This publication has been kindly sponsored by The Bidvest Group Limited

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1 5773

2 This publication has been kindly sponsored by The Bidvest Group Limited

3 Tishrei 5773 September 2012 Dear Friends This essay seeks to provide a framework of Torah ideas to guide us as we confront the big issues in our personal lives, and in the world at large, as we embark on our journey of the new year, At this time we come before G-d in a spirit of reflection and introspection, of change and repentance, of improvement and inspiration. Hopefully, this essay can help us to embrace our many opportunities and challenges, so that we can go forward into 5773 with renewed confidence and faith. Gina and I take this opportunity to wish our entire community וחתימה טובה.כתיבה May G-d inscribe and seal us all for a good and sweet year, filled with blessing. May Hashem bless us all wit Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstei

4 First published September October Office of the Chief Rabbi Tel: Fax: This publication is available for download at This publication has been kindly sponsored by The Bidvest Group Limited

5 Reflections 5773 Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein

6 REFLECTIONS 5773 n his memoir Out of the Depths, Chief Rabbi Lau tells the heart-wrenching story of how he and his brother, Naphtali, lost their parents and how they survived the concentration camps together. Rabbi Lau describes the moment when they were separated from their mother (p20): Mother and I stood on the train platform, which was crowded with terrified Jews and shouting Germans following their usual organized procedure, they directed men to one group of cars and women and children to another group of cars within a few short seconds, my mother realized what this separation meant. In another moment I would be entering the car with her, so she made an instantaneous decision. With the pillow on my shoulders separating us she grasped my back with both hands and shoved me in the direction of the men. I didn t understand what was going on. I only heard her say Tulek [Naphtali], take Lulek [Israel Meir]. Goodbye, Tulek; goodbye, Lulek. And I never saw her again. Naphtali was also entrusted by his father, to look after his younger brother, Israel Meir, who describes how this mission was conveyed to his brother (p17,23): Naphtali recalled his last conversation with Father, in which Father had counted 37 generations of rabbis on both his and 1

7 Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein my mother s sides of the family. He did this in order to demonstrate the great responsibility of whoever would be saved from the horror to continue the chain of our heritage. Father read verses from Jeremiah: There is hope for your future, the word of G-d, and your children will return home. He emphasized that if we escape this inferno safely we would know how to find our home, which was not this home or any other on this enemy land. Your home will be in Eretz Israel [the Land of Israel], even if you have to acquire it through suffering, he said, and Naphtali and father cried on each other s necks Although I was too young during the war to appreciate this heritage, Naphtali was old enough to realize its weight. Thus he took to heart our father s parting words, instructing him to protect me so that I could carry on the family tradition [of 37 generations of Rabbinic leadership]. This was part of the drive that led him to push for our survival. Years later, Naphtali shared his feelings standing beside his brother Israel Meir, just a short while before the latter assumed the position of Chief Rabbi of Israel (p62): For fifty years, I carried the responsibility passed on to me by my father before he went to his death in Treblinka. He placed in my care a weak child, who was five years old but looked like he was only three or even younger. For three years, I served as father and mother, guardian and protector, to my younger brother Israel Meir, or Lulek, as we called him. 2

8 REFLECTIONS 5773 I often felt despair attacking me, flinging me helplessly to my destruction. I think it was the mission my father gave me, to bring my younger brother to safety and to ensure the continuation of our family s rabbinic dynasty, that kept me alive and gave me the will to continue fighting for our lives, rather than succumb to the horrible fate that befell the rest of our family. On the first day of the Hebrew month of Adar, February 21, 1993, I stood with my younger brother in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the holiest site in the world for Jews, and we recited the afternoon prayers together. Forty eight years earlier, when we first arrived in Jerusalem, we had stood in this same spot. Then, young Israel Meir had gazed at the stones of the Wall without understanding what he was seeing. This time, he was praying, just two hours before his anticipated election to the highest rabbinical post in Israel. My younger brother, who had risen from the piles of ashes in the death camps, was chosen that day to serve as the chief rabbi of the State of Israel. I looked at him from up close, and felt tears welling up in my eyes. As I left the Wall, I felt profound relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders and my conscience. At last, my almost impossible mission had been fulfilled. Chief Rabbi Lau and his brother Naphtali s unimaginable ordeal tested their physical, emotional and spiritual resolve to the extreme. They displayed superhuman strength and tenacity, and with Hashem s help were able not only to survive but 3

