What Can We Do for Our Brothers in Danger?
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
We don’t have to look very far into the world events swirling around us to see a connection to the Three Weeks and the Nine Days. The Rebbe explained that the best way to counteract the any non-positive effect of the Three Weeks is to increase in ahavas chinam, which means to love every Jew for no other reason than he or she is a Jew.
The Gemara tells us that the galus lasted for 70 years after the destruction of the first Beis HaMikdash compared to the second destruction, which has lasted for over 2000. The sins of the generation of the first destruction were revealed; their sins were idolatry, murder and gilui arayos. Since their sins were revealed they were able to return and rebuild after 70 years. The sins of the generation of the second destruction were concealed. The Gemara doesn’t tell us what the sins of the generation of the second destruction were (although we know it was sinas chinam, baseless hatred) and because their sins were concealed we are still in galus.
The Alter Rebbe asks why is it that the length of galus is dependent on whether a sin is revealed or concealed; what’s the connection? The Alter Rebbe explains in Likutei Torah that if an aveira is revealed, it will inevitably lead to redemption. This is because when the sin is revealed, the sinner is clear about what he has done to cause the current situation, the result of the sin, galus, and is therefore able to correct it to pave the way to the geula. Because the generation of the first destruction knew their failing they were able and went about correcting the cause of the sins, their midos. There are 7 midos and the correction took 7 times 10 years, 70 years, the length of that galus.
The galus that followed the generation of the second destruction is a longer and more protracted struggle because we do not see the reason or the cause that keeps us in our circumstances (sinas chinam). Quite the contrary, we have created excellent reasons why we are right! This only perpetuates our positions towards others (the cause of galus). Over time we have even determined our entrenched viewpoint to be a great mitzvah! Unfortunately because of this the cause remains uncorrected and we linger in the galus… The sin needs to be revealed to whom? To ourselves; once we see it in ourselves, not in someone else, then we can correct the cause. As long as the cause, the sin, is not revealed to ourselves we linger in the long and protracted galus.
The message to us today is clear and resounding, we just have to look at the enemy of the Jewish people, Hamas and the radical Palestinians. They do not care what kind of Jew you are; if you are an Ultra-Orthodox, Modern-Orthodox, Chassidic or a Kibbutznik. The only thing that matters is if you are Jewish, that’s it; just like the Nazis yemach shmam.
We have to put aside any and all of our differences once and for all, and seek each other’s welfare without conditions. We are one community; we are one people, real ahavas Yisroel period.
There is a story that my father once told publically in 770 about ahavas Yisroel. My father had an acquaintance that he knew from Otwosk Poland. After the war he moved to the Mid-West, while my father was living in Los Angeles. In the 1960’s he moved to Los Angeles. He started a business and assumed that my father would make the proper business connections for him, to get him a partner that would make the business a success. Since that wasn’t possible, when it didn’t happen the man was upset with my father for not helping him. Later on, once when my father was in New York, the Rebbe asked my father through his secretary how this person was doing. My father’s response was that he didn’t know because the man was upset with him and they hadn’t spoken. The Rebbe asked; “Where is the ahavas Yisroel?”. The man was upset with my father; my father wasn’t upset with him. Nevertheless rom that point on, whenever this man had a simcha my father showed up to wish him mazal tov even when he wasn’t invited. When my brother Yossie A”H had his ufruf in Los Angeles, my father sent someone to ask him to please please come to the simcha. The man came to the ufruf. Later on they reconciled. In the later years my father had to go with a walker. This man went through a surgery and was recovering at home. I took my father to visit him. On the way my father turned to me and said; “You know what the Rebbe told me..” I replied; “Yes, ahavas Yisroel”. He brought him a new sefer that came out with pictures from the Otwosk Yeshiva. They sat together and reminisced. This story teaches me how we need to work in ahavas Yisroel even if the other person is upset with me. Even if I am not upset with him I need to go out of my way and breakthrough the wall that separates us.
May we all, through increasing in ahavas chinam merit the geula ha’amitis v’hashleima, now.