Yaakov Hibbert Presents… Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

The story is told about the ‘Alter of Navardok’ who had a close disciple who decided one day to leave the Yeshiva and settle into a lifestyle not so consistent with the real values of Judaism. As one can imagine it was somewhat an embarrassment to the Alter and to his yeshiva to ‘lose’ a disciple in this way. What’s more was that the disciple started up a new business and before long had a tremendously successful factory running. Several years later news reached Navardok that the factory of this ex-disciple was burnt down and he had lost all his wealth in one full swoop. When the yeshiva boys came to the Alter and related to him what had occurred, a distinct smile spread across his face, as if he was thinking, “Ha, you see that you can’t prosper by running away from the Yeshiva and from Judaism!”

The boys were somewhat shocked by the Alter’s response; the Alter who had refined his character traits par-excellence was not surely happy at the downfall of another Jew? The Alter, sensing their dismay in his smile explained. “When he left the ranks of the Yeshiva and ditched his Judaism I was sure that Hashem would send him some kind of message that he had made the wrong decision. But the opposite happened; he overnight became a most successful businessman, within months he owned his own factory. This caused me great grief; had Hashem given up on him? Had Hashem just cast him aside as if to say, ‘you’re not worth the bother’? When his factory burnt down I was pleased to hear that Hashem is still worried about my disciple’s precious Jewish soul.

This story encapsulates a most central theme in understanding Galut – exile, and the punishments that the Jewish Nation receive from Hashem. Allow me to explain: The Talmud recounts a conversation between a Sadducee and R’ Yehoshua. The Sadducee mockingly asked, “what does a nation do whose master has turned his face from them?” R’ Yehoshua retorted, “His Hand is still outstretched on us”. This phrase is actually a quote from a verse which reads, “His (Hashem’s) anger has not subsided and His hand is still outstretched“. How, with a verse of misfortune, is he answering the claim? On the contrary this verse supports the claim by saying that Hashem is continually punishing us?

The Halachah is that if someone deliberately leaves his wallet in the street, anyone can come and take it because he has made it ownerless. However the Gemora speaks of a person who throws something off a tall building, but before it smashes on the ground a second person comes along and smashes it. The Gemora is undecided as to whether the second person has to pay or not. But isn’t throwing an item off a roof a bigger renouncement of ownership than just leaving it in the street? How then can we entertain the option of charging the second person for breaking an ‘ownerless’ item?

The Beis Halevi ingeniously explains that when throwing one’s item off the roof one hasn’t renounced ownership! When leaving an item in the street he wants nothing more to do with the item, however when throwing an item off the roof he wants the item to smash (hence he threw it!). While flying through the air he still owns the item, due to the fact that he still has interest in the item. However when leaving an item on the street, as soon as he turns his back on it, he has relinquished any ownership.

With this we can understand the conversation between R’ Yehoshua and the Saducee. He claimed that Hashem had turned His back on the Jews – as if He left us on the street for all to plunder – and thus Hashem has no interest in us. However R’ Yehoshua understood that that is not the nature of exile. When Hashem punishes us, it is comparable to throwing us off a building – Hashem wants us to smash. But that very will to want us to smash shows that He still has interest in us; we are still His. Hence he quoted a verse which describes Hashem’s outstretched arm of anger because this is a consolation to our dire situation. We have not been cast away as if to say, I don’t care what happens to you; rather the punishment itself is being administered by Hashem’s outstretched arm.

This was what the Alter understood when his disciple suffered a tremendous loss. Hashem cared about him and therefore was punishing him. Being left alone would have been Hashem turning his back on the wallet, showing no interest in who or what takes the wallet, and this is an infinitely greater punishment than Hashem deciding how to punish us.

The Maharsha [1555-1631] equates the twenty one days of the ‘three weeks’ of mourning leading up to Tisha Be’Av to the twenty one days from Rosh Hashanah till the end of Succos. Both are days where we forge a connection with Hashem. The calamities that make up the three weeks are not a time period devoid of Hashem rather they are a manifestation of Hashem just like we all understand that the High Holidays are days of connection to Hashem. Even the day of Tisha Be’Av itself is called a ‘Moed’ – a festival, which literally translates ‘a meeting’, because on it there is that intense meet up with Hashem.

The verse we read tonight in Eichoh (Lamentations) describing our bitter exile reads, “She dwelled among the nations, but found no rest”. Says the Medresh, “For had we found rest, we would never be returning”. History unfortunately has shown how true this is; whenever the Jews get too settled in any country it’s not long before some unrest [G-d Forbid] will come and change the situation. The fact that we can never find rest is because we haven’t been cast away. Like the smile of the Alter we can smile and comfort ourselves with the fact that Hashem is still caring for us – for if not we would have found rest amongst the nations, and we would have petered out like many other ancient civilisations.

Wishing you Good Shabbos, and a meaningful fast.

Yaakov