[Be-Ahavah U-Be-Emunah – Vayeshev
5773 – translated by R. Blumberg]
"When
the Greeks entered the Temple, they contaminated all the oils" (Shabbat
21).
How did
they manage to contaminate everything? Maran Ha-Rav Avraham Yitzchak Ha-Cohain
Kook explains that when a new yearning for the Greek style penetrates the
spiritual nature of our lives, it invalidates not only those points that it
touches, but the entire edifice. The weak-minded are tempted to say that the
foreign strain will harm only a small portion, and to take comfort from the
rest. But that's not how things are. Impurity does not leave even one corner uncorrupted
(Ein Aya, Shabbat, Chapter 2, 11).
It starts
with little things - with claims that you have to follow the spirit of the
times, to flow with life, with beauty and with progress, and it ends with the
most severe problems there are. True, one should always maintain friendly
relations with people, but, as the Mesilat Yesharim explained, this is
referring to people who behave properly and in accordance with the Torah and
purity (Chapter 5).
Compromise
is good when people are arguing with each other over money. After all, in this
case a person is regarding what is his to give. Yet one cannot compromise
regarding the Torah, which is not his but G-d's.
A joke is
told about a meeting between the Pope, the Imam in charge of all of Islam, and
the Chief Rabbi of the whole world, in order to find ways to bring world peace.
The Pope said, "I am willing to forgo belief in Jesus the Christian."
The Imam said, "I am willing to give up on Muhammad." The Rabbi was
unwilling to concede on anything. Yet finding himself against the wall, he said,
"I am willing to concede the second “Yekum Purkan” on Shabbat.” His doing
so raised the ire of all the Jews of the world. They asked, "How did he
dare?!"
Yet the
Reform movement began by nullifying that prayer, arguing that it mentioned the
yeshiva heads in Babylonia.
In such
matters there is no room for compromise. We obviously cannot solve all of the problems
overnight, and have to equip ourselves with patience. Yet Rabbenu Ha-Rav Tzvi
Yehudah Kook emphasized: being patient does not mean giving in. We are patient
because we have no choice, but we must always speak the truth, and not
surrender to the voice of the masses.
The Rabbis
spoke of the generation in which the Messiah arrives as one in which “the face
of the generation is like the face of a dog” (Mishnah at the end of Sotah).
Some explain that a dog runs ahead of its master, as though it is leading, but
truthfully it constantly looks back to make sure of the direction in which its
master is running.
Thank G-d,
the National-Religious public is not being Hellenized. It is full of religious and
nationalist courage and fortitude. Yet it is still a lukewarm compromiser, as
Rav Kook wrote to the Mizrachi Movement:
“Compromising,
average views, marked by physical and spiritual weakness, will never emerge
triumphant as we move towards our national rebirth.” (Igrot HaRe’eiyah vol. 2,
p. 164).
“We have to
be radicals. With half-baked compromises we will never rectify a thing” (ibid.,
pp. 123-124). “The Mizrachi, from within the World Zionist Federation, must
make its voice heard. It must be the voice of fortitude, not a voice of whimpering
and waffling” (ibid., vol. 3, p. 217).
We mustn’t
close ranks with the masses! “One should not be embarrassed before people who
mock him in his service to G-d!” (Orach Chaim 1:1, Rema).
G-d’s
Torah is perfect. All that G-d said we must do and we must obey. We mustn’t subjugate
ourselves to the spirit of the times. Better to find the small container of
holy oil. In the end, we vanquished the Greeks – and gained another holiday!
The more they wanted to make us forget the Torah, the more did Torah study
spread to the entire Nation (Rabbi Tzadok of Lublin, Pri Tzadik, Vayeshev,
Chanukah).
One
should relate to G-d with perfect faith.
