The Kedusha of
Eretz Yisroel and The Not So Secular Jew
In Parshas Maasei, we read
about the three cities of refuge that were established in “Ever Hayarden” that
served the tribes of Gad and Reuvain and half of the tribe of Menashe, who
resided there. The other three cities of refuge were erected in Eretz Cannan to
serve the other nine and a half tribes who lived there.
The purpose of these cities was to
serve as a safe haven for an individual who killed someone unintentionally.
The question is glaring and obvious.
The mathematical equation is
disproportionate. Why were three cities needed
for three and a half tribes and the same number needed for nine and a half
tribes? The Talmud answers and explains
that “Ever Hayarden” had more murders that killed deliberately with
intent. How does this fact answer the
question? What difference is there that there are more murderers when our
singular issue deals with unintentional murders which should not have the same
statistic as Eretz Yisroel. The Baalei Musar explain that in an
environment of murders per force there will be more individuals who will kill
unintentionally as well. The influence
of life being cheap and disposable has a profound impact on the populace in general
in terms of how careful they are on a daily basis in their interactions with
other humans. Hence, in “Ever Hayarden”
there was a need for three cities of refuge because of the abundance of
unintentional murders as opposed to Eretz Yisroel.
Living in Eretz
Yisroel these past few months, I see the fulfillment of this concept in the
converse. There is no doubt that the secular
Jew in Eretz Yisroel is vastly and inherently different than the secular
Jew in Chutz L’Aretz.
Without a doubt the spiritual ambience of the Holyland
leaves an indelible impression on all Jews in many different forms. I do not speak of the political rhetoric and
boisterous outcries when it comes to financial allotments, the chareidim, army
service, or the like. I believe Israel and
the Israeli political arena is a nuclear world unto itself which I will not
address at this time. I speak of the simple Israeli Jew in the street, the cab
or bus driver, or the average working person who is influenced for the good
because of the surrounding holiness that pervades our special homeland. To the degree the surrounding environment is
more spiritually intense, so is the influence on its inhabitants. Hence, a non-religious
Jew of Bnei Brak or Yerushalyim is vastly different than a similar Jew living
in Modein or Beersheva.
I recall a beautiful incident that dates back some 30
plus years. We were spending the summer in Yerushalyim, and I had an
appointment with Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach,זצ"ל
who lived in the Shaare Chesed neighborhood. I called a cab and a nice irreligious man in
his 20s, who sported a ponytail was my driver.
He asked me where I wanted to go, and I responded that I was going to
Rehov Porush Eser. He turned around
and said in Hebrew, “Betach, Ato Holech L’Rav Auerbach. Slicha, zeh Rehov Porush Ahad Esray.” “For sure you are going to Reb Auerbach. Forgive me, but it’s Rehov Porush 11.” I was astounded to say the least,. I could not imagine a Jewish cab driver on
the lower east side of Manhattan correcting a passenger as to the correct
address of Reb. Moshe Feinstein זצ"ל,
or for that matter the address of any great Torah personality. But the story does not end there. As we approached Rehov Porush, Rav Shlomo
Zalman זצ"ל was
walking up the street from the Gra Shul, where he davened regularly. The driver was ecstatic and excited and exclaimed
“Zeh Reb Auerbach” and proceeded to exit the taxi (forgetting about me the
passenger) and put his head down to receive a brocha from this great sage. Secular
Israelis are somehow exposed to prominent Talmedi Chachamim and Gedolim
who are either occasional passengers of theirs or such as my driver, have the zechus
to see and get a brocha from a tzadik directly. I can recall so many times those taxi drivers
who were irreligious but beamed with pride as they told me that they had the
merit to drive various Gedolim and Tzaddikim.
More recently, I
had decided to visit some of the wounded
soldiers from Israeli’s recent “Protective Edge” war in the Gaza Strip. Although there are unfortunately soldiers
with all types of injuries throughout Israel’s major hospitals, I chose to
visit some of the soldiers who were light to moderately injured and being
treated in Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem.
There were some young men from Hesder Yeshivas, but the overwhelming
number of soldiers were chilonim.
As I entered the rooms they were a bit baffled as to who this rabbi is with
a beard whom they don’t recognize coming to visit. I immediately told them that I was from
America, currently visiting Eretz Yisroel, and that I came to visit them
on my own but in truth I represent so many other Jews that would have come were
it not for the geographical distance. I
was received by all the soldiers with tremendous warmth and gratitude. As I asked for their Hebrew names, so that we
could say Tehillim on their behalf in the various shuls in Eretz
Yisroel, I pointed out that many yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel
were cancelling their Bein Hazmanim vacation and were continuing their
regular studies as a merit to the soldiers fighting on the front. Needless to say, these young men, who were
devoid of religious life, were touched beyond words by this magnanimous
gesture. These valiant and courageous
young chayalim spoke of strong comraderie
but above all, real miracles that they saw on the battlefield. Some said
they recite Tehillim and occasionally pray with some of their
religious comrades prior to a decisive battle.
