Shaking Up the World

Protecting Ourselves from Natural Disasters

By Rav Moshe Shternbuch 

      The following was written by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis based on a drasha given by Rav Moshe Shternbuch, Rosh Av Beis Din of the Eidah Hachareidis of Yerushalayim.

      • • • • • 

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND EARTHQUAKES

      Recently, the world experienced one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in the past century. Ash shot up in the air, causing a billow of smoke ten kilometers high. This incident caused one of the greatest air-traffic delays in history, and the cancellation of thousands of flights. How can we understand the deeper meaning of this phenomenon?

      The Torah warns us to distance ourselves from the ways of Egypt and Canaan. Rashi explains that these nations were steeped in immorality. Their licentious behavior was unparalleled by any other country in the world.

      Mitrzayim governed a huge empire, which extended from what is today called Egypt all the way down to Africa. They were highly successful in the business world and seemingly reached the height of material and cultural success. The same was true regarding the seven nations that resided in the land of Canaan.

      Even with all their material success, both of these great empires collapsed. Klal Yisroel, the tiniest of nations, successfully toppled them. The secret to our success was that we clung to purity, while they connected themselves with the worst abominations in the world.

      Today, the nations have achieved control over the entire world to a greater extent than ever before in history. Men have walked on the moon and information can be broadcast via television, satellite, internet, and so forth. These are just a few examples among myriad innovations which continue to expand rapidly, both in number and complexity. Seemingly, we have reached the pinnacle of success.

       Mankind, however, has chosen to use this technology to increase immorality in the world. And, unfortunately, some members of Klal Yisroel have followed in their path and have been led astray. Hashem's anger has been ignited.

      “He looks on the earth and it trembles; He touches the hills and they smoke” (Tehillim, 104:32). The Yalkut Shemoni explains this posuk as follows: When the nations misuse the world, Hashem punishes them measure for measure. Instead of letting life function normally, He shakes up the very fabric of existence, causing natural disasters, one after the other.

      Immorality causes the strongest reaction. The internet has brought depravity to new lows, and has made it possible to bring the vilest and most revolting images straight into our houses, causing the downfall of families and homes. As a result, Hashem has shaken the world with the recent earthquakes and now this volcanic explosion. Only He can know what is to follow if we do not try and mend the spiritual damage that has already taken place.

      In Germany, prior to the Holocaust, the Jews felt that one should be a Jew at home, but a sophisticated, cultured person outside in “the world.” Jews went to work without covering their heads, rationalizing and justifying their actions. History has shown us the Divine reaction to such behavior.

      A Jew must know that there is just one way that we can remain protected in a world filled with anti-Semitism. Only Torah and mitzvos can safeguard us from the great dangers that surround us. If we are pulled after the abominations that exist in the world - nowadays, on the internet, in particular - we will lose our protection, and we cannot know what the Divine response will be. 

PURIFIED BY HASHEM

      “And on this day, You will forgive them and purify them from all of their transgressions, before Hashem you are purified” (Vayikrah 16:30).

      We live in a world where impurity is rampant. There are few people who can say that they have successfully protected themselves from all of these negative influences. What can we do to bring ourselves back to where we are meant to be?

      Yom Kippur achieves more than forgiveness; it causes purification. What does this mean? A person who transgresses the will of the King has harmed himself in two ways. First, he has ruined his relationship with the King by losing favor in His eyes. He has also caused himself personal harm by soiling his neshamah with sin.

      When a child does not heed the warnings of his parent and defiles himself, a good father will threaten to punish his son in order to direct him to the right path. The child cries to his father for forgiveness and assures him that he will mend his ways. Yet, even after all the tears and promises, the child is still dirty as a result of his actions.

      So, too, when we transgress, we deserve punishment. When we cry to Hashem for forgiveness, He pardons us and forgets the punishment. Yet, we, our neshamos, still remain soiled with sin.

      On Yom Kippur, we come very close to Hashem. We elevate ourselves to the point that we can sense His existence within our very beings. The moment we feel Hashem right in front of us, at that instant we become pure.

      Yom Kippur is the day of the year that has been set aside for us to feel Hashem’s Presence and to reach this extreme level of purification. In truth, it is possible for us to continue living on this level and feel Him in our lives at all times. This is the mitzvah of shivisi Hashem lenegdi tomid, living with awareness of Hashem during every second of our lives.

      When a person immerses himself in transgression, other impure sources will enter his life and cause him to become even more tamei. However, when he takes his life in his hands and decides to change himself, he is on the road to taharah. If he follows this route, he will soon find himself a different person. 

