Q:
What is the da’as Torah on the whole mess that’s going on in Eretz Yisrael, that they’re busy with peace talks but meanwhile Yidden are getting killed every day? What do we have to think – what’s the daas Torah?
A:
Now da’as Torah I can’t tell you; I don’t know the da’as Torah. But I’ll just tell you da’as in a pashute way. Everything that’s taking place in Eretz Yisroel, you should know, is done by Hakodosh Boruch Hu – not by Arabs. Arabs are not killing anybody – Hashem is killing. No question about that.
Why is He doing it? Because the Jews in Eretz Yisrael are going m’dechi el dechi.
Here they passed a law decriminalizing homosexuality. It’s kosher now to be a homosexual in Eretz Yisroel. Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, “That’s a toevah. If that’s what Eretz Yisroel is going to be, I’ll take steps.”
They passed a law now that you could import treifeh meat now. For the first time since the history of the medina you could import treifeh meat in Eretz Yisroel. Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, “I’ll show you. I’ll show you.”
And now Tel Aviv has become a place of hefkeirus. All kinds of wickedness in Tel Aviv. Hashem says, “I made Eretz Yisroel for Tel Aviv?!” The Israelis, some of them, are so terrible, they’re even worse than goyim in some places.
Why are women in the Israeli army? You know why they’re there? So a man wrote a book about the IDF, the Israeli Defense Force; not a frumme. He said, “The purpose of women is not for fighting.” You hear that? The purpose of women in the Israeli army is not for fighting, not for defense. You understand that? You understand what that means?
And this great wickedness happened before America had female soldiers. America is now no good either. But Israel led the way with this abomination.
And therefore, Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, “Pay attention. הֲיֹסֵר גּוֹיִם הֲלֹא יוֹכִיחַ – The one who is bringing upon the nations adversity, isn’t He showing something? He’s showing something! הַמְלַמֵּד אָדָם דָּעַת – Isn’t He teaching wisdom (Tehillim 94:10)? So it’s up to us to understand that we’re being taught. We’re getting messages from Hashem.
Of course we have to fight back. Of course, we have to defend ourselves. Of course we have to look for ways and means of stopping the terror. And yet, fundamentally we have to understand it’s Hashem and the purpose is to teach us that something is very wrong in Eretz Yisroel today – very wrong!
In the schools, they teach atheism. In the schools in Eretz Yisroel they teach Jewish boys and girls atheism! Children should be taught there’s a Boirei, a Creator. In every school, even not a religious school. But no, in all the Israeli schools they’re being taught atheism.
So what does Hakodosh Boruch Hu say? “You’re forgetting about Me? I’ll remind you.”
Q:
But if that’s so, why is it that many of those killed are frum people rather than the people in Tel Aviv?
A:
Why are many who were killed frum people?
I must explain something here. It’s a fundamental principle that Hakodosh Boruch Hu conceals His hand. He doesn’t want to show that it’s a neis.
Now suppose only reshaim would be killed; suppose only mechalelei Shabbos and oichlei treifos would be killed. Then everybody would do teshuva. Let’s say a man who walked in the street on Shabbos and lit a cigarette, he would fall dead right away; so nobody would smoke on Shabbos. Even the Puerto Ricans would make teshuva. The Mirrer Yeshiva would be filled with Puerto Ricans.
So Hakodosh Boruch Hu conceals it. In order to leave room for bechira, for free choice, He makes it look camouflaged; so you shouldn’t see His open hand. And that’s what it says, כיון שניתן רשות למשחית – when a mashchis has power, שוב אינו מבחין בין צדיק לרשע – he makes no distinction between a tzaddik and a rasha.
Like it says in Mitzrayim; when the malach came to destroy the firstborn in Mitzrayim, אתם לא תצאו איש מפתח ביתו עד בוקר – you shouldn’t walk out in the streets. Why not? We didn’t do anything wrong. Egyptians oppressed us – why should we be afraid to walk in the streets? The answer is no. Once the mashchis is loose, then he makes no distinction.
And therefore, Hakodosh Boruch Hu doesn’t make any distinctions. People should know that once there’s a tzara, the tzara comes upon the tzaddikim and the reshaim equally – that’s a fundamental principle of how Hashem guides the world in order to leave room for free will; so His hand shouldn’t be so evident.
TAPE # 942 (November 1993)