Many told me that they admire their religious friends who are chayalim
but at present they are just not ready for such a lifestyle. Bar none, as I spoke of Hashem, they all
acknowledged that He runs the world and that we would be lost without Him. But they can’t make the transition because it
is a quantum leap in their life from what has been until now.
I left the hospital room exhilarated and exalted from my visit and
pondered what one solider by the name of Tal had told me previously. In various battalions, they have lost some of
their comrades, and as part of a pluga, the pluga wondered what they could do in
memory of their lost comrades, whether they were religious or not. In his
group, the Golani Bridgade someone of them undertook to put on Tefillin
every day, even if for just a few moments.
I hugged him without realizing that I pressed on his chest where he had
had two bullets extracted the day before.
We shed some tears together as he told me that he hopes to leave the
hospital in two days and go back to Gaza to rejoin his friends once again. You see, he said, “I’m not Dati but
here and there I try to do the right thing.”
As I walked down
the corridor of “Komah Chomesh” in the Davidsohn Pavillion, I said to myself I
must go back to Tal, Iti, Shalim, Orad and the others. I didn’t give them enough “Idud” – Encouragement. I went back and told them that they are like
the Macabbim in the story of Chanukah, the valiant courageous soldiers fighting
Hashem’s war. Don’t get caught up I said
in your expertise and the overarching strength of the IDF and IAF. Remember Yehuda HaMacabi’s battle cry of “Mi
L’Hashem Eilay.” This is Hashem’s war
against Amalek, and we all are fighting together. You’re on the front and others are fighting
with Tefila, Tehillim, Limud HaTorah and Mitzvos. You are all Hashem’s children and we need
each and everyone of you! I bid my new friends farewell and walked down the
hall once again towards the elevator. As
I passed the nurses’ station, I said to them “Shemor Al HaChayalim;” they are
fighting Hashem’s war for the holiness of Eretz Yisroel. They (the non-religious nurses) smiled and
said “betach,” -for sure - “Zeh Milchemes
Hashem,” This is Hashem’s war.
If we just open our eyes, we see a myriad of such incidents
daily. One more recent event that left
me inspired was as follows:
I was standing on the platform of the light rail train at the Mt.
Hertzel station. I appeared a bit lost
trying to figure out on which side of the track I needed to be on in order to
get to town. Suddenly, a secular man in
his sixties who was a train supervisor approached and said “Ulay Ani Yechol
L’Azor Le’cha? Maybe I can help you? I
told him where I was headed and glad to hear I was on track. We spoke about the day’s sad news with the
death of a number of “chayalim” from the Golani Brigade. With tears in his eyes, he said I also lost a
son a number of years ago. As I pondered
which war it could have been, he said not in battle but from drugs. Before I could try to comfort him in some
way, he continued “You should know none of these parents whose children died
will ever recover from their loss.” You
know why? I stood unresponsive knowing
that I have no understanding of his or these parents’ plight. He quoted the passuk in the Torah
that speaks of Yaakov’s refusal to allow Binyomin to go down to Mitzrayim
where it says “V’horadatem es Sayvosi B’yogon Sh’eolem.” “You will bring down
my gray head in sorrow to the grave.”
You see from here he said that losing a child is an event you can never
‘get over.’ Figuring that he was a “Tanach buff” of yesteryear, I told him I
understood his point and then came a startling statement “Without Hashem and
his Torah, we wouldn’t be able to exist.”
I was shocked hearing such a clear bold statement from a secular
Israeli. Suddenly, I saw my train
approaching, and I knew I had but a few moments. All I could say was “Hashem should strengthen
you and your family, and I quoted the passuk in Tehillim “Im
Hashem Lo Yishmor Ir Shov Shokad shomer.”
“if Hashem doesn’t guard the city, for naught is the watchman.”
Racing through Yerushalyim on the “rakevet hakala” and
gazing at all the different types of Jews, I couldn’t help but think of how
much the kedusha of Yerusahalyim has permeated these people’s
lives in one way or another. Indeed,
this influence of spirituality can’t be replicated anywhere else in the
world. Each and every Yid has that spark
ready to ignite when it’s connected to Kedusha in the proper
fashion. This is the uniqueness of the
Israeli Jew.
May we merit speedily in our day to see the fulfillment of the
words of the Navi
ומלאה הארץ דעה את ה' כמים לים מכסים
The world will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as the water
fills the oceans.