KEDUSHAH THROUGH KINDNESS

      “You should be holy, for I am sanctified to be Hashem, your G-d” (Vayikrah 19:2).

      Chazal reveal the only way for us to safeguard ourselves from the dangers that are inherent before the coming of Moshiach. Involvement with Torah and acts of chessed is what will protect us. Seeing Hashem shake up the world via these natural disasters should inspire us to strengthen ourselves in these areas.

      The Kli Yakar explains that the holiness of the Jewish people is intrinsically different from that of Hashem. Divine sanctity comes from separation from all worldly activity. Our holiness comes from interaction with people and helping others as much as we can.

      When Rav Chaim Brisker would go to the marketplace, he would not wear his regular rabbinic garb, but would dress like a simple Jew. One time, when he was walking home, passing by the train station, a Jew stopped him and asked for directions to his lodgings in Brisk. Rav Chaim said that although he was not traveling in that direction, he would nonetheless go with him, in order to show him the way.

      While they were walking, the Jew told Rav Chaim that he was very tired and asked Rav Chaim if he could carry his bags. Always happy to help another Jew, Rav Chaim consented. For the entire duration of their journey, Rav Chaim lugged this Jew's belongings.

      As they approached this man's lodgings in Brisk, Rav Chaim apologized and said that he would have to give him the bags back to carry. The Jew argued that he had started themitzvah and thus should finish it. Rav Chaim was adamant and remained firm that he could no longer aid him.

      Rav Chaim returned the bags to the Jew who was traveling with him, and showed him where his host lived. Before he left, the traveler mentioned that he would like to visit the rov of the town, so Rav Chaim told him where his house was. They parted ways, and the guest settled into his lodgings.

      A while later, Rav Chaim heard a knock on his door, and there was the very same Jew who had asked him to carry his bags. The guest’s face turned red from embarrassment when he realized that the simple Jew who had carried his bags was none other than the renowned Rav Chaim Brisker, and he begged forgiveness from the rov. Rav Chaim calmed the man down, thanking him profusely for the opportunity to do a chessed for another Jew.

      After the guest regained his composure, he asked Rav Chaim why, if he liked doing chessed so much, he didn't he carry the bags all the way to the home where he was staying. Rav Chaim replied that he realized that if this Jew's host saw him walking with Rav Chaim while Rav Chaim was carrying his bags, he would scream at him for his behavior. In order to spare him from embarrassment, Rav Chaim gave him back the bags.

      From here we can see that the greatness of gedolei Yisroel is not limited to their Torah. When they perform chessed, they also use their brilliance to calculate how they can be of the absolute greatest help possible, taking every aspect into consideration. Gedolim understand that holiness is achieved by maximizing one's ability to help others.

      Non-Jews believe that the way to be holy is to emulate Hashem and separate oneself from others. Those who attempt to do this live secluded, and cut themselves off from worldly endeavors. The Jewish concept of holiness is that our holiness differs from that of Hashem; only through interaction can we achieve the kedushah that the Torah requires of us.

      We are witnessing natural disasters on a regular basis lately, and their power seems to be increasing. Chazal ask what we can do to spare ourselves from the pangs of Moshiach, and they answer that we should dedicate ourselves to Torah and chessed. By doing so, we can ensure that we will remain safe from these displays of Divine might and protect ourselves from what lies ahead. 

An Eternal Illness

An Eternal Illness

The Dangers of Lashon Hara

Written by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis  

  (based on a derasha from

HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch, shlita

Ravad of Yerushalayim 

Kosher Speech

The Torah discusses tzara’as, the punishment for lashon hara, at great length. Tzara’as would first appear on a person's home, and if he does not repent for his lashon hara at that point, it would spread to his clothes. If he continued in his ways even still, then eventually, his body would be afflicted by it.  

Parshas Tazria follows Parshas Shemini, which deals with the kashrus of animals. Outwardly, there seems to be no connection between these two topics; but is there, in fact, a deeper meaning behind this juxtaposition?  

Rav Yisrael Salanter explained that the Torah does this to teach us that it if one wants to protect the sanctity of his neshamah, it is not sufficient to guard oneself from non-kosher food. One’s speech has an even greater affect on his neshamah than what one eats. The outer signs of tzara’as come to show the great internal damage caused through lashon hara. 

When Rav Sternbuch first came into yeshiva in London, Rav Shneider encapsulated Rav Yisrael Salanter’s words with the following rule: “You are all extremely careful about the kashrus of the food that goes into your mouth. Try to be equally wary of the kashrus of the words that come out of your mouth.” 

