EVERY JEW HAS A SILVER LINING'"
An Adaptation of the Public Addresses of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson re-v)v),
on the Tenth of Teves and on Shabbos Parshas Vayechi, 5751
"G-d loves every Jew
more than parents love an
only child born to them in
their old age?"
This teaching of the Baal
Shem Tov applies to every
member of our people
without distinction. Even a
Jew's failure to observe the
Torah and its command-
ments cannot detract from
this love, for it is rooted in
the very essence of his being
and that of G-d, as it were.
The essence of every Jew is
his soul, which is "an actual
part of G-d from above." 2
This defines his fundamen-
tal personality.
A person's failure to
manifest this dimension in
his actual conduct does not
affect this essential connec-
tion. A Jew always remains a
Jew. Thus Maimonides rules
that every Jew, even one who
protests the contrary,
"wants to be part of the
Jewish people and desires to
fulfill all the mitzvos and
separate himself from sin,
and it is only his Evil
Inclination which forces him
[to do otherwise]."3
What does a Jew really
desire? To fulfill G-d's will.
And if he does not conduct
himself accordingly, we
should realize that he is mo-
mentarily not in control of
his behavior: it is his yetzer
hara which is forcing him to
act contrary to his true self.
monides writes: 4 "The re-
ckoning [of sins and merits]
is not calculated on the
basis of the mere number of
merits and sins, but on the
basis of their magnitude as
well. Some solitary merits
can outweigh many sins.
The weighing of sins and
merits can be carried out
only ac-cording to the
wisdom of the All-Knowing
G-d: He alone knows how
to measure merits against
sins."
Can any mortal pre-
sume to be capable of as-
sessing a colleague's ulti-
mate spiritual worth "ac-
cording to the wisdom of
the All-Knowing GA"? This
is particularly true in the
pre-sent generation. In our
days, a Jew whose
performance of the
commandments of the
Torah is imperfect must be
judged leniently, according
to the principle of tinok she-
nishba. (In its original
context, this phrase de-
scribes an individual who
for no fault of his own was
de-prived of a childhood
envi-ronment conducive to
Torah observance. 5) If, then,
though pressured by ten-
sions of time and place, a
person does fulfill any mitz-
vah - and, of course, every
Jew has numerous mitzvos
to his credit - how dearly
must it be cherished in the
Heavenly Court.
G-d Loves Every Jew as He
Is
It is therefore utterly out
of place to belittle the
virtues of those of our
people who do not yet fully
observe the Torah. More-
over, unloving rebuke is
likely to break their spirit
and dampen their innate
Jewish zeal. With a more
loving approach, however,
the response is heartening
indeed. In the last few
decades, thousands of indi-
viduals and families have
chosen to return to a life-
style inspired by the Torah.
In overwhelming propor-
tions, the immediate reason
for their choice is that
someone reached out to
them warmly and lovingly; a
fellow Jew showed them
how the practice of Judaism
can infuse joy and meaning
into their lives - because it
attunes them to their inner-
most selves.
G-d Alone Can Judge
There is a yet more
fundamental flaw in criticiz-
ing the conduct of one's
fellow man. No person has
the right to sit in judgment
over his colleagues. Mai-
Compassion for the
Remnant of Our People
Looking at all our fellow
Jews with a favorable eye is
in place especially now, for
our generation is "a
firebrand saved from the
blaze,"6 the smouldering
remnant preserved from the
horrors of the Holocaust.
After so many of our people
have perished, we must try
to appreciate - and in this
manner, help reveal - the
positive potential that every
Jew possesses.
This potential is en-
hanced by the luminous
legacy bequeathed to us by
the martyrs of the previous
generation. Our Sage,s 7
teach that the very fact that
a person dies al Kiddush
HaShem, in sanctification of
G-d's Name, elevates him to
such a level that "no
creature can stand in his
presence." Thus, every man
and woman who died in the
Holocaust is a holy martyr.
