Come Back

In EmunahSpeak: The Wake up Call, we said the following in relation to the missile assault from Aza and the Iron Dome response:

For those Rip Van Winkles amongst us who have been sleeping through the last several weeks the operative word here is miracles. From the get go Rav Moshe Sternbuch makes it very clear that everything we are seeing are miracles and nothing but miracles with nary a shmeck of teva in sight. 

The Iron Dome rockets that shoot down the Hamas missiles, the missiles that don’t explode in shuls and houses, and those that fall into open fields are all the same nes.

And Rav Sternbuch also noted that rather than see these miracles we were taking the Iron Dome for granted.

So what did we do?

All sectors of Klal Yisroel, including many of those who are not yet Torah observant, responded and continue to respond with a massive outburst of Tehillim.  This is something very special as far as it goes, but as Rav Moshe tells us, it can only go so far and that the Tehillim is already becoming like rote. 

Amplifying on what he has said previously, the Rav stressed that the Hamas missiles that are falling on us are more than a wakeup call.  He reminds us that when something (seemingly) bad happens to us it’s a test from Hashem.

It’s the message that we spoke about in EmunahSpeak: The Wake up Call and Rav Sternbuch says that Hashem is beseeching us to reach out to Him by means of tefillah, but that we don’t daven because we don't realize why these issurim are coming upon us.  So he gives us the bottom line:

We have to understand that having 3,000 missiles shot at us is a punishment.

 

It’s a warning to do Teshuva so that we should mevatel the gezera.  It’s our choice to do so or blow the opportunity by misreading all of these miracles for the natural order of things.  Hashem is sending us all of these issurim in order that we should recognize Him.  This is the message here. Everything else is a side issue.

The Medrash tells us that as soon as Hashem brought us out of Mitzrayim we stopped davening.  So He brought us to theYam Suf to squeeze the tefillos out of us.  And that’s what’s happening here, says Rav Moshe.  Hashem is kvitching the tefillos out of us with all of these missiles.  If we recognize that this is all the Yad Hashem then the decree is annulled and we will be zoche to a closer relationship with Hashem. 

A win win if there ever was one.

But if we don’t, chas v’shalom, we will lose our ability to see the nissim. And to the extent that we are incapable of seeing the nissim we are essentially blind to the reality of our existence.  And if we are oblivious of the Yad Hashem when it's in our face, then where's the basis for a relationship with Him?

And it’s more than a lose lose situation, because if we don’t see Hashem at a time of gillui panim (open revelation), we're looking at a disaster.

In EmunahSpeak: The Wake up Call, Rav Sternbuch told us that Hashem has opened all of the Sharei Rachamim of Shomayim to deflect the missiles from harming Klal Yisroel and if we don’t recognize this then we are sinners.  But that’s not good enough anymore.  He lets us hear that our avodah now, in addition to recognizing Hashem, is to strengthen ourselves in Torah, tefillah, and avodas Hashem, especially Emunah.

This week’s Emunah has to be stronger than last week’s Emunah because the Emunah that comes from 3,500 missiles must be stronger than the Emunah that emanates from only 3,000 missiles.

  

Teshuvah is the ultimate twofer, because in addition to getting us out of this current mess it will also allow us to pass under the radar of the issurim that Chazal say will accompany us through the Chevlei Moshiach.  

The Zohar HaKodesh says that one person who opens his eyes can save the entire Klal, and everyone has to assume that he is that one person.

And so Rav Moshe admonishes us that the most important thing is to open our eyes and not get caught up in all of the details that people speak about.  We have to stay focused during this time that everything is from Hashem and that the only reason why the missiles are falling on us is that Hashem is talking to us.

 

 And He is calling out to us:

Come back to me! 

Come back to Torah and tefillah and recognize Me because I am saving you.