Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
BESHALACH/SHABBOS SHIRA
TU
B’SHVAT 5775
“WORTHY
HATRED”
Reb Dovid Blinder was a noted scholar in Russia
As can be imagined, Reb Dovid’s
actions were viewed as treasonous, and it took a tremendous amount of political
effort and ‘string pulling’ to protect him form being imprisoned.
The next time the Bais HaLevi[3]
met Reb Dovid, he asked him how he had the courage to assault a soldier. Reb
Dovid sheepishly replied, “The truth is that I had no idea that he was a
soldier. All I knew was that I was trying to teach my student Torah and someone
barged in and impeded my lesson. So, without thinking more about it, I shoved
him.”
After the
splitting of the Sea, “The nations heard... fright gripped them”[4]. Every nation was overwhelmed
by the Ten Plagues and the splitting of the Sea. At that point, no one would have
the audacity to attack the Jews, save one nation. Defying logic Amalek, the
nemesis of Klal Yisroel, attacked.
Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch zt’l
explains that this strident unprovoked attack was a continuation of the epic
battle that began centuries earlier. Prior to Yaakov’s confrontation with Eisav
he was challenged by Eisav’s Angel. That battle was essentially a struggle for
supremacy and superiority as to whose philosophical outlook would reign
supreme. Was Yaakov and his devotion to holiness and divinity the true
dominator of the world or was it Eisav and life by the sword? Although Yaakov triumphed
over Eisav’s Angel he had not vanquished him. Now, centuries later, when
Yaakov’s descendants were redeemed from the Egyptian exile, they were
immediately greeted by Eisav’s grandson, Amalek.
The struggle between Yaakov and Eisav,
which re-manifested itself in the struggle between Klal Yisroel and Amalek, is
the ongoing struggle between holiness and impurity.
Rabbi Hirsch asserts that even Pharaoh, who sanctioned
ruthless slavery, could be a promoter of freedom if it served his interests.
Amalek however, will never allow his sword to rest as long as Klal Yisroel
exists. The mere existence of Klal Yisroel is an anathema to Amalek.
“In Israel he sees the object of moral
hate and complete disdain, where one dares to think the sword is dispensable,
where one dares to trust in spiritual-moral powers, powers of which the sword
has no idea, and which are beyond its reach. In the representative of the idea
of the greatness which Man can attain by peace, Amalek sees the utter scorn of
all his principles, sees in it his own real enemy, and senses somehow his own
ultimate collapse… Attacked by Amalek, Israel had to wage war, but it is not
Israel’s sword but Moshes’ staff that conquers Amalek; and it is not any
magical power in the staff but the faith which is expressed and brought to the
minds of the people by the uplifted hand, the giving oneself up with complete
confidence to G-d that achieved the victory.”
Rabbi Hirsch continues, “It is not
Amalek who is so pernicious for the moral future of mankind but zecher
Amalek, the glorifying of the memory of Amalek which is the danger.“
He explains that as long as mankind glorifies those who
accomplish their objectives through violence and force Amalek will endure. Only
when the divine laws become the sole criterion for the worth of man and society
will Amalek finally be vanquished. Only when there is no longer any trace of
his nefarious agenda, i.e. his memory is blotted out, that Amalek himself will
cease to exist.
Klal Yisroel is involved in a perpetual
war with Amalek. Amalek’s greatness lies in ‘destruction’. This is in stark
contrast with the Jewish nation whose mission is ‘building’, the peaceful human
development of everything earthly up to G-d.
One of the great lessons of the commandment that we blot
out the memory of Amalek while at the same time remembering the havoc that he
wrought[5] is to realize that “building”
will at times require battle. Our mission to be the nation of builders entails
that we be prepared for combat to defend our cause. The war maybe fought with
an unconventional arsenal of weapons, but it is a war nonetheless.
On September 30, 1938 English Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich Sudetenland . When he
returned to England Germany
His words were immediately challenged by his foremost
critic, Winston Churchill, who declared: “You were given the choice between war
and dishonor. You chose dishonor; you will have war!”
The Amalek of our time is as virulent
and enmity-filled as ever, but there are many who refuse to believe it. We
simply have a hard time believing the extent of the evilness of Amalek. How
much blood has been spilled trying to pacify and appease Amalekites who never
had or have any intentions of making peace?
Judaism is not a “religion of love”[7]; Judaism is a religion of
G-d and fulfillment of the Divine Will. The wisest of men stated, “There
is a time to love and a time to hate[8]”. Our mission is to spread
holiness and to wage war against those who seek to destroy it.
In the late 1960s during the era of hippies,
flower children, and free love, Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld zt’l told a self-proclaimed
‘lover of humanity’ that he was paying lip service to an ideal that he didn’t
really believe in. He continued with a
powerful thought: “You say that you are in love with everything. But if nothing
makes you angry, then you don’t really love. If you don’t hate you can’t
love! Ohavei Hashem sinu ra- Those who love G-d abhor evil!”