Accordingly, to say that
those very people were de-
serving of what transpired,
that it was a punishment for
their sins, heaven forbid, is
unthinkable. We cannot
explain the Holocaust, for
we are limited by the earth-
bound perspective of mortal
understanding. As G-d says,
in a prophecy of Isaiah,
"For My thoughts are not
your thoughts."8 No scales
of judgment could ever con-
demn a people to such
horrors.9
The Torah promises
that1° "[G-d] will avenge the
blood of His servants,"ll
indicating that the death of
these martyrs is against His
will. 12 On the contrary, G-d
is "the Master of mercy." It
is blasphemous to picture
Him as a cruel king who
punishes His people for
their disobedience and then
waits until it mounts again
to the point at which it is
fitting to punish them again.
The very opposite is
true. As our Sages say,"
"What does G-d do since
creation? - He arranges
marriages"; i.e., He is
involved in bringing joy and
happiness to mankind, es-
tablishing families, "eternal
structures" which produce
ongoing joy in future
generations.
Neighborly Outreach
We must
seek to
emulate this conduct and try
to spread happiness among
Jews, reaching out to all our
brothers, regardless of their
level of observance. In this
manner, hopefully, "one will
be able to draw them close
to the Torah and the service
of G-d, and even if one fails
[in this goal], one has not
forfeited the merit of loving
one's neighbor." 14
This is the direction in
which we should focus our
efforts, for, as our Sages
taught," "The totality of the
Torah is" - not to criticize,
to chastise, nor to threaten
with Divine retribution, but
rather - "to 'love your
neighbor as yourself."
Furthermore, as mentioned
above, brotherly efforts in
reaching out to our fellow
Jews are meeting with ever-
increasing success, and
thousands are awakening to
teshuvah, to repentance, and
discovering their Jewish
roots.
Personal Renewal:
Universal Renaissance
The collective experi-
ence of these individuals is
projecting its image on the
cosmic canvas. The renewal
of their personal connection
to their Jewish heritage is a
foretaste of the renewal to
be experienced by the
Jewish people and the world
at large, for our Sages
taught that "teshuvah brings
the Redemption near.""
Indeed, "All the appointed
times [for the coming of
Mashiach] have passed, and
the matter now depends on
teshuvah alone."
teachings
These
indicate that the Redemp-
tion is at hand, for teshuvah
is an instantaneous process,
which transpires "in one
moment, in one turn." 19
This is reflected by the
ruling of our Sages20 that
when a person consecrates a
woman as his wife on the
condition that he is a
righteous man, the marriage
bond is established even
though he was known to be
wicked. We assume that, at
the time he made that
condition, he had thoughts
of teshuvah that were
powerful enough to change
his spiritual status from one
extreme to the other at that
very moment. Since every
Jew has thoughts of teshu-
vah, which is the catalyst of
the future Redemption, that
day must surely be immi-
nent.
Furthermore, G-d will
bring about the ultimate
Redemption speedily even
when teshuvah is lacking. In
the prayers of Selichos we
say, first: "G-d, redeem
Israel from all his
afflictions;'21 and afterwards:
"And He will redeem Israel
from all his sins."22 First
G-d will redeem the Jews
from their difficulties -
including the greatest
difficulty, the exile - and
then He will redeem them
from their sins. In this spirit
our Sages23 explain that, at
the time of the ultimate
Redemption, G-d will
ignore the sins of the Jews
and redeem them in His
mercy.
There is heightened
relevance to the above this
year, a year when "I will
show you wonders." This
name implies that, not only
will G-d perform miracles
for the Jewish people, but
that these wonders will be
openly revealed.
Thus, in a time when
"the entire world will panic
and will be stricken with
consternation," the Jews
can remain at ease, confi-
dent that "all that I (G-d)
have wrought, I have per-
formed for your sake. Do
not fear; the time for your
redemption has come." ■
1. See Addenda to Keser Shem Tov,
sec. 133.
