On Simchas Torah, the Message Hashem Was Sending Was Clear: Are We Listening?

An interview with Hagaon Harav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, shlita, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshiva Zichron Moshe of South Fallsburg

By Mattisyahu Lazar

The events transpiring in Eretz Yisrael since Simchas Torah have shaken the world. As frum Yidden, anytime there are earth-shattering events in the world, it is our task to try to discern the message that Hashem is sending us. Certainly, when a tragedy of this magnitude occurs in Eretz Yisrael with so many korbanos, R”l, and an ensuing war, it is incumbent on every G-d-fearing Jew to ask, “What does Hashem want from us? What can we improve?”

We sat down earlier this week with Hagaon Harav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, shlita, to ask him this very question.

People keep asking, “What message is Hashem sending us. What does He want from us?”

It is clear that whenever Hashem sends us difficulties, He is giving us mussar. The Chofetz Chaim writes in numerous places, that when Yidden undergo suffering, that is Hashem’s way of giving mussar. This time, on Simchas Torah, the message was very clear, even clearer than usual.

In the aftermath of what happened on Simchas Torah, maps were found in the pockets of the terrorists, clearly delineating all the shuls and batei medrash in Ofakim. Their plan was to wipe out all our batei medrash and all the Yidden inside. They had pictures of every shul. Somehow Hashem made them turn left instead of right. That was tremendous hashgachah pratis, but at the same time, Hashem was sending us a clear message. We need to improve. We need to straighten ourselves out.

Let us remember that this terrible klap happened on Simchas Torah. Think for a second. After a Rosh Hashanah, after a Yom Kippur, after a Sukkos, we were at the climax, at Simchas Torah, and Hashem was telling us, “I am still not pleased.” Hashem is sending us a message.

I think that every Yid has to look into himself and search for what he can do better. What requires improvement for one person is not necessarily what requires improvement for another. Every person knows himself, knows his own weaknesses and must try to make some kind of improvement. That is the message Hashem is sending us. One doesn’t have to be brilliant to discern this, it is alef beis…

On a practical level, we must also realize that so many Yidden are in such deep pain, so many are in danger. We have to feel their pain. We have to daven for them. Yes, in addition to fixing what needs to be fixed in our personal lives, we must daven and be noseh b’ol with them.

How can we be noseh b’ol? How do we feel their burden?

The answer is simple. Go into the beis medrash and learn. Daven for them. Make an improvement in tznius. We must strengthen ourselves in sharing their burden by strengthening ourselves in all areas of Yiddishkeit. This is the way we truly show that we feel their pain and we want to alleviate it.

What can we do as a zechus for Acheinu Bnei Yisrael? What should bnei Torah do? What should baalei battim do? What about women or children?

Again, we should improve in any area of Yiddishkeit in which we feel weak. The way to be mechazek our fellow Yidden is by being mechazek ourselves. That zechus alone will infuse others with chizuk. Everyone has their job. Our job is to invoke rachmei Shamayim.

It is important, however, for us to realize that we are on the frontlines. Everyone who knows history, knows the fact that survival of Yidden in Eretz Yisrael until now is a miracle. If you analyze history, you will see that military prowess has little to do with the miracle of our survival. In 1948, there was no Israeli Army. The Yidden fought with Molotov cocktails and outdated arms. The fact that the Arabs got so scared and fled was an open nes.

I was in Eretz Yisrael during the Six Day War. Even the newspapers, the non-religious ones were writing that the way they won the war was nissim, was miraculous. It was clearly yad Hashem.

During the Yom Kippur War, the Arabs took the Yidden by surprise and came as far as Teveria. They didn’t go further because they thought there was an ambush waiting for them and that gave enough time for America to send armaments. Again, it wasn’t military power, it was the yad Hashem.

During the Gulf War, the army couldn’t do anything. The Americans didn’t let them. Scud missiles were flying into Eretz Yisrael but Hashem saved the Yidden. Not one scud killed anyone. These were tremendous nissim. The fact that the Yidden in Eretz Yisrael were saved had nothing to do with the army.

We see that the survival of the yishuv in Eretz Yisrael is clearly a nes min haShamayim. That is why, when something like this happens, when the security of the Yidden is compromised we have to do teshuvah. We have to wonder, “Why isn’t Hashem protecting us as He has until now?”

He is obviously sending us a message. When the whole yishuv is endangered, it is doubly incumbent on us to strengthen ourselves in shemiras hamitzvos, in limud haTorah, in distancing ourselves from aveiros.

What about the terrible antisemitism that we are seeing all over the world since the beginning of this war?

This is all part of Hashem’s message. Teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah remove the terrible gezeirah. That is our task. Anyone who doesn’t see that Hashem is talking to us and demanding something from us is closing his eyes.

Are we going through the chevlei Moshiach at this time?

I think we can say that. We are living in the period of ikvesa d’Meshicha, and Chazal teach us that if one wants to be saved from the difficulties of chevlei Moshiach, a person should engage in Torah and gemilus chassadim.

Is there any message that the Rosh Yeshivah wants to give over?

I pointed this out when I addressed the bnei yeshivah and I will repeat it here. Chazal teach us that the nissim of kibbutz galuyos will be much greater than the nissim we experienced in Mitzrayim. Let’s think about that. In yetzias Mitzrayim, they experienced Krias Yam Suf, the makkos, a complete transformation of nature. How can you get bigger nissim than that? Let us say Iran will throw an atom bomb and it will just remain in the sky and never land. That is a giant nes, but it is an old nes. The barad, the hail from Mitzrayim, is also still standing in the sky. The nes by Moshiach will be greater than that. How?

We can glean the answer from what Rav Yaakov Emden teaches. He says that the nes of our survival as a sheep among 70 wolves is a much greater nes then yetzias Mitzrayim! Just think — in every generation they try to destroy us, and we are still here after 2,000 years! We are still tehorim and sheleimim. All the empires are gone, and we are still here!

The Zohar explains that the reason these are even bigger nissim is because we survived even though those with bechirah tried to kill us. The Zohar says that when the shevatim wanted to kill Yosef, Reuven said, “Let’s not kill him, let’s rather put him in a pit with snakes and scorpions.” A pit with snakes and scorpions? He was putting him from the frying pan into the fire! What did he gain?

The answer set forth by the Zohar is that Reuven knew that Yosef had enough zechusim to be miraculously saved by Hashem from snakes and scorpions. But to be saved from those with bechirah, those who can choose to do the wrong thing, you need even more zechusim.

Hashem can change nature. That is not hard. However, He endowed people with bechirah, He chose to create the world in a way that He gives people choices. To change that is a much greater nes. That is what Rav Yaakov Emden means when he says that our survival is a greater nes than any of the others.

It is a great nes because those terrorists are baalei bechirah. They had maps of all the shuls and knew that men, women and children would be in shul in droves on Simchas Torah. They planned on killing them and then for some inexplicable reason, they went elsewhere. This is a great, great nes. It is a bigger nes than yetzias Mitzrayim! The fact that they walked by the yeshivah in Tifrach and didn’t even think to go in is a bigger nes than yetzias Mitzrayim!

Hashem is showing us that He wants something. We are getting pretty close. Hashem is showing us that he wants kiyum haTorah and mitzvos, that He wants us to draw close to Him. That is what is clear!