When someone loves someone
passionately he wants to honor and glorify that person as much as possible. If
someone dedicates himself to defaming the person he loves, he will inevitably
feel disdain for that person. If one does not feel such strong emotions his
love isn’t genuine.
Our battle against Amalek has not yet
reached its resolution. It serves as a reminder of the capability of man to
descend into a state of human beastliness. We maintain our enmity for Amalek, not
merely for the sake of our own welfare, but because Amalek has dedicated itself
to the desecration of all that is holy and Divine. Amalek may wear a different
mask, but his mission has not changed at all.
Our sages warn that one who has misappropriated mercy for
an evil person will end up suffering and regretting it.[9] This was demonstrated by the
debacle of King Shaul. Shaul had been instructed by the prophet Shmuel to
destroy all of Amalek, including all women, children, and animals. Out of
compassion Shaul spared the sheep. Shaul did not realize that the Amalekite
King, Agag, had utilized witchcraft to transform himself into a sheep and thus
escape the sword. From Agag descended Haman, the villain of the Purim
story.
A number of years ago I had the opportunity to accompany
a friend who was driving Rabbi Aharon Schechter shlita[10]
to a wedding. It was shortly after Yasir Arafat had died. I asked the Rosh
Yeshiva how a Torah Jew should view Arafat’s death. Rabbi Schechter replied
succinctly by quoting the verse: “ובאבד רשעים רנה – And when the wicked are destroyed (there is) joy.”[11]
The Mishna[12] relates that Tu B’shvat[13] is the ‘New Year for Trees’.
Every tree’s production during the coming year is decided on that day.
In order to produce growth and vegetation, any farmer
knows that it is not sufficient for him to put seeds in the ground and water
it. He must also pull up the weeds around his vegetation and prune the
unnecessary branches on his fruit-bearing trees.
The physical world is a metaphor for
the spiritual world. As the Chosen Nation it is not enough for us to engage in
altruistic acts of kindness and holiness. We also have an obligation to weed
out the evils of this world and chop away at those who seek to undermine our
message.
Tu B’shvat is not only a holiday in
and of itself, but it also ushers in a joyous period of celebration. Tu B’shavt
is thirty days prior to Purim[14] and Purim is thirty days
prior to Pesach, which begins the count toward our annual (re)acceptance of the
Torah on Shavuos.[15] The winter may still be
casting its bitter cold and dark days, but within the trees the sap is
beginning its ascent in its preparation for the rebirth of spring.
In a spiritual sense as well, we
recommit ourselves to our unyielding love for G-d and His Service and our
passionate enmity for those who have committed themselves to its opposition.
The destruction and undermining of evil is a cause for
celebration and song. The Shabbos when we read about the destruction of the
Egyptians and the weakening of Amalek becomes “Shabbos Shirah”, a Shabbos of
song!
“Those who love G-d abhor evil”
“If you don’t hate
you can’t love”
[1] He was
called ‘Blinder’ (blind man) because he never lifted his head to look outside
his immediate area. Among his other achievements, he had the distinction of
teaching Rabbi Chaim Brisker in his youth.
[2] In 1827, Czar Nicholas I introduced what became known as the
Cantonist Decrees. (The name came from the word "canton," meaning
"military camp.") These decrees called for the forced conscription of
Jewish boys into the Russian Army. These boys were between the ages of 12 and
18 and were forced to serve for 25 years! During their army service, every
effort was made to convert them to Christianity.
[3] Rabbi
Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik zt’l (1820-1892), the saintly Rabbi of the town
of Brisk and
the father of Rabbi Chaim Brisker.
[4] Shemos 15:14
[5] See
Devarim (25:17) “Remember what Amalek did to you on the road when you left Egypt .”
[6] Winston
Churchill commented that “An appeaser is one who
feeds a crocodile -
hoping it will eat him last”.
[7] As the
Ramban mentioned in his famous debate against the renegade Jew, Pablo
Christiani in 1267 in front of Spanish King James I of Aragon , “How
much blood has been shed and how much have we suffered at the behest of the
so-called “religion of love”?”
[8] Koheles
3:8
[9] וַיַּחְמֹל שָאוּל וְהָעָם עַל אֲגָג [שמואל א' טו:ט]. אמר רבי שמעון בן לוי:
כל
שהוא אכזר על רחמנין – סוף שהוא נעשה
רחמן על אכזרים. כל שהוא רחמן על
אכזרים סופו ליפול בחרב
מדרש שמואל --
[11] Mishlei 11:10
[12] Rosh Hashana 1:1
[13] [The
Hebrew letters טו (Tu)
have the numerical value of fifteen. Tu B’shvat is the celebration that occurs
on the fifteenth day of Shevat. Many refer to the day as Chamisha Asar B’Shvat.
[14] except in a Jewish leap year
[15] There are opinions that directly
connect the joy of Tu B’shavt with the imminent days of joy.
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