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Jewish World Review Sept. 5, 2003 / 8 Elul, 5763 In denial about the enemy By Rabbi Berel Wein
Now's the time to go to war
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
Winston Churchill, in a speech to the House of Commons, once quoted the
altered, semi-facetious aphorism: "We have met the enemy and they are us,"
in describing the policy shortcomings of the then government in England. In
this week's Torah reading we find this idea described in detail.
The Torah
reading of Ki Tetze (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 ) begins: "When you shall go forth to do battle against your enemy and
the L-rd, your G-d, will deliver that enemy into your hand..." Who is that
unnamed enemy that the Torah bids us to do battle with? The rabbis and
commentators of Israel long ago maintained that the true enemy of all human
beings lurks within us.
Judaism never subscribed to feel-good, whatever-goes,
gimmicky, currently fashionable but rapidly obsolescent projects. There
never was a free lunch, a quick fix, a comfortable, no-standards,
no-requirements, pain and sacrifice-free, with-it-today Judaism. Instant
panaceas, public-relations slogans that are inherently empty of true value,
do not lead a person individually or Jewry generally to any spiritual
growth. Instead of fighting "our enemy" they become part of the "enemy"
itself.
This special month of Elul, which leads us to the High Holy Day season — the Ten Days of
Penitence from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur; the joyous holiday of Succos (Tabernacles); the special role of Torah in our lives symbolized by Simchas Torah, are all
weapons to allow us to triumph over "our enemy."
The tragedy of American
Jewry is that it is unaware to a great degree of the existence, importance
and necessity of these Holy Days and what they should impart to us.
Jews are
so abysmally ignorant of Judaism that they are unable to realize that we are
our own worst enemies.
At a recent "outreach" seminar on Judaism, a woman
from the audience rose and asked the rabbi who was lecturing: "These are all
wonderful ideals that you have talked to us about, but we need something
practical in our lives. We need at least one day in the week when the family
can all come together, eat together, converse together. A day without
television and work, a day of reading and relaxation, of thinking together
and becoming more spiritual. Rabbi, why doesn't Judaism have such a day?"
It is not that Jews do not observe the Halachic requirements of the
Sabbath — it is that Jews do not know, any longer, that there is a Sabbath!
If one does not recognize that there is an enemy, then one will undoubtedly
be ill-prepared to defend one's self against that enemy's thrust. And so, we
are witness to the ravaging of the American Jewish community and it is
happening without complaint, almost without notice.
I am convinced that
there are large pockets of unaffiliated Jews who are searching for some
deeper significance to their lives. They are searching for something to
satisfy their souls. So, why is there not a larger stream of newly
interested and newly committed Jews? One reason, I am convinced, is that
they have been scared off by incessant anti-Torah propaganda, mostly
orchestrated by certain Jewish groups themselves, who are interested in
promoting their own personal and organizational agendas.
Our personal enemies are within our own camp. Thousands of Jews pursue other
religions, completely ignorant of their own faith. They are fundamentally
unable to make any intelligent, spiritual choices in their lives because of
this ignorance of and subtle prejudice against Judaism introduced into their
lives by Jews themselves.
Generations of self-hating Jewish authors,
comedians, media stars and political figures, have all taken their toll from
American Jewry. It is time that we awoke to the dangers that lurk within us
and defend ourselves in order to guarantee our survival as Jews.
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Rabbi Berel Wein is one of Jewry's foremost historians and
founder of the Destiny Foundation.
He has authored over 650 tapes, books and videos which you can purchase at RabbiWein.com.
Comment by clicking here or calling 1-800-499-WEIN (9346).
© 2003, Rabbi Berel Wein
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