We are going to discuss an important topic that is relevant both to Pesach and to current events, mostly by reading from the Pele Yoetz, authored by Rav Eliezer Papo, one of the giants:
The topic is Saneguria- the Defense Attorney
There is a ketegor, which is a prosecutor, and a sanegor, which is a defendant. G-d set up the world in such a way that there are judges down here, and there are judges in heaven, and prosecuting attorneys and defense attorneys as well. The term shows up in many Jewish writings. There is a famous saying in the Gemarah:
אין קטגור נעשה סניגר
The prosecutor cannot be the defense attorney.
That’s why we don’t use a shofar from a cow; because the cow reminds G-d of the Egel/ golden calf- which is the prosecutor, while the shofar is a defense attorney.
G-d loves when Jewish people act as defense attorneys for each other, both for the Jewish people at large and for individual Jews as well.
The Pele Yoetz goes on to explain how this works, and why it’s so special to G-d when we hear or see someone doing something that we don’t like, and yet someone defends that person. Hashem likes it because whatever a person says down here arouses the same thing in the uppers spheres as well. If I speak words of prosecution about someone down here, that arouses the prosecutors of the heavens, and if I speak words of defense, that arouses the defending attorneys in heaven. Our words have impact.
If, in the heavens, they are judging whether someone should live or die, and somebody down here says something negative about that person, but another person defends that man, and talks about all the hessed and kindness that person did, that arouses the heavens.
He uses a story from the Gemarah to illustrate. A man named Nechuniah was a well-digger whose daughter had fallen into a well. When the people ran to Rav Chananyah Ben Dosa to ask him pray for her, he told them that surely she would live. When they asked why, he answered that how could it be that this man dug wells for people to get water, and his daughter should perish by falling into a well?
The Pele Yoetz quotes Mekubalim that say that it was because Chananyah Ben Dosa had said those words that she was saved. He says this concept is especially important in times of danger. He tells the story of when Jews were being taken to be killed during one of the Inquisitions. There was a Jewish woman who said, “G-d in Heaven, You chose the Jewish people. Who is like the Jewish people that are willing to die Al Kiddush Hashem?” A heavenly angel revealed to one of the rabbis that when the lady said that, the gezera/ decree was undone.
And he says that’s why we must be especially careful in times of judgement, never to speak words of prosecution to arouse judgement. Even a rabbi speaking publicly has to be very careful, when giving mussar, not to criticize and say “people are doing this” or “people are doing that” Rabbis have to be careful. They can’t say those things.
Furthermore, if, sometimes, people that are not knowledgeable do say negative things about people, you have to be there and come up with claims to defend them, even though it may be a weak defense.
For example, if a man who’s very wealthy, does something over the top and improper, what should we say?
מה יעשה אותו הבן שלא יחטא
What do you want from him?
Sometimes wealth causes one to sin. It’s like he’s intoxicated by his money.
It’s said that בכיסו, כוסו, בכעסו - wealth, anger and drinking are ways in which people are judged.
If a person swindled, you should say: “What can you do? He’s poor. His yetzer Hara took over.” If someone does something improper, we can say,
“It’s because we are in Galut.” Or, “He has a strong yetzer hara. It’s like a burden for him.”
These claims may be weak, but we have to get into the habit of looking for the good, and being a defense attorney.
He says if someone is in trouble, never mention his sins. Never say he deserved it. Has v’shalom! People are sick and in danger. We should only be the defense attorney.
A good lawyer can win either side, no matter how heinous the crime. We must train ourselves to be good defense attorneys.
An example: Nowadays, we are home in our houses, Baruch Hashem (everything is Baruch HaShem) and not praying in shul.
Different shuls decided to close their doors at different stages. Some people are critical of the shuls that may have closed a little later than others and say that these people have no concern for human life, that they infected people.
Other people criticize the ones that were quicker to close their shuls and said “Look at these people! They don’t care of a praying?”
We must try and defend both groups.
We can say, “Those people really care about lives, and they get upset if they see somebody it’s not acting according to what they think is proper.”
Even if someone got so upset that a shul was open that he threatened to ram his car into the shul, we have to say, “Wow, that person really values Jewish human life. He’s so upset. Wow! How special!”
And to the fellow who is still praying in shul, we should say, “Wow look at this man! Look at his emunah. His prayers are so strong he thinks he can undo the gezerah with prayer.”
We have to sit at our table and speak like this, in order to train ourselves and our families, to become defense attorneys.
Why is this important?
There’s a story we told last year about the Shofet Gidon (Shoftim, Perek Vav). An angel of Hashem came and was sitting under an elm tree. The tree belonged to Yoash, whose son Gidon was there at the winepress, hiding from Midyan. The Angel of Hashem appeared to Gidon and told him G-d was with him. Gidon said, “Really? What’s going on? Where are all the miracles that my parents told me about, at Yetziat Mitzrayim? Yesterday (it was Pesach) my father read Hallel to me. G-d is powerful. He took us out of Egypt. If our forefathers were righteous, do it in our merit. And if our forefathers were wicked, do it for us anyway, like you did miracles for them.”
After he made that statement G-d spoke directly to him and told him, “Go with your strength.”
Rashi asks what’s what his strength was.
It was the fact that he was a good defense attorney. He stuck up for the Jewish people. He told G-d that G-d had to save them. His argument was that even if the Jews of the time were sinners, they still had the merit of their righteous forefathers to rely on. And if their forefathers weren’t righteous, if You saved them, You can save us. G-d liked that. He said: “Here is a man that will save the Jewish people with this power of always looking for the zechut.”
We must train ourselves. I’m guilty of this. I didn’t always do this, but I’m reading, and I’m learning, and I want to be better.
B’ezrat Hashem, we should share this concept with our friends and families. There are people on respirators, lo Alenu. Don’t say, “Oh yeah, he’s from the people that weren’t careful. He deserves it.” Don’t even think it!
When someone’s in trouble, train yourself to speak about the great things that he did. And if you have a hefty sum and you’re able to get the guy off hook, do it. We don’t want anyone in Klal Yisrael to perish. We don’t want anyone to be sick, and we don’t want anyone to lose their businesses.
Just try and look for the good. Even if the fellow is doing something wrong, there is still good there.
If you see someone getting very angry and passionate about a fellow, maybe it’s because he cares, and he has concern.
We can talk about this forever. Please take this point to heart. Train yourselves, and your families to defend people. Use it as a discussion for the table, to try and find the good in people.
Spread the word. There is power to our words. Find the Zechut.
We can save people in difficult times.
Have a wonderful day.