2. Tanya, ch. 2.
3. Mishneh
Torah,
Hilchos
Geirushin 2:20.
4. Ibid, Hilchos Teshuvah 3:2.
5. See Mishneh Torah, Hilchos
Mamrim 3:3, where Maimonides
ascribes the failure of such
people to observe the laws of the
Torah to duress - and the
Talmud (Bava Kama 28a)
teaches that "the Merciful One
absolves a person who acts
under duress.
Hilchos
in
Significantly,
Marnrim, Maimonides states
that the above applies even
when such a person later comes
in contact with Jews and is made
aware of Jewish practice. Since
he was not trained to follow this
lifestyle as a child, even when he
grows older he is not to be
judged for his lapses.
6. Zechariah 3:2. Note the
interpretation of Maharie Caro
on this verse: "That is to say,
only a small remnant of Israel
has survived,... and you dare to
point out their faults so that I
should destroy them?!..."
7. Pesachim 50a.
8. Yeshayahu 55:8.
9. In general, when we confront
undesirable events, we must
realize that "the Holy One,
blessed be He, does not render
judgment without a reason"
(Berachos 5b); i.e., these events
result from faults in our
conduct.
are
there
Nevertheless,
exceptions to this rule. At
various times in our history, the
Jewish people have been
subjected to oppression that is
not a result of their failings.
Thus, our Sages relate
(Menachos 29b) that when
Moshe Rabbeinu protested the
cruel death which he saw (with
prophetic foresight) was to be
inflicted upon Rabbi Akiva, G-d
told him, "Be silent. This is what
has arisen in My thought." In
the classic instance of such
suffering, G-d told Avraham
that his descendants would be
enslaved and oppressed for four
hundred years. Far from being a
result of their sins, this exile had
already been ordained when G-d
first initiated His covenant with
Avraham, as an unfathomable
Divine decree (cf. Shmos
Rabbah 5:22).
The same applies to the
Holocaust. So awesome was the
cruelty to which our people were
subjected that Satan himself
could not find sins to justify
such suffering. The only
explanation is, "This is what
arose in My thought."
10.Devarim 32:43.
11.By using the term "servants,"
the Torah teaches us a further
lesson concerning the virtues of
these martyrs. According to
Jewish law, a servant has no
identity independent of his
master's, and is in fact
considered an extension of him.
Similarly, each of the holy
martyrs who perished in the
Holocaust extended and
revealed G-dliness here in this
material world.
12.Although the death of the
martyrs took place against His
will, G-d's turning from His
people at this time raises the
unresolved questions discussed
in Note 9.
13.Bereishis Rabbah 68:4.
14. Tanya, ch. 32.
15.Shabbos 31a.
16.Vayikra 19:18.
17.Yoma 86b.
18.Sanhedrin 97b.
19.Zohar I, 129a.
20.Kiddushin 49b.
21. Tehillim 25:22.
22./bid. 130:8.
23.See Metzudas David and the
Radak on Michah 6:18.
24.Michah 7:15. See the essay
published by Sichos In English
entitled "The Message of the
Year 5751."
25. Ya/kut
Shimoni
11:499,
interpreting Yeshayahu 60:1.
There the Midrash describes a
crisis in the Persian Gulf which
affects the entire world.
This ad is sponsored by
a Holocaust survivor.
For further information
contact Lubavitch (313)
737-7000.
This is a response to the published statements (Detroit Free Press December 28, piece titled "Israelis angry with rabbi over Holocaust remarks.")
Jerusalem - A leading rabbi has outraged Holocaust survivors and many Israelis by claiming that the Nazi genocide was God's punish-
ment for sins. Hundreds of Israelis called a radio talk show Thursday to let off steam about the remarks.
"The last time He brought destruction, it was the Holocaust . . . Because of the sins, the Almighty may bring another Holocaust upon
us, and it may already be tomorrow."
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
21