9 Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein indeed to go on to achieve inspiring things. Rabbi Lau rose from the depths of Buchenwald to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, becoming one of the great Jewish leaders of our time. Tests and Ordeals of Great Leaders Many great leaders of the Tanach faced ordeals and challenges which tested their faith, resolve and strength. The Mishna (Pirkei Avot 5:4) teaches, Avraham our forefather was tested with ten tests. Some of these were tests of his courage and conviction; at the time he was the only person in the world who believed in one G-d, and he was pursued by the tyrant Nimrod, who cast him into a fiery furnace, from which he miraculously emerged unscathed. Some of these tests were of his commitment and dedication to G-d s will, such as when he was commanded to leave his home and travel to an unknown land, and when he was commanded to circumcise himself at the age of 99. Avraham s faith in Hashem s justice and promises was also tested: when, after much personal sacrifice, he arrived in the Land of Israel, there was a famine in the land, which forced him to go down to Egypt, where his wife was abducted by Pharaoh. Sarah and Avraham were childless for many decades. This, too, tested their faith in G-d and His promise that a great nation would come from them. When they finally did have a child, Avraham was tested with the akeidah, when G-d called on him to sacrifice his son Yitzchak. 4

10 REFLECTIONS 5773 Yosef famously withstood many tests of his moral principles and integrity. Potiphar s wife attempted time and again to seduce him, and though he was an anonymous young slave far from home, and with no future prospects, he withstood the temptation and maintained his integrity. King David was a leader who passed many tests of his faith in Hashem s justice and compassion. He was pursued by King Saul; he lost a child; he lead the Jewish people in many battles against ferocious enemies; and his own son led a military coup which forced him to flee his palace. These Tanach examples of Avraham, Yosef & King David, & the modern-day examples of the Lau brothers, serve as beacons of light for us, whose lives are also filled with challenges and tests of our faith in G-d and our dedication to His Torah. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, known as the Ramchal ( , Italy), explains in his classic philosophical work Mesilat Yesharim that all situations in life challenge and test a person s integrity and resolve. Poverty, illness and suffering challenge a person s faith and ability to be close to G-d without bitterness and resentment. However, wealth and health test a person s ability to remain humble, without smug satisfaction, and to recognise that all success and achievement are blessings from G-d which need to be used for the good. Indeed there is a battle on all fronts; every situation we find ourselves in presents challenges to our faith, commitment, values and basic integrity, as defined by our Torah principles. 5

11 Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein The Meaning of Tests What is the purpose of a test, and what does it mean in the context of our relationship with G-d? It is important to accept that we can never fully understand the rationale behind G-d s workings in this world. The Gemara (Berachot 7a) describes how Moshe asked Hashem why some righteous people suffer and some wicked people prosper. G-d answered by saying no man shall see Me and live, (Shmot 33:20) which means that human beings, constrained by the physical world, can never fully comprehend the depth of the Divine plans for our lives. Despite these limitations, our Sages guide us on how to understand the idea of tests and challenges in general terms. Conventionally, the purpose of a test is to assess the abilities of the one being tested. In the context of G-d, however, this makes no sense: G-d knows everything, and does not need to give us a test in order to find out more about us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. What, then, is the purpose of being tested? Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman ( , Spain and Israel), known as the Ramban, explains (in his commentary on Bereishit 22:1), that life tests from G-d are for the benefit of the person being tested; to give the person being tested the opportunity to transform his or her inherent potential into actual good deeds, thus ensuring he or she can be rewarded not only for having good intentions but also for good actions. 6