While eating non-kosher meat is a serious transgression, bringing non-kosher ideas into one’s mind can be even more dangerous. At times, the problems with certain written materials are extremely subtle, and the casual reader might not even realize that his neshamah is being infected. Especially with the advent of internet, when anyone can post any idea that he wants for public view, one must take extreme care with regard to what a person reads that it is clean of lashon hara, apikorsis, and other Torah prohibitions.  

Punishment For Lashon Hara

The malach who would speak to the Beis Yosef on a regular basis once told him this: 

“Do not worry about those people who have spoken against you. They haven’t harmed you; just the opposite, they have helped you. When someone speaks lashon hara about his friend, his mitzvos get transferred to whomever he spoke about. If people realized this, they would have great joy when they hear that someone spoke about them. They would even give gold or silver coins to the person who spoke about them.” (Magid Mesherim, Parshas Vayakel) 

The Chovos Halevavos, Shaar Hachaniyah (Chapter 7) also cites this idea. He adds that when a person who speaks lashon hara gets to shamayim, he will find that he is accredited with many transgressions that he does not remember doing. When he asks about them, he will be told that they were taken from the individuals that he spoke lashon hara about, and added to his record. 

The Chovos Halevavos cites a story of a chasid whom someone spoke lashon hara about. When the chasid found this out, he sent the speaker a lavish gift consisting of the choicest fruit of that land with the following note: “You were kind enough to give me your mitzvos and take away my aveiros. I am sending you a small token of my appreciation.” 

How can we understand why a person loses all of his Torah and mitzvos by speaking lashon hara? When a person speaks badly about someone else, this creates prosecuting angels against his friend. Exchanging the mitzvos of the speaker for the aveiros of the one he spoke about helps rectify the spiritual damage that has been caused. 

When the subject of the lashon hara gets all of the mitzvos of the person who spoke about him, his reputation in shamayim is exponentially improved. Similarly, by unloading his transgressions onto the person who spoke about him, he is now considered a tzadik. These two actions counter the damage caused by the prosecuting angels, for with all of his mitzvos and lack of aveiros, they can no longer speak badly about him. 

Based on this, the Chasam Sofer (in a derasha for Shavuos) explains what Chazal mean by their statement that when someone becomes a rav, all of his transgressions are forgiven. The reason for this is that after a person gets a position as a rav, many people will speak lashon hara about him. His aveiros will be placed onto all of the people who spoke about him. 

The Chafetz Chaim hints to this concept in the sefer Shemiras Halashon in Shaar Hazechira (Chapter 7). Since this is such a crucial deterrent to prevent someone from speaking lashon hara, why didn’t the Chafetz Chaim make a more open reference to the fact that one loses all of his mitzvos if he speaks lashon hara? 

Rav Moshe Shneider once asked the Chofetz Chaim why he did not write what the Rambam says, that someone who speaks lashon hara does not have a place in the World to Come. The Chofetz Chaim replied that he could not give people such a blow. Rav Shneider understood that if the Chofetz Chaim would write that speaking lashon hara causes one to lose his portion in the next world, people would give up hope and refrain from putting effort into learning Torah and performing mitzvos.  

This rule is especially applicable to the internet. If someone posts lashon hara about someone else, this could be seen by countless individuals, and the extent of the damage is enormous. Especially when the lashon hara is about rabbanim, one could lose his entire olam habah because of his transgression. 

Asking Forgiveness

The Chafetz Chaim writes, in the sefer that became his namesake, that if a person speaks lashon hara about his friend, he must go and tell him about it in order to get mechila from him (4:12). This is a very difficult halacha to follow. Hearing that someone spoke lashon hara about you is extremely distressing.  

Rav Yisrael Salanter would not write an approbation for the sefer Chafetz Chaim because of this psak. Rav Yisrael ruled that instead, a person should ask a general forgiveness from the person he spoke about, and this is sufficient. Rav Sternbuch once received a letter from Rav Dessler praising this ruling of Rav Yisrael Salanter's. 

Although there is a dispute whether one must ask forgiveness for specific lashon hara that was spoken, everyone agrees that one must ask for some form of mechila from the subject of the negative speech. The Gemara in Yuma 87a relates the story of a butcher who slandered Rav and didn’t come to ask him forgiveness. Erev Yom Kippur, Rav went  to speak to his butcher in order to give him the opportunity to ask mechila.  

The butcher did not take the opportunity and did not ask Rav forgiveness for his slander. After this incident, the butcher was cutting bones, and hurt himself, and this injury eventually caused his death. 

