Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR/ Yeshiva Bais
Hachinuch
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
MASEI 5774
“DOWN
THE ROAD”
A number of years ago, I was a member of
the staff of an organization which suffered from a very heartbreaking tragedy. It
was a shocking and painful experience that sent the entire organization into
turmoil. Although it was a very sad experience the resilience of the members,
as well as the support and encouragement that everyone offered each other was unbelievably
inspiring.
The
next year I wrote a detailed diary-like emotional recounting of the events that
had occurred. I wanted to disseminate it among those who had been there in
order to preserve the closeness we had felt and to remember the tragedy.
Before doing so, I showed it to Rabbi
Mordechai Finkelman[1],
and asked him his opinion. After reading it Rabbi Finkelman replied that
although he felt it was worthwhile and penetrating he did not think it was
prudent to circulate it at that time. He explained that after a tragedy occurs,
G-d forbid, one’s focus must be on recovery and moving on. The goal is to be
resilient and not stunted by the potentially debilitating events. Although the
tragedy and its lessons must not be forgotten, the immediate response must be
to put it on the back-burner, as it were, so that the main focus can be on the
organization’s continued growth.
Sometime later I was reading an article that
corroborated Rabbi Finkleman’s advice. The author of the article was discussing
why there has been a sudden push in recent years for a Torah perspective of the
Holocaust to be taught and studied in yeshivos, whereas for the past six
decades the topic seemed almost taboo. The author quoted the Novominsker Rebbe
shlita who explained that the Torah leaders of the previous generation felt
that if we were to dedicate the proper attention that those events warranted
and speak about it constantly it would stifle the vital growth that was
necessary in the post-war era.
The extent of the resilience of the Torah
world is mind-boggling. The incredible amount of students learning Torah today
as well as the numerous burgeoning Torah institutions and Torah-awareness being
fostered throughout the world is nothing short of miraculous. But that was only
able to occur because the survivors who had endured such unspeakable horror and
brutality were insistent that they rebuild from the ashes. Had they allowed
themselves to wallow in their pain and misery, and justifiably so, our world
would look far different. The fact is that many nations who have suffered
terrible atrocities were never able to recover.
Klal Yisroel has suffered so much pain and
disgrace and has been the subject of so much mockery and disdain, and yet we
continue to endure. One of our most potent strengths is our ability to
transform our pain into the source of our national pride.[2]
We are a nation that will not be destroyed! We avenge our spilled blood by
virtue of our eternity and infallibility. That has only been possible because
our forbearers have made the incredible sacrifice to squelch their inner pain so
that the nation could resiliently recover and rebuild, even after the greatest
tragedies.[3]
It is for that reason that the previous
generations would not allow itself to overly focus on the unspeakable
atrocities that occurred. The utter ghastliness of it all would have been
simply too overwhelming and we would never have been able to rebuild. However,
at this point over sixty years later, when we have rebuilt to unimaginable
proportions, and as the generation who witnessed those unspeakable events is rapidly
fading away, we must seize the opportunity to study and preserve what occurred.
We learn it not merely because it is a
riveting story of humanity at its best and worst but because of the tremendous
lessons that we must personally glean from the heroics of our brethren who suffered.
And, because in one way or another, history always repeats itself!
“These are the journeys of the Children of
Israel, who went forth from the land
of Egypt
The Jewish nation had been wandering in the
desert for forty years. They were finally camped just a few days march from the
Promised Land. Prior to Moshe delivering his last will and testament[5],
the Torah summarizes the entire route that the nation had followed throughout
the forty years. The encampments mentioned are not merely a detailed list
containing names of places. Rather, each name mentioned alludes to a challenge
or test that the nation had faced. Each destination was another opportunity for
potential growth, although it often ended up in tragedy or disaster.
It is specifically when the nation was
poised to enter the Land, that the Torah mentions this detailed list with all
of its vague messages and references. Throughout the forty years there was much
growth that the nation had to achieve and they could not focus on their mishaps
and sins. But now they could and needed to learn and internalize the lessons of
the previous forty years.[6]
After the Torah concludes its narrative of
the history of the nation’s travels, it states the laws of one who murders
inadvertently. The ‘murderer’ must escape to one of the ‘cities of refuge’ (ir
miklat) and remain there until the Kohain Gadol dies. If the murderer
leaves the confines of the city a relative of the deceased has permission[7]
to avenge the blood of his deceased relative.
My Rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, explains that,
in essence, parshas Masei represents the culmination of the nation’s sojourn in
the desert. The fact that the Jewish Nation was poised to enter the Holy Land also meant that they would have to adjust to a
more natural existence. Manna would cease to fall, and the miraculous wells of
water would no longer accompany them. The nation would be compelled to work the
land and toil for sustenance and survival.
The laws of the inadvertent murderer seem
pretty mundane in comparison with the experiences of the previous forty years,
including miracles, plagues, battles, the construction of the Mishkan, the Temple Service
To help this transition occur, memory of
the past is vital. The new experiences in the land would have to be viewed from
the perspective that sees Jewish life as a continuum following the footsteps of
its ancestors. In Rabbi Wein’s words:
“Faith and confidence will dominate Jewish life when the Jews recall the history of their existence and their survival and triumph over daunting odds.
“Faith and confidence will dominate Jewish life when the Jews recall the history of their existence and their survival and triumph over daunting odds.
“Part of the difficulty that Israel
Parshas Maasei is always read during the
Three Weeks, shortly before Tisha B’av. If there is one ‘holiday’ during the
year which jolts the collective Jewish memory it is the tragic and sad day of
Tisha B’av. On the day when we mourn the destruction of both Temples
We understand that every event is part of a
Master puzzle whose pieces are incomprehensible until the puzzle is completed.
Every piece is a vital component of the final picture and therefore no piece
can afford to be lost. The morbid and sobering mourning period that culminates
with Tisha B’av reminds us that the puzzle is nearing completion and it’s only
the final pieces remain to be put in place.
“Amnesia is the greatest malady of our day”
“These are the journeys of the Children of
Israel”
[2] As an
example, the Nazis forced the Jews to wear yellow stars so that we could be
singled out for debasement and contempt. But many Jews wore them proudly as
badges of honor.
[3] This is
not to say that they were able to completely bury their pain. There is no one
who emerged from the Nazi inferno who did not suffer permanent emotional and/or
physical scars. However, their focus was on the betterment of the world of
their children. Those who dedicated their lives to rebuilding what was lost -
not only physically but also spiritually - did so with superhuman
self-sacrifice.
[4] 33:1
[5] i.e.
Chumash Devorim, Deuteronomy
[6] In the
words of humorist Sam Levenson, “You must learn from the mistakes of others.
You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself!”
[7]
according to one opinion he has an obligation
[8] It would
take four centuries, until the time of the prophet Shmuel, and the era of King
Dovid, and King Shlomo, before that challenge was successfully achieved.
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