12 REFLECTIONS 5773 Every situation tests our faith and resolve, as a person has to draw on his or her emotional, spiritual and physical reserves in order to meet and overcome the challenge. These inner resources often lie dormant until a person accesses them to face the tests, and in so doing transforms potential reserves into action and fortitude. The capacity to overcome daunting challenges is inherent within every person. Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz ( , Lithuania and Israel), one of the great leaders of the Mir Yeshiva, proves from Talmudic sources that G-d only gives a person tests and challenges which he or she is capable of overcoming. If we are successful in rising to the challenge, we emerge stronger, more elevated and with greater merit for our good deeds. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch ( , Germany) says that the Hebrew word for test, nisayon, is related to the word,נ.ש.א spelt nun, sin, aleph, which means to raise or to elevate, as well as to the word,נ.ס.ע spelt nun, samech, ayin, which means to travel or to move forward (see his commentary on Bereishit 22:1). Every challenge is an opportunity to move, grow and become stronger and more elevated, as one draws on the latent powers within his or her soul. Not only do challenges uncover hidden strengths, they can also be the impetus for creating new resources; indeed the human soul has miraculous capabilities beyond what we can rationally comprehend. The Torah (Bereishit 1: 27) tells us that man was created in the image of G-d, which 7

13 Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein refers to the Divine soul within. G-d is all-powerful, and hence our souls contain miraculous Divine-like strength and awesome potential. The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 55:6) relates the word nisayon also to the Hebrew word nes, which means a banner or a flag. The miraculous, superhuman strength exhibited by people who withstand severe tests with faith and resolve, is a sign and a flag to the world, hoisted high to inspire us all. When facing life s challenges, the superhuman strength and courage of Avraham, Yosef and King David inspire us, as do our modern-day heroes like Chief Rabbi Lau and his brother. We need to have faith in G-d to give us strength and guidance to withstand our tests, but also to have faith in ourselves and the inner power and potential of our G-d-given souls. Journey of the Soul The idea of converting our inner potential into good deeds is fundamental to understanding our Divine mission and purpose in life on earth. The Torah calls the first human being Adam, which comes from the Hebrew word adama, the ground. The Maharal, ( , Prague) asks, why this name that refers to the earth, when the essence of human beings is, in fact, the Divine soul from G-d? He answers that humans are similar to the ground in one important respect: they are both pure potential. Whether or not a piece of land will produce fruit depends on what is done with it. Even the 8

14 REFLECTIONS 5773 most fertile piece of land will not produce fruit if it is left to lie fallow; only if the land is ploughed, fertilised and developed will it produce fruits. So too, the human being is pure potential, and to produce the fruits of good deeds and other accomplishments, requires great and continuous efforts. We come into this world as pure potential and through the process of life we actualise that potential. What we do with that potential is up to us; we have been given free choice to turn that potential into good deeds through a life of Torah and mitzvot or the opposite. Before the soul enters the physical body and begins its life journey on earth, it is unrealised potential. It dwells in a perfect spiritual world of undisturbed bliss, and does not want to leave. As the Mishna (Pirkei Avot 4:29) says: Against your will you are conceived, and against your will you are born and against your will you die. According to the Midrash (Tanchuma Pekudei 3), at the moment of conception the soul, dwelling peacefully and happily in the upper world, is brought before G-d and informed that it is time to go down into the physical world. The soul objects because it does not want to leave such a perfect, spiritual and pure world and enter an imperfect, physical world full of trials and tribulations. Nevertheless, G-d sends the soul down into the womb of the mother and an angel is assigned to teach the baby Torah. The Gemara (Niddah 30b) says that the days in utero are the best days of one s life. Everything is taken care of and the 9