Seemingly, Rav could have just declared privately that he forgave the butcher, and did not have to travel and speak to him. From here we see that one must get a personal forgiveness from the subject of the lashon hara. Since it is nearly impossible to keep track of everyone that we speak about, we should make great efforts to avoid speaking lashon hara. 

While a person once had to leave his house if he wanted to speak lashon hara en masse, today with the internet and email, things have changed drastically. In a few minutes, a person could spread the worst lashon hara to the four corners of the globe. A person should take great care to think about what he writes, and if possible, have a rav look it over before distributing it to a large number of people. 

(Rabbi Travis is Rosh Kollel of Kollel Toras Chaim in Yerushalayim and is the author of Shaylos U'Teshuvos Toras Chaim and "Praying With Joy – A Daily Tefilla Companion" a practical daily guide to improving one's prayers, available from Feldheim Publishers. Rav Sternbuch's weekly shiurim on the parasha are now available as a sefer entitled "A Voice in the Darkness". For more information about his work contact dytravis@actcom.com.) 
 

The Anatomy of Jewish Leaders

How Gedolim Deal With Tragedies in Klal Yisroel

By Rav Moshe Shternbuch 

      The following was written by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis based on a drasha given by Rav Moshe Shternbuch, Rosh Av Beis Din of the Eidah Hachareidis of Yerushalayim.

      * * * * * 

CONSULTING GEDOLIM

      “And on the eighth day, Moshe called Aharon and his children and the elders of Klal Yisroel” (Vayikrah 9:1).

      On the eighth day of the inauguration of the Mishkan, the Jewish people are instructed to offer a number of sacrifices. Among the korbanos they brought were a calf and two goats.Chazal explain that the calf was to atone for the transgression of the Golden Calf, and the two goats amended for the sale of Yosef Hatzaddik.

      We can understand why, at this auspicious moment, it was crucial to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf. His action caused the Divine Presence to depart from the Jewish people, and in order to bring it back, a sacrifice was definitely needed. But why, together with the calf, was it important to bring a korban for the sale of Yosef?

      Yosef Hatzaddik was tried according to din Torah and it was ruled that he was trying to usurp the kingship of Yehudah and was, therefore, liable to the death penalty. However, before carrying out the verdict, the brothers should have taken one more action: they should have consulted with their father, Yaakov, to determine whether their ruling was correct and ascertain that they were not merely acting out of bitter feelings toward their brother.

      The same principle is true regarding the transgression of the chet ha'Eigel. Had the Jewish people consulted first with Aharon, they would not have made a Golden Calf. By rushing to act without taking counsel, they were influenced by the Eirev Rav to completely throw off the yoke of Hashem.

      Before inaugurating the Mishkan, both of these transgressions needed to be atoned for. The Jewish people had to learn that from now on, their actions should be guided by the wisdom of the gedolei Yisroel, the great Jewish leaders of every generation. For this reason, the Torah stresses that Moshe and Aharon performed these sacrifices together with Ziknei Yisroel, the elders of Klal Yisroel. 

ACCORDING TO THE GENERATION

      Once, when Nadav and Avihu were walking behind Moshe and Aharon, they commented, “When will these two old men die so that we can take over the leadership of the Jewish people?” Chazal reveal that it was this transgression that was the cause of the death of Aharon's children (Sanhedrin 54a).

      At first glance, the words of the Gemara are shocking. Even the basest and coarsest individuals would not make such a crass comment, let alone the completely righteous children of Aharon Hakohein. What was the deeper meaning behind their statement?

      Moshe and Aharon were the humblest individuals that ever lived. Their great humility enabled them to withstand the complaining and misbehavior that the Jewish people engaged in on a regular basis. As long as they were the leaders of the generation, Moshe and Aharon would shoulder the burden of Klal Yisroel's actions, and the Jewish people, in turn, could “get away with” continuing to act improperly.

      Nadav and Avihu, on the other hand, were disconnected from all worldly matters and had no connection with the intricacies of political management. They just did not possess the personalities to deal with internal strife and the sorting out of national issues on a daily basis as Moshe and Aharon did. Had Nadav and Avihu been the leaders of the Jewish people, they would not have been able to shoulder the misbehavior of Klal Yisroel.

      In truth, Nadav and Avihu were not wishing that Moshe and Aharon would die. Rather, they were davening for the day that the Jewish people would act properly. This way, they would no longer need leaders who were willing to deal with all of the difficulties and strife in their interactions. .

      Despite their good intentions, their words were not completely free of bias. There was a certain element of self-glorification in their statement, a wish to take over the leadership of the Jewish people. Slight as it was, that hint of tainted intentions was the cause of both of their untimely deaths. 

