This week we read the description of Hashem’s anger against a generation of Jews who are, “a generation of reversals – children whose ’אמן‘ – is not in them”. Rashi translates ”אמן“ form the verb ‘to raise/educate’. The verse reads, “children whose upbringing is not in them”.
The Medresh presents us with an interesting alternate reading of this phrase. The word ”אמן“ could be vowelled to read “Amen” thus the verse would read, “children in whose midst Amen is not to be found”. Concludes the Medresh that even when the prophets came to bless the Jewish nation they refused to answer Amen! When the prophet Yirmiyahu prophesied, “Thus said Hashem….. to give them a land flowing with milk and honey… and I responded saying, ‘Amen, Hashem.’” Seemingly only Yirmiyahu was willing to say Amen?!
Why was it that the Jewish Nation refused to answer Amen? After all the prophet only wanted to give them a blessing?
Reb Eliezer Ginsburg suggests that the Jew’s inability to answer Amen stemmed from a lack of self-esteem. The Jews did not deem themselves worthy of receiving the Prophets’ blessings. We know that at the time of the destruction of the first Temple the Jews had violated even the three cardinal sins.
We have noted in the past how the Jews at the time of the Purim story created their own problems by attending a feast that had been laid on to celebrate their own downfall! We can readily see how this was a continuation of the attitude that was around in the times of the Prophet Yirmiyahu in the years running up to the destruction of the Temple some seventy years earlier – where because they were honest enough to recognise their shortcomings and admit that they were not worthy of receiving the blessings they refused to answer ‘Amen’.
The inherent mistake in their refusal was that they should have been willing to answer ‘Amen’ and then make the necessary changes to make themselves worthy of the blessing. But alas they wallowed – they were stagnant, and refused to change. The question we must then ask ourselves is are we any better?
Let me share with you a story about the legendary Reb Shlomo Freifeld I read a few days before Yom Kippur which inspired me immensely.
At se’udah shlishis, surrounded by his students, Reb Shlomo once spoke passionately about the desire to change, to truly grow. He suddenly stopped and looked around at the faces of his listeners, and he realised that they didn’t truly believe that it was still possible to change. He held his grey beard and began to shout, “I am the youngest one here!”
In a talk during the Ten days of Repentance, Reb Shlomo explained what it means “to be young.” He shared a conversation that he had recently had with an elderly woman. Mrs. Gingold was a Russian woman of over a hundred years old who resided in a nursing home. Rebbi used to visit her often and speak with her.
Once, he noticed that she wasn’t eating her lunch, and he inquired about it. In a very matter-of-fact way, she explained that she had started to fast baha”b, the Monday, Thursday and Monday following Yom Yov. Reb Shlomo reacted with surprised, as this fast is maintained only by the most devout men, and almost unheard of among women, much less an elderly, frail woman like Mrs Gingold.
She tearfully explained, “Barbara has been my nurse now for years and years and has been attending to me so faithfully. One day last week, however, she was tired, and when she gave me a shot, she was clumsier than usual. She pricked me with the needle, and in my pain, I shouted at her.
“She has been so devoted for so long, yet I berated her for one mistake. I apologised several times, yet how can I have allowed that to happen? I have accepted this fast upon myself in order to do complete teshuva for my behaviour.”
Rebbi paused when he completed this story and looked around. “Who is old and who is young? You, who are in your twenties, but cynical and mistrustful about your ability to change, are old. Mrs Gingold, who is still trying, is young!
“I hope to be as young as her.”
He had infinite confidence in those in whom he did sense true desire, and nothing could upset him like seeing a Jew who didn’t believe that he could change.
“….It depresses me, young people who are mouldy. Their attitudes are old and decaying. They have gotten off the conveyor belt of life…”
May we all stay young!
Good Shabbos, Yaakov