Image and Perception
The Baal Shem Tov teaches us that everything we see and hear is a lesson in our service of Hashem. Today, we are living in a society where perception is strongly influenced by image. The Mishna in Pirkei Avos, in a number of places teaches us the importance of judging people and situations properly. Some examples include; “For a Judge to render a correct decision he must take the necessary time” “Do not conclude judgment with haste” “Do not Judge your friend until you are in similar circumstances”. The Rebbe teaches that we are all judges, because we judge and develop an opinion for whatever we see and hear. Before we express an opinion, it is necessary that become aware of all the facts and circumstances surrounding a given situation. The Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya that we are all different and therefore the challenges of one individual are different from another.
By reviewing current events we see that we live a country where no one seems to care for the truth. It has become more common to see people, rather than reporting facts objectively, to speak about issues directly from emotions and their subjective sense of what they feel is right.
Here are only a few examples:
A: The Arizona Immigration Law. I didn't read the bill, I don't know it, and am therefore not pressing an opinion. But when the Attorney General of the United States was asked, he commented that it was illegal. When he is asked if he read the law, he said that in fact he had not, rather that he had picked up his information from the media! Why hasn't he read the bill? It's only a ten page document, not like the 2000 page health care bill passed by Congress!
B: The Los Angeles City Council decided to boycott Arizona. The proceedings held to render that decision were very emotional. If one were to ask whether they took into consideration all the ramifications of this boycott, the answer would be a definitive no. They weren’t even aware of what precisely they were boycotting! They didn't even stop long enough to determine which businesses in Los Angeles have dealings with Arizona. If you were to ask the council members whether they know what the law states, they will openly tell you they never even read the law; rather they picked up what they learned in the news! The same is true with the Federal Administration – they also criticize the Arizona law based on only on the news reports.
C: This point is similarly true with regard to the Rubashkin case. The Federal government brought charges against Shalom Mordecai Rubashkin based on certain laws that have not been enforced in Iowa for over 80 years! They are not really concerned about the law, they care about their image. The state of Iowa brought over 9000 charges against Shalom Mordecai without even one legitimate witness, as if they were trying to say that they were doing better than the federal government. In the end, the State of Iowa lost the case, but it became clear that their real purpose in bringing the charges was to create an image for themselves.
D: British Petroleum is having hearings in Washington about it's negligence in the case of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But clearly absent from the discussion is what is the responsibility of the Government in this disaster! The Environmental Agencies, the Coast Guard and the Department of Energy, why are they conspicuously absent from the discussion? Why aren't their employees also in the hot seat? The reason is because the government only wants to make an impression, it is not seeking facts.
What do we learn from all of these cases? We learn that the world only cares about their image. No one really cares about really fixing problems. As Jews we cannot be that way, we are obligated to make decisions; not based on fame, nor on word of mouth, but on the facts alone. We also need to consider if is it good for us and our families. Self interest has a certain place, but it is not everything.
When we have a problem that we must deal with, let us understand the entire problem before expressing an opinion. When we hear of a dispute between two people we shouldn’t express an opinion for or gainst one side or the other until we have all the facts. The Rav and the Mashpia should be consulted to help us be certain we are viewing our situation objectively. With any decision we make, we may ask for others opinions of our situation, but in the final analysis we make the decision based on what is the best for our own situation.
For example, when I am in the process of choosing a yeshiva, seminary, or camp for my child I must consider what is best for my child, not best for my image. Sometimes smaller less well known institutions are better suited for my child than larger more well known and costlier places.
Another example is when a child comes to us with a problem. We need to listen to the problem in it’s entirely and understand it thoroughly, both to what they say and to what they mean. When a school tells us something, we need to listen to where are they coming from and what are they saying, not just the actual words.
How is this connected with Yud-Bais Tammuz? The Previous Rebbe stood alone against the regime that fought Yiddishkeit and all religion and wanted to wipe out from their populace the name of G‑d. They felt that they could solve all their problems and that they had all the answers.
Similarly today, in this country there are many of the liberal opinion that prayer belongs locked up in a house of prayer, not in school. They feel that the Ten Commandments has nothing to do with American law. They forgot what is printed on all our currency: In G‑d we trust. They are do not trust in Hashem, but only what they feel, and they feel they have all the answers. Because of this, animals have more rights than unborn babies; shechita should be abolished because it is “inhumane” etc. They feel it is better to have compassion on a terrorist, not his victim. (One former employee of the U.S. Secretary of State compared Hisbollah sending rockets against innocent women and children to the llied paratroopers who liberated France from Nazi Germany.)
The core of all above is because our current government has forgotten that the foundation of America was freedom for religion. Instead these days it is freedom from religion and the main thing is “my” image and my “perception”.
If one uses only intellect, without a belief in Hashem, then everything becomes rational, as seen by the communists. Hence at Yud Bais Tammuz not only the Previous Rebbe was redeemed, Yud Bais Tammuz is giving us the strength to get out of our inner golus and see the truth, and by redeeming ourselves we will hasten the coming of the Geulah Shleimah.
