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A Passover
Thought
by Larry
Domnitch
Apr 09, '04 / 18
Nisan 5764 |
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Passover
is a most appropriate time to ask how we Jews can alter
the course of history. From their suffering, the
Israelites beseeched the Almighty's intervention, "And
it happened during those many days, that the king of
Egypt died, and the Children of Israel groaned because
of the work and they cried out. Their outcry because of
their work went up to God." (Exodus 20:23) Following the
death of the Pharaoh, from their servitude, their
prayers ascended to the Almighty. Why? Had they not
prayed before from their subjugation? Rashi, commenting
on this sentence, states, "Israel was in need of
salvation."
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Perhaps, in the past, the Israelites prayed for an
improvement of their plight in the hope that their
suffering will subside; that there would be a lightening
of their bitter load. When Pharaoh died and yet the
persecution continued, perhaps they then fully realized
that the source of their troubles was not with the prior
Pharaoh alone, but with Egypt and most importantly their
existence in the Galut - exile. When they came to this
understanding, then they prayed not to be rid of a king,
but to be rid of their existence in Egypt, and hence,
for redemption. Then, as the sentence states, their
prayers ascended to the Almighty. After the death of
Tsar Nicholas II at the hands of Bolsheviks in the
aftermath of the Russian revolution, the venerated
Chafetz Chaim reflected, "Who buried Nicholas?
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Jews wept and cried out over their troubles, and in merit of
their prayers, they were rid of the Tsar. If they so
strongly felt the pain of the churban - the destruction of
the Temple - and cried out against the desecration that is
the exile, they would be rid of that, too." (Sichot, 82)
The Jews prayed for an end to the brutal rule of Tsar
Nicholas, but with the end of the Tsar, they now found
themselves under the rule of Bolsheviks, who would prove
themselves as worthy an adversary to the Jews as was
Nicholas II. The Bolsheviks and their policies of forced
assimilation threatened the very existence of Russia's three
million Jews. As in Egypt, Jews in Russia prayed for relief,
but it would not come with regime change, because the real
problem was Russia itself and the anti-Semitism that was
endemic in Russia. The prayers for relief lead from one
nightmare to another. |
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Printed in Israel
Price Soft Cover: $17
The
Cantonists: The Jewish Children's Army of
the Tsar
by Larry Domnitch
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Over the past
few years, there have been frequent calls for the ousting,
or the elimination, of Yasser Arafat. No doubt, the absence
of Arafat, as any enemy of the Jews, would be something good
since Israel would have one less enemy. But once again, the
main picture is obscured. Arafat is part of a society that
is committed to the elimination of Israel. Along with Arafat
stand the masses of "Palestinians" who support the war of
terror against Israel. If he falls, others would take his
place. The society of Palestinians is largely one that
venerates and encourages murder and holds murderers of women
and children in the highest esteem. It is, in fact, a cult
of murder. To think that the removal of Arafat would change
the landscape in any shape or form is like saying that
removing a small portion of a malignant disease would cure
the patient.
No doubt, there have been times when the death of a tyrant
caused the Jews great relief. The death of the wicked Haman,
or the Roman Emperor Hadrian, or the Russian dictator Joseph
Stalin no doubt gave the Jews reason to rejoice. But
eventually, the exile would rear its ugly head and Jews
would face new antagonists. Ultimately, there were times in
history when Jews were spared by a despot's demise, but not
really saved.
In our own times, it is no doubt essential that Israel
defeat the terrorists that threaten its people. Yet there is
another dimension to Israel's struggle for security.
Passover being the holiday of liberation is a significant
opportunity for Jews to pray as one, for everlasting change
and the ultimate redemption as foretold by the prophets,
when evil individuals along with tyranny and evil itself,
which they represent, will disappear. |
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