Dear Rabbi Brody,
The underlying theme of many of your teachings is that everything Hashem does is for the very best. My husband, 4 children and I live in a lovely home in Gush Etzion, a half hour south of Jerusalem. Now, the threat that we might lose our home is becoming more and more real. What's worse is that Bibi is cracking under American pressure and construction of new units has stopped. Many people here are worried that this is only the beginning.
3 questions:
A) How is the threat that we may soon be refugees and exiles in our own homeland be for the good? It seems to me to be outright cruel!
B) How can President Obama, who you yourself have wiped the floor with, be for the best?
C) How can the Israeli Government's surrender to American pressure be for the best?
Thanks for your time and patience. I'm not trying to argue politics, I just need some answers from an emuna standpoint to give my emuna a shot in the arm. Sincerely, Shirlee from one of the Etzion bloc towns (settlements, according to the media)
Dear Shirlee,
Good questions. All three reflect Hashem's magnificent loving kindness. With Hashem's loving grace, here are your answers:
A) Many people enjoy comfort-zone spirituality. They think that by being "religious", they're exempt from teshuva. The fact that our very homes are threatened is a wake-up call from Hashem for us to do teshuva. I for one thought that the disengagement from Jewish Gaza and the exile of 8500 Jews from their homes would trigger a mass teshuva movement; it didn't. Instead, many people put their energies in political activism. The political activism has proven a tragic waste of time. Hashem can't send us Moshiach and build the Holy Temple as long as we're in spiritual slumber. He therefore is sending now a stronger wake-up call, with nearly 300,000 Jews having a sharp sword hovering over their homes, G-d forbid. Once the People of Israel make teshuva, we'll see enormous miracles and the threat will melt way. This is all for the best.
B) Mr. Obama is none other than a puppet in the hands of Hashem. If we get out of line, Obama will simply be another of any zillion of Divinely-employed messengers to growl and grab our trouser's leg in his teeth. Mister Obama is certainly for the best - he will expedite the ingathering of the exiles because he'll unwittingly stimulate more American immigration to Israel than even the Israeli Ministry of Absorption will. Hashem is also using Mister Obama to help us do teshuva, just like Hashem used every other tyrant - it's all for the best.
C) The Israeli Government's buckling under American pressure shows how ridiculous it is to put one's trust in any politician or political party. Bibi's government has more ex-Special Forces commandos than any other, but they all get wobbly knees as soon as Hillary opens up her mouth. What could be more of a joke? Hashem has a great sense of humor and is telling us, in the tone of a most-loving Father, "My beloved kinderlach (Yiddish for kiddies), trust Me only; it's time to make teshuva and to come home to Me." If Bibi and Barak were so tough, people might be fooled into trusting them. Even Benny Begin and Boogie - as good people as they are - don't give the government the backbone it needs. We have no choice but to put all our trust in Hashem. This is one of the lessons we came to this earth to learn. So you see Shirlee, it's all for the best.
Since Hashem does everything for the best, we have to thank Him profusely all the time, even for the things you write about. When we thank Hashem for our seemingly bad, He gives us really good reasons to thank Him more and more. With blessings always, LB
