Dear Friends:
Recently, I was driving near my home on a small, one-way street. As usual, I was in a hurry, late to an appointment. A car stopped in front of me, blocking the way. A lady got out, quite slowly I thought, retrieved her packages, bid farewell to her friend, closed the door and walked away.
Long before the door closed, I was beyond the boiling point. "What chutzpa!" I said to myself, as I leaned on the horn.
When the lady passed my car, I opened the window, and gave her a lecture.
"Ya know," I said, "all you had to do was pull up to that parking space and get out there. Then you wouldn't have blocked the street."
She came right back at me.
"You're in such a hurry you can't wait a minute?!"
I was going to answer her, but nothing came out of my mouth. All of a sudden I was so embarrassed! Why am I screaming at this lady? Maybe I have a point? Maybe she also has a point! And so what? Is it worth it?
As I said, no words came out of my mouth. I just didn't want to be there any more, so I stepped on the gas. I left her behind, but my embarrassment traveled with me.
My dear friends, we are living in very spiritual times. What I mean is that the underlying spiritual basis of our world is becoming more and more visible from behind the material cover that shrouds it. To those who are sensitive to such things, it should be increasingly clear that the physical phenomena in today's world are really manifestations of spiritual phenomena.
Nature is very much in the news. It seems, whether or not "global warming" is a reality, that the climate is changing. In the southern United States, for example, we have dangerous conditions, frighteningly beyond man's ability to control.
Last June, my wife and I drove through the very area of San Diego County being devastated by today's wildfires. It was beautiful then. Now it is like S'dom, which was destroyed by fire in Parshas Vayera.
What happens when there's just not enough water? The entire southern United States faces this question. Vast cities now sprawl across the deserts of the southwest. Where will their water come from? When Las Vegas was smaller, there was enough water. What about now?
What about Atlanta, Georgia? I understand that there is only a ninety day supply of water. What will happen to this great city? Can any man solve this problem? Is anyone clever enough? And if he is, can he solve it in ninety days? Don't these problems seem just TOO BIG for man to solve?
Are these physical or spiritual problems?
Our problems are not political or geographical; they are not physical at all. They are all too big, too complex! Mankind made a mess in the Garden of Eden and it has been getting worse ever since. We have lived under the illusion since then that we could solve everything with our "ingenuity," but now we see that we have reached our limit. Either we are going to have to turn to our Father in Heaven with the understanding that only He can save us, or....
Let's go to the next level.
Right now, the future of Jerusalem, as well as Yehuda and Shomron, is under discussion. There are demonstrations, discussions and much political activity.
This is more than fire; more than water. This is the earth itself shaking on its axis!
What are we going to do?
I began this article with a story about myself. Many of us tend to look at ourselves with kindly benevolence. I look at myself that way, but sometimes the frightening truth explodes into view. My friends, we have to ask ourselves: is Jerusalem threatened because of our evil enemies, or because of our evil inclination?
I told the story about myself because I see in my own behavior so much room for improvement, so much error and ego, and I know that holds me back from serving G-d. The secret lies in our hearts. There is so much we can do to influence the world.
I once heard a story that some of the talmidim of the Chofetz Chaim in the early nineteen thirties wanted to leave yeshiva to fight against the rise of Hitler, may his name be obliterated. He told them that the greatest influence they could have would be to stay in Bais Medrash and learn Torah. The Chofetz Chaim is reported to have said, "The debate at this very moment taking place thousands of miles away in the British Parliament is being directly influenced by the Torah being studied in this unknown yeshiva in an obscure Polish town."
We just learned the Torah portion in which G-d told Our Father Abraham, "those who bless you will be blessed." [1] The blessing for the world emanates from us! Our Torah and our good character traits sustain the entire world, just as the Temple in Jerusalem (may we see it soon again in our days!) was the source of all blessing.
This is the entire hope for the world. This alone, the unity of the Children of Israel and our return to our Father in Heaven, will put out the fires and fill the reservoirs; this alone will unite Jerusalem and bring peace and tranquility to the entire Land and People of Israel. It all depends upon our teshuva and our increased commitment to Torah and achdus, our willingness to look at ourselves and see how each one of us can improve.
May we soon see with our own eyes the eternal unity of Yerushalayim Ir ha Kodesh and the coming of Moshiach ben Dovid to a Nation that is crying out for him! May we greet him soon in our days!
Roy S. Neuberger
© Copyright 2007 by Roy S. Neuberger
