REPENT OH YE SINNERS!!! We're under attack! In Eretz Yisroel, um, and Seattle, and Rome, and Sydney, and other locations.
Our AVEYROT are BAD! Improper relationships, violating Shabbos, and Kashrus, immodest dress among our ladies, talking in shul, davening by rote, and of course bittul Torah!!!
The Gemora says it's our AVEYROT! Big, well known rabbi's are here to let you know, DO TESHUVAH NOW!!! ...Ok, but wait a minute...
Without getting snarky, and with kovod to our gedolim, could they be making a mistake in calling for teshuvah and not highlighting Klal Yisroel's tremendous merits and emphasizing ahavat yisroel at this time???... To quote the previous generation...
...do not be a pious fool who is quick to find fault with Israel. Do not cause disunity among those who are united, particularly at a time when the divine attribute of justice hovers over all of Israel. It is a time of trouble for Yaakov, may the Merciful One protect us!
Behold, there are those who pray solely for the generation to repent. This, however, is not proper, for it arouses divine justice, G-d forbid. The proper approach is to evoke wonders and miracles for the sake of Israel. Then, the Jews will repent out of love for the miracles. This is what happened at the time of Mordechai and Esther, as Chazal state, "They fulfilled that which they had already accepted" (Talmud Shabbos 88a) This is also the interpretation of the verse 'As in the days of your leaving the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders. (Micha 7:15) - Sefer Divrei Emet
Thus, he claims that if we pray for the generation to repent, we may actually arouse Divine Justice, G-d forbid. Rather, we must beg for miracles, and then all will return and serve Him.
-- Eim HaBanim Semeicha, Ch. 1, HaRav Shlomo Teichtal, zt"l, may Hashem avenge his blood, written during WWII.
The Gemora points out aveyrot as the spiritual cause of bad times for Klal Yisroel, what it doesn't say is beat your fellow over the head with them. And, as we saw from the quote above, doing so publically brings DIN...
So my dear fellow yidden, it's a good time to do some self examination, no need to wait for Rosh Hashana. Yet Ahavas Yisroel and calling on Hashem to help is the way of the day!
No comments:
Post a Comment