POSITIVE HESITATION

      “And Moshe told Aharon to draw close to the mizbeiach…” (Vayikrah 9:7).

      Why did Aharon need to be instructed to go close to the mizbeiach? Rashi explains that Aharon was embarrassed to take a leadership role for himself. Therefore, Moshe Rabbeinuhad to encourage him and reassure him that he had been chosen for this position of honor.

      One might view Aharon's hesitation as a show of weakness; in truth, it is just the opposite. One of the signs of a great Jewish leader is the hesitation to take responsibility upon himself, lest he not be worthy of this exalted role.

      A young talmid chochom who had been selected to be the rov of a city approached the Chofetz Chaim to take counsel regarding his new position. He understood the level of learning that a rov should really have and felt that he was unworthy to take on such a role. The young man asked the Chofetz Chaim if he should, nonetheless, accept the job.

      The Chofetz Chaim replied that his reluctance was proof that he understood the tremendous responsibility involved with being the rov of a city. If an issue came up that was beyond his grasp, he would surely speak to other rabbonim greater than he to help him resolve the question. His hesitation was the strongest proof that he was the right choice for the job.  

DOING WHAT'S RIGHT

      Although a talmid chochom will tend to resist taking a position of honor, when it comes time to stand up for the truth, he will do so without hesitation. Even during the most difficult periods, he will strive to overcome all physical and emotional barricades in order to do what is right. All other concerns fall to the wayside and he only sees what the Almighty asks of him.

      For example, the untimely demise of Nadav and Avihu was a shock to all of Klal Yisroel. Chanukas haMishkan, which was supposed to be a time of great joy, was exchanged for a time of tremendous mourning. Understandably, this threw off the avodah of the other sons of Aharon Hakohen - the brothers of Nadav and Avihu - as well. But when Moshe Rabbeinusaw that Aharon's sons had not consumed the korbanos that they were permitted to eat even while mourning, he put his humility aside and reprimanded them for their actions (Vayikrah10:17). Moshe Rabbeinu's only concern was the truth. He could not stand hesitation when it came to fulfilling the Divine will.

      When Aharon told Moshe Rabbeinu that the halacha was not as he thought, Moshe did not try to cover up his error. He immediately admitted his mistake. He was not embarrassed to say that he had not heard this halacha from Hashem (Rashi, Vayikrah 10:20). 

DIVINE JUSTICE

      “And Aharon was quiet…” (Vayikrah 10:3)

      Witnessing the death of children is one of the most painful experiences that a parent could possibly endure. Yet, when Aharon's two sons died, he did not react to what happened; rather, he responded with complete silence. Chazal praise him for his ability to accept the harsh judgment of Hashem.

      Most people cannot stand up to the brunt of middas hadin so staunchly. The shock of bad news will inevitably throw them off and disrupt their Divine service. Only gedolim can follow in Aharon's ways and accept such circumstances with peace of mind.

      During the Holocaust, the Nazis took entire kehillos and slaughtered them. In one such incident, they allowed the rov of the community, Rav Baruch Karmarner, to speak beforehand. He related the following:

      The Torah writes, “With my kerovim [close ones] I am sanctified, and in front of all the people achaveid” (Vayikrah 10:3). The simple translation of achaved is, “I am honored.” Deaths of those who are close to Hashem exhibit His attribute of strict justice, as well as how exacting He is with those who are close to Him. However, the word achaveid can also mean difficult.

      Based on this alternate translation, we can understand the words of the Torah in a different light: Only those who are close to Hashem can honor their Creator with silent acceptance of His strict justice; for most of the Jewish people, this is extremely hard.

      After those words, Rav Baruch Karmarner's entire kehillah was killed.

      Hashem has high expectations of the leaders of the Jewish people. They are meant to live a dual existence, on one hand shying away from honor, yet, at the same time, staying firm and standing up for what is right. Even under the most adverse conditions, they are expected to cast all other considerations aside and focus solely on what Hashem wants from them. Happy is the nation who has been given such great leaders, and may we have the insight to consult them regularly.

      * * * * *

      Rabbi Travis is a rosh kollel of Kollel Toras Chaim in Yerushalayim, and is the author of Shaylos U'Teshuvos Toras Chaim and "Praying With Joy - A Daily Tefilla Companion," a practical daily guide to improving one's prayers, available from Feldheim Publishers. Rav Shternbuch's weekly shiurim on the parsha, compiled and edited by Rabbi Travis, are now available as a sefer titled “A Voice in the Darkness.” For more information about his work, contact dytravis@actcom.com.