled out for Olam Habo.ā
Yeshayah tells us whatās going to happen in Olam Habo. ×Ö“× ÖµÖ¼× ×¢Ö²×Öø×Ö·× ×Ö¹××Öµ××ּ ā Behold My servants will be eating, ×Ö°×Ö·×ŖÖ¶Ö¼× ×ŖÖ“Ö¼×ØÖ°×¢Öø××ּ ā but you, the enemies of My people, will be hungry. Thereāll be a big ballroom and we will be enjoying the meal to no end. Donāt ask me to describe it to you because I canāt. But thatās whatās going to be ā only much better than you can imagine. Weāll be eating and enjoying, and our enemies will be standing and their mouths will be watering. Theyāll be hungry, but nothing can be given to them. Theyāre standing and looking around at the Am Yisrael who are enjoying the great pleasures, and their mouths will be watering with starvation. Their eyes will almost fall out of their sockets in jealousy. And it will last forever and ever.
And thatās part of ourĀ nechamah; the word × Ö·×Öµ×,Ā nun ches mem,Ā is related to the word × Öø×§Öø×,Ā nun kuf mem; nachem and nakam,Ā to console and take revenge.Ā Al pi dikdukĀ itās the same word, to console and to take revenge. And thereforeĀ nachamuĀ means thereās going to be a very great vengeance in the World to Come.
No Seats for Nazis
All the nations, those that disparaged us and those that insulted us and those that persecuted us, all of our enemies ā they wonāt be invited to sit down. Seats are only for the Am Yisrael.
All those who were anti-Semites will be standing there and theyāll be crying out with their broken hearts. And that means a vast majority of nations. Maybe some Chinese wonāt. Maybe some Koreans wonāt. I donāt know. But the ones who came to America and became anti-Semites, absolutely. Many blacks in Africa are probably innocent, but the ones that came to America and made trouble for the Jews, no question theyāre going to supply a very big part of the population there; no question about that. And the Hispanics in South America had they remained there, it could be they wouldnāt have to suffer as much. They wouldnāt be in Gan Eden, but they wouldnāt have to suffer. But now that they came to America and they persecuted the Jews then theyāre going to get. Theyāll be there too. Oh yes, theyāll be there too. No question about it.
The Nazis? Of course! Butnot only the soldiers; Hakodosh Boruch Hu is punishing all the Germans who voted Hitler to power. Every German is standing on his feet and heās looking on how theĀ frumĀ Jews are seated at the table and singing in great happiness; and the Germans are being tortured by the pangs of starvation and crying out from the bottom of their heart. But nothing will help them; theyāre going to continue like that forever and ever.
Imagine That!
×Ö“× ÖµÖ¼× ×¢Ö²×Öø×Ö·× ×Öø×ØÖ¹× Ö¼×Ö¼ ×Ö“×Ö¼×Ö¼× ×Öµ×Ā ā My servants will sing from happiness.Ā The Am Yisroel, weāll all sing together. It will be a tremendous choir of happiness and gratitude to Hashem. ×Ö°×Ö·×ŖÖ¶Ö¼× ×ŖÖ“Ö¼×¦Ö°×¢Ö²×§×Ö¼ ×Ö“×Ö°Ö¼×Öµ× ×Öµ×Ā ā And you, our enemies, will cry out from the pain of the heart.
Now donāt think itās aĀ mashalĀ because whatever it is itās much less than the truth. The truth is so immense that it cannot be described with words. And therefore the pinnacle ofĀ nachamu nachamu amiĀ is this attitude of the mind, an Olam Habo mind, that we have to give to ourselves and to everyone else. Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, āIām going to offer to you Myself as the ultimate consolation. Because I am so great, if youāll be with Me it will be the greatest happiness.ā
And thatās why Yeshayah Hanavi is telling us that itās a good idea from time to time to take a look and see this picture in your mind of how weāre all sitting around the tables eating and enjoying the happiness of the afterlife. We have to labor in our minds to get a concept that the Klal Yisrael is now in Olam HaboĀ āĀ right now theyāre enjoying a very great happiness that is beyond the ability of words to describe. We have to train ourselves to think that way because thatās also included in the commandment ofĀ nachamu.
And Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives us a reward just for that. Itās aĀ mitzvahĀ to think that way. Even if it doesnāt cause you to become a moreĀ frumĀ person, even if it doesnāt cause you to do moreĀ mitzvosĀ and it doesnāt cause you to learn more Torah, this itself is an achievement. Youāre fulfilling the Word of Hashem by consoling the Am Yisroel. Yomar Hashem āĀ Itās the Word of Hashem: āI am commanding you to learn this great function ofĀ nachamu nachamu ami;Ā the consolation of the happiness in this world, the consolation of the happiness of being the Am Hashem, and the consolation of the happiness of being together with Hakodosh Boruch Hu in the Next World forever.
Have A Wonderful Shabbos
Letās Get Practical
Learning to Console
We have a Mitzvah to console Hashemās people. This week I willĀ blānĀ practice all three aspects ofĀ nechamahĀ each day. 1. Once a day I will smile at someone and make them feel comfortable. 2. Once a day, when I see a fellow Jew, I will reflect on the fact that he or she is more important to Hashem than the entire universe. 3. I will spend thirty seconds each day remembering that this is not our final station and that this world is merely an entryway to the world of Truth and Goodness.