Aligning with Ultimate Reality   

The war and the heartache and loss it has brought in its wake has led to an enormous hisorerus in Klal Yisrael. We all know we need to contribute and are determined to rise to the occasion. But sometimes we find ourselves groping for clarity in the fog of questions that have come to the fore. Last week, at the behest of talmidei chachamim in America, a shaliach went to the home of Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlita, Rosh Yeshivah of the Slabodka Yeshivah and one of the venerated senior gedolei hador of our time, to discuss several pertinent questions.

Israel has deployed thousands of troops to Gaza where a raging battle is taking place. While we daven for the safety and success of the soldiers, how do we instill the recognition — in our children and in ourselves — that military efforts are but a form of hishtadlus, and ultimately it is Hashem Who will deliver us from this eis tzarah?

In 1948, Rav Isaac Sher, rosh yeshivah of Slabodka, spoke about the ongoing War of Independence. He said that while we stand before the Ribbono shel Olam, hoping for a yeshuah, we must instill in our hearts the recognition of what our true kochos are. He then enumerated three specific areas that we should focus on. These are bitachon, Torah, and tefillah. He also mentioned the importance of Bircas Kohanim, but that does not apply in chutz l’Aretz.

To answer your question, we must work on our bitachon. Bitachon does not mean that everything will turn out exactly as we want it. It means that we recognize that everything is in the hands of the Ribbono shel Olam and that He can change things k’heref ayin. And we must believe that, at the end of the day, all of it is for our good. Whether the end of the day means tomorrow or next year or in the Next World — somehow, it’s all for our good.

We say each day in Pesukei D’zimra, “lo bigvuras hasus yechpatz, lo b’shokei ha’ish yirtzeh.” Hashem does not want the might of the horse, nor does He desire the strength of man. Rather, says the pasuk, “rotzeh Hashem es yerei’av, es hameyachalim l’chasdo — Hashem wants those who fear Him and those who yearn for His chesed.”

This is the reality. Hashem runs the world, and all that happens comes from Him. We instill this in our hearts by constantly thinking about it and reminding ourselves of its truth. And we should openly discuss it with our children as well.