I recently picked up a pamphlet called Netivot Yosher, which has thoughts on the Parasha from Rabbi Abraham Yosef Rosenblum, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Shaare Yosher in Boro Park. He's also known to us as Rabbi Diamond's brother-in-law. He has definitely benefited our Syrian community at large, so I want to share something from this pamphlet.
Every Gadol has their way of looking at things, and he brought out something very beautiful. As we know, when the Jewish nation went out to war there were three groups of men that were exempt:
- A man that just got married didn’t go to war in the first year in order to make his wife happy and start off his new marriage on the right foot.
-Someone who just built a new house,
-Someone who planted a new vineyard.
Of course, they didn't plan these things with the intention of being a draft dodger. Rather, they built a house, they got married, or they planted a vineyard, and then war broke out, so they go home.
Why is that? He says that we see from here the tremendous mercy that Hashem has on the Jewish people. He knows what human nature is. A man who just got married wants to spend time with his new wife. He doesn’t want to be at war thinking, “Will I ever go home? Will I ever be able to start my life?” When a person builds a new house, he’s thinking, “Will someone else move into my house? Will I ever be able to live there?”
And when he plants a vineyard and is called to war, he thinks, “It's my new field…” It's heartbreaking. Therefore, Hashem says, “You built a house, you got married, you just planted a vineyard, enjoy it. We don't need you.” Because (and this is the bitachon concept), we don't win wars because of soldiers. We're doing the will of Hashem. Hashem says to go to war, so we have help.
During the enlightenment movement as they called it, the forebears of the reform and conservative movements would make plays and comedies making fun of religious people. They once made a play about the Jewish people going to war. On the stage, there were a few hundred people when the kohen got up and made an announcement, “Whoever just built a new house, go home.” A bunch of people got off the stage. Then he announced, “Whoever just got married, go home.” A bunch more people got off the stage. Then, “Whoever just planted a new vineyard go home…” and more people got off the stage. There were left with 40- 50 people left, and then he said “Whoever did any sins, go home.” Another bunch got off…”Whoever is scared go home...” Ultimately, they were left with two people and they each had a sign on them. One was Rambam and the other was the Bet Yosef. Those were the only two people left; two old men. The curtains closed. That was the end of the scene and everyone laughed.
So, religious Jews went and told the Chafetz Chaim,”Look at this terrible thing! They're mocking us!” But the Chafetz Chaim said, “There's nothing wrong with what they described. That's exactly what happens. They just left out one piece of information: The two old rabbis won the war, so we're fine. We can send them home.”
But he adds another beautiful thought, Look at the beauty of the Jewish people. Look at the level of Ahavat Yisrael and the level of Bitachon. He says, Imagine what might be going through a man's mind, who was married for 10 years and has a bunch of kids. He’s lived in his house for a while. His vineyard's old. He should say, “What’s going on here? I have 10 children to support. I have my mortgage bills to pay. Why am I going out to war and risking my life? That young kid should be going out here!”
In our times, there would be protests in the street. But, he says, that's not what happened. The Jewish people accepted it, because they understood God's mercy for their fellow man. They understood the ways of God and they understood how Jewish people win wars. This is a lesson, not only in Bitachon, but in Ahavat Yisrael and in the hashkafa/understanding of how the Jewish people live their lives.
This seems like a foreign way to run a country, but that's the way the Jewish people conducted themselves. That's our greatness. Mi K’Amcha Yisrael/Who is like the Jewish people? That is the final scene, where we are successful and we do see success, because of our belief.
Have a wonderful day and a Shabbat Shalom.