15 Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein foetus experiences nothing but peace, comfort and security. At the moment of birth, when the baby is about to begin his or her life of challenge, again the soul is reluctant to leave. Just as the baby is about to leave the womb, the angel, on behalf of G-d, makes the soul take an oath: be a righteous person and not a wicked one. The paradigm of tests is crucial to understanding why the soul comes down into the world in the first place. Prior to its descent into the physical world, the soul dwells in a place of purity and clarity, with no possibility of sin. However, there is also no free choice, and therefore no opportunity for the soul to do mitzvot either, and consequently, there is no opportunity for the soul to be rewarded by G-d. Freedom of choice bechira chofshit in this world is given to each and every individual, and is one of the fundamental principles of the Torah. In fact, the Rambam ( , Spain and Egypt) says it s the basis for the entire Torah, for without free will the concept of mitzvot is meaningless (Teshuva 5:3-4). The soul comes down into this world to exercise free choice and thereby convert its heavenly potential into actuality, so that it can eventually be rewarded in the next world for its actions in this world. The Torah is G-d s guide for us to successfully accomplish our personal and collective mission. It is the model for converting the potential goodness of the soul into actual good deeds. 10

16 REFLECTIONS 5773 The Ramchal explains that G-d wants to reward us with goodness, and that the only way this can be done is when we earn such reward through our mitzvot which we do with our complete free choice. Although the heavens are a place of perfection, it is only through life on earth, where there is free choice, that the soul s potential can find full expression in actual good deeds, and be rewarded with eternal goodness in the next world. The Midrash says that moments before death the same angel that taught Torah to the soul in the womb and made it take an oath to be righteous in this world, appears before the soul and says that the time has come to leave this world. Again, fearful of change, the soul does not want to leave; against your will you are born and against your will you die. The purpose of life is to ensure that the soul fulfils its mission on earth as successfully as possible; to be righteous and do not be wicked and then to be rewarded by G-d in the next world. Our mission in a world where although G-d s presence is hidden, is to follow the Torah s path and with complete free will to do good, thus converting our soul s awesome potential into actual good deeds. In a broader sense, then, tests are not just something we encounter from time to time but the whole of life is an on-going test of exercising our free will in a physical, imperfect world and transforming the soul s awesome potential into an actual life of good deeds and mitzvot, for which G-d promises eternal and profound reward in the next world. 11

17 Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein Lose a Battle, Win the War Through struggle and even failure, a person can transform their inner potential into actual greatness.in response to a student who had written to him complaining of the tests and challenges he faced in his personal development, Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner ( , United States) wrote the following (Igrot Pachad Yitzchak 128): 12 A failing that many of us experience is that when we focus on the lofty level of accomplishments of great people, we only focus on how they are complete in this or in that area. At the same time, we omit mention of the inner struggles that had previously raged within them. A listener would get the impression that these individuals came out of the land of their Creator in ideal form. Everyone is awed at the purity of speech of the Chofetz Chaim, considering it a miraculous phenomenon. But who knows of the battles, struggles, and obstacles, the slumps and regressions that the Choftez Chaim encountered in his war with the yetzer hara [evil inclination]? There are many such examples to which a discerning individual such as yourself can certainly apply the rule. The result of this misconception is that when an ambitious young man of spirit and enthusiasm meets obstacles, falls, and slumps, he imagines himself unworthy Know, however, my dear friend, that your soul is rooted not in the tranquility of the yetzer tov [good inclination], but rather in the battle of the yetzer tov. And your precious, warm-hearted

