B"H
THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF SHEVAT
Dear Friends:
The days become longer. The sun rises earlier and sets later. Winter is not over, but the darkest days are past.
And where does Am Yisroel stand?
New threats are issued almost daily against the Children and the Land of Israel. Chaos increases as our enemies battle not only us but themselves. In distant Pakistan, the sound of gunfire is heard, and the Western world flinches. In America, the strident sound of politics echoes through the land, and it does not bring hope.
And yet, unseen beneath the earth, seeds are waiting in darkness for the first sign of warmth. When it comes, they will split open. Threadlike shoots will emerge and struggle upward toward the sunlight. In fifteen days, on T'U b'Shevat, the sap will begin to flow in the trees of Eretz Yisroel, and the first signs of spring will appear. [1]
Although frigid winds still blow, in the darkness beneath our feet, hidden from view, signs of life are emerging.
There is one blessing in the weekday Shemoneh Esreh which seems obscure in its language. "Es tzemach Dovid avd'cha m'haira satzmiach, v'karnu taroum bishuasecha, ki lishuascha kivinu kal hayom. Baruch Ata Hashem, matzmiach keren yeshua."
"May You speedily cause the seed of Your servant Dovid to flourish, and enhance his pride through Your salvation, for we hope for Your salvation all day long. Blessed are You, Who causes the pride of salvation to flourish." [2]
Why don't we just ask G-d to send Moshiach? Why is it all put in such a roundabout way? Why talk of "seeds" and "flourishing"?
Perhaps our Sages are telling us that Moshiach is going to come from a completely hidden place, like a flower that springs unexpectedly in its glory from the dark earth. Perhaps they are telling us that Moshiach is not going to be that flashy, loud person who just appeared on the cover of some glossy magazine.
Look at Moshe Rabbeinu, to whom we have just been introduced in Parshas Shemos. He was "kvat pe," of "sealed lips." He spoke with a defect, so he needed Aharon to help him. The greatest person who ever lived was not your Dale Carnegie graduate who could wow the audience with his flawless performance. He was a human being who rose to the heights through struggle, as a tender shoot rises through the dark soil upward towards the sunlight. He fought with his nature. He asked His Father in Heaven for help. He rose through constant struggle.
Look at Dovid ha Melech, the prototype King of Israel, the progenitor of our eternal line of kings, culminating in Moshiach. Dovid ha Melech was the last son of Yishai that anyone, including Samuel the Prophet, expected to be crowned! He was not of the physical stature of his older brothers, and he was plagued to his dying day with the stigma that he was unworthy for countless reasons. Some whispered that he was not even a Child of Israel!
Dovid, "would torment himself exceedingly in beseeching mercy" from his Creator. [3] His early life was spent toiling in the wilderness tending the sheep. This is how our Father Jacob describes the shepherd's life, and one would think it could apply also to the early days of King David. "This is how I was: by day scorching heat consumed me, and frost by night; sleep drifted from my eyes." [4]
There are many loud voices and screaming politicians in the world, many guns firing and bombs exploding, but Moshiach ben Dovid will not be found among the screamers or gun firers. His reign will bring peace and redemption to Israel and to all those in the world who choose to worship the King of Kings, but he will not win his throne by shouting, screaming and shooting, by smooth talk or empty promises, by threats or slogans.
We are about to read the Parshios describing the downfall of Egypt, the mightiest kingdom in the ancient world. G-d destroyed that kingdom through Ten Plagues. When it was all over, and the Children of Israel stood on the distant shore of the Red Sea on their way to Mount Sinai, there was no doubt whatsoever Who ruled the world. It didn't matter who had said what on the Op Ed page or in the Sunday magazine or on the evening news. All the clattering emptiness was gone, and in the stillness of the world, one Great Voice could be heard proclaiming, "I am Hashem your G-d." There are mighty civilizations in the world today, with powerful armies, but only "from Tzion will emerge Torah and the word of G-d from Yerushalayim." [5]
Deep underground, beneath the noise and the clatter of running feet, a seed is about to split open, and tender shoots will issue forth, seeking sustenance above. No one sees them; they are hidden, but they are there. As surely as the sun rises in the east, the spring will come and the earth will be covered with flowers under the warm sun. The sound and fury will be gone, and those who have cleaved to the G-d of Israel will dwell in peace in a world filled with Torah.
May we see it soon in our days.
Roy S. Neuberger
© Copyright 2008 by Roy S. Neuberger
[1] "On this day, the strength of the soil of Eretz Yisroel is renewed...."
(Book of Our Heritage, Vol. 1, Page 331)
[2] Translation based on Artscroll Siddur.
[3] Brachos 30b
[4] Genesis 31:40
[5] Isaiah 2:3