18 REFLECTIONS 5773 letter testifies as 100 witnesses (see Gittin 40b) that you are a worthy warrior in the battalion of the yetzer tov. The English expression, Lose a battle and win the war, applies to this phenomenon. Certainly, you have stumbled and will stumble again (a self-fulfilling prophecy is not intended), and in many battles you will fall lame. I promise you, however, that after those losing campaigns you will emerge from the war with laurels of victory upon your head and with the fresh prey quivering between your teeth. Lose battles but win wars. [King Solomon,] the wisest of all men, has said, A righteous man falls seven times and rises again (Proverbs 24:16). Fools believe that the intent of this verse is to teach us something remarkable: the righteous man has fallen seven times and yet he resiliently rises. But the knowledgeable know that the source of the righteous person s ability to rise again is precisely through his seven falls When you feel the turmoil of the yetzer hara within yourself, know that by experiencing that feeling you resemble great men far more than if you were to experience the feeling of deep peace, which you desire. In those very areas where you feel yourself failing most frequently particularly in those areas do you have the greatest potential for serving as an instrument of distinction for the honour of G-d Had your letter told me about all your mitzvot and goods deeds, I would have said that I have received a good letter from you. Now that your letter tells about the slumps and falls and obstacles, I can say that I have received a very good letter from you. 13

19 Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein Expanding Horizons Another aspect of converting potential into actuality is found in the writings of Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe ( , Germany and Israel) one of our great modern rabbinic thinkers, who explains that throughout life a human being goes through the process of assuming more and more responsibility, thereby expanding one s horizons and spirit. A child is concerned only with him- or herself. As the child grows older, he or she takes on more and more responsibilities. From a secular point of view, adulthood is about achieving freedom. From a Jewish point of view, however, adulthood is about embracing responsibility. The term bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah connotes the status of adulthood, namely, accepting the commandments. Judaism teaches that, ironically, following the commandments and taking on responsibility brings the greatest joy in life because when we live in accordance with the Torah we are in harmony with the deepest purpose and mission of our souls. The knowledge that we are fulfilling our mission here on earth brings with it great and profound satisfaction. Rav Wolbe explains that the whole process of life is an expansion of the spirit, converting the potential into actual through accepting more and more responsibility. Earning a living tests our faith and principles: will we follow the 14

20 REFLECTIONS 5773 Halacha s principles and standards of business ethics? Will we adhere to the laws of tzedaka? Marriage, too, expands our horizons and responsibilities; are husband and wife able to remain forever committed to each other in a spirit of love and kindness? Raising children further expands our horizons, as it requires a tremendous amount of dedication and self-sacrifice. Old age is a test of how we confront increasing physical weakness and the fragility of life. Our final test is death itself. When a person moves on from this world onto the next, he or she is presented with a great challenge of how to cope with the transition. Rav Wolbe explains that death is an opportunity for a vast expansion of the spirit if the challenge is properly embraced. He quotes from Rabbeinu Tam ( , France) who describes the process of death as follows: This world is like a cave in the desert beneath the ground. One who dwells in this cave thinks that there is no world beside it because he does not see what is outside. If he were to go outside of the cave, he would see expansive lands and heavens, great luminaries and stars. So too man in this world thinks that there is no other world, but if he were to leave he would then see the expansiveness of the next world and the precious, glorious greatness of it. Death is the final journey of life, the point when a person expands to see reality from a very broad perspective. 15

21 Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein Deciphering the Messages Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz ( , Lithuania), one of the great leaders of the Mir Yeshiva, says (C.M. 2:49) that any situation we encounter should be viewed through the prism of a test. As an example, he cites the Torah case of a false prophet (Devarim 13: 2-4): When a prophet or a person who has visions in a dream arises among you, he may present you with a sign or miracle and on the basis of that sign or miracle, say to you, let us try out a different god. Do not listen to that prophet or dreamer. This is indeed a strange scenario: a false prophet comes to lure us away from the path of Torah and mitzvot and uses signs and miracles to prove his authenticity. Where did he get the power to perform these miracles? Were they simply optical illusions? Many commentators say that these were actually real miracles which G-d enabled the false prophet to perform. Why would G-d enable him to do so? The rest of the verse provides the answer: because G-d your L-rd is testing you. From here Rav Yerucham gleans a major life principle and that is that every situation can be viewed as a test. Rav Yerucham says: The secret of the entire Creation is in order to be able to withstand a test [of our faith], for this is everything. The paradigm of tests is an important framework for viewing everything we experience. Without trying to explain G-d s plans and reasons for we will never fully understand 16

22 REFLECTIONS 5773 them any situation of success or failure, bereavement or celebration, achievement or setback, needs to be assessed from the perspective of what the test is. This principle applies to world affairs as well, not just in our personal lives. Take, for example, the international campaign of delegitimising Israel. We do not know what G-d s plans are, but this campaign is certainly a test for the Jewish people. Modern generations have been blessed to witness and benefit from the miraculous return of Jewish sovereignty to the Land of Israel. Now, however, we are being tested to see if we really appreciate this gift, and even more so, if we are even conscious of who gave us this gift in the first place. An international campaign led by extremist groups who dispute Jerusalem s status as a Jewish city and Israel s capital, and who dispute the Jewish people s right to the Land of Israel forces us to return to our history and the Torah s values to reaffirm our right to Israel; its borders are delineated by G-d in the Torah, and there has been an unbroken Jewish presence therein since the conquest of the land under the leadership of Joshua about years ago. But we are being tested. If we view Zionism as merely a secular ideology with no connection to Hashem and His Torah, then there is nothing of real strength to bolster our Zionistic philosophies in the face of such hostilities. 17

23 Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein Furthermore, throughout the centuries of exile, we endured the test of being a people without a country; now, we confront the test of being a people with a country. It is a test as to whether or not we will build and govern a modern country according to the Torah s eternal values and principles. As South African Jews we were tested by apartheid. How would we respond to living in a country filled with injustice? And now we are being tested by the new South Africa: are we doing enough to help rebuild a country afflicted by poverty and other suffering? We can view all of Jewish history through the paradigm of tests. In generations past, our faith in G-d and our commitment to His Torah were tested in the crucible of antisemitism and hatred, in the ghettos and pogroms of Europe. In modern times, we face another test, and that is the test of freedom: how do we maintain our Jewish values in a free society? In 1937, Rabbi Yitzchak Kosovsky ( , Lithuania and South Africa), head of the Johannesburg Beth Din at the time, responded to an article published in one of the local Jewish newspapers, which had attacked the foundations of Judaism. One specific question posed by the article was: Do you honestly believe that there is a realistic chance that Orthodox Judaism can survive in countries of freedom? In response, Rav Kosovsky confidently said (Ikvei Yitzchak p115) that it would survive and thrive. And now looking around us we see how since then Torah Judaism has flourished in our hearts, homes, schools and shuls across the 18

24 REFLECTIONS 5773 length and breadth of the community. Of course, our test is far from over, and our journey of growth and improvement in Torah learning and mitzvot must continue. Let our great achievements so far, inspire us to rise to even greater heights of living our Torah values. This is a test not only for South African Jewry, but for Jewish communities around the world. Following the destruction of the Holocaust, with so many yeshivot and Torah centres wiped out and with assimilation rampant in the free societies of the West, it seemed that the Jewish people and its Torah value would be lost. And yet, there has been a remarkable revival of Torah Judaism in South Africa, America, Israel and many other countries. This is indeed a manifestation of the eternity of G-d s Torah and His commitment to His people. But it is also a manifestation of the human capacity to rise above all challenges. G-d placed us on earth to fulfill the sacred mission of bringing our awesome potential to fruition. Our lives are filled with many opportunities to do so, through the tests and challenges we face and the good deeds that we do. Let us proceed with confidence and with faith: faith in G-d who is with us at all times; faith in ourselves, knowing that G-d has endowed each of us with the strengths and abilities we need in order to achieve greatness; and faith in the Torah our guide as to what we need to accomplish, and how to achieve it, before we return to our Father in heaven to present Him our life s work. 19