From Kahane.org
« on: December 17, 2007, 08:35:58 PM »
As noted in an earlier post, the Gemara in Succah, 52b, states that G-d regrets having created four things, one of them being golus. The question is why?
Based upon Rabbi Kahane's teachings, there are several answers.
1) The golus was created as a punishment to the Jewish people. For the iron rule is that there is reward and there is punishment for our behaviour, both as individuals and as a nation. However, the punishment is not merely a punishment. It is a punishment with the intention of causing us to do teshuva. And the fact is that we have not done teshuva as a nation. Worse than that, we have altogether lost many Jews to assimilation and intermarriage precisely because of the fact that they were influenced by a majority gentile culture in which we live. Statistics show that only a very small percentage of Jews consider themselves in the Torah observant camp. Intermarriage is somewhere around 50% in the USA. Thus, the punishment of golus has not only not served its purpose of causing us to do teshuva, but it has had the opposite affect of making the majority of Jews more distant from a Torah ideology. The growth of Torah institutions, good as that is, pales in comparison to the numbers of Jews who have become lost to Torah altogether. Thus, G-d regrets having created golus because the positive purpose of His having created it for, i.e. hoping to teach the Jewish people not to assimilate as they witness first hand the variety of pains of living under a gentile society, has gone backwards via the masses of Jews assimilating and intermarrying.
2) Another negative development of golus is the physical oppression of the gentiles against Jews throughout Jewish history in golus has far exceeded any oppression that G-d desired. The third oath in Kesubos, 111b, proves that G-d never desired that the gentile nations oppress Israel "too much." The fact that throughout our 2,000 year existance in golus they have indeed oppressed us too much is another reason why G-d regrets having created golus. While it is true that as of this moment, there are gentile nations where Jews live who are not right now oppressing Jews, still I take an historical view of this matter. And aside of my view, the G-d of Israel is the G-d of history and One who does not forget the past; He counts it as part of the overall equation, despite any current events to the contrary. And let us never forget that that which might be viewed as relatively non-oppressive towards Jews today, is not necessarily that which will be in the future. History again teaches us this lesson. For in many a gentile country where Jews have lived there were times when things were benign or even pleasant. But then, things turned sour for us. And it turned sour precisely because of the Jewish people's attitude that "things are different this time in this new golus of ours." See Rabbi Yaakov Emden's preface to his siddur for more details.
Continued...
« Last Edit: December 17, 2007, 11:00:48 PM by DAVES1 » Report to moderator Logged
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Re: Why does G-d "regret" having created golus?
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2007, 09:27:11 PM »
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3) Yet another reason that G-d regrets having created golus, I believe and as Rav Kahane mentioned, is that the very Torah itself, specifically its concepts in certain areas, have been watered down precisely due to the influence of the gentile majority culture that rules over us. Authentic Torah concepts, many of which are derived via learning and understanding Tanach in conceptual terms, have largely been ignored. Indeed, until recently, study of Tanach on a more than superficial level, has been abandoned by many in the religious camp. This, I believe, is largely the result of living in gentile lands because so much of the concepts in Tanach revolve around Jewish national issues, including dealing with national enemies, the land of Israel, etc. When one lives as a weak minority in a majority, often hostile, gentile country, one develops an attitude that being a weak, oppressed minority is the proper Jewish way; to rule over non-Jews is not "Jewish," waging mandatory wars is to be avoided at all costs, etc. And when the gentile majority tells us over and over that we are bad because we are Jews, then eventually we begin to question, "You know, if the whole world says that being Jewish is bad, maybe they are right...for how can the whole world be wrong?" Study of the Tanach and its nationalistic concepts runs counter to this, and as such it is sadly "distasteful" to study it for many Jews who have become acclimated to the golus mindset. Thus, many have refrained from its study altogether.
Certainly, with respect to ritual observance, the religious Jew in golus has arguably done quite well. However, one can observe the mitzvah-ritual, but without having an attitude of trying to understand the concepts underlying those rituals. For example, one may perform the ritual of havdalah for years and years and years, for whatever his reason, but at the same time he does not deem it necessary to delve into the concepts of havdalah, i.e. such as the idea that the Jewish people are seperated by G-d from the nations, seperate in the sense of being spiritually superior via mitzvah study and perfomance than those who do not study and observe. How so? One way is that when one observes a mitzvah, he raises himself up above the level of an instinctual animal which can only do what its instincts tell it to do; an animal wants to eat, so it eats; it wants to sleep, so it sleeps, etc. But a Jew has the ability to choose to harness his ego-drives, sanctifying his desires in the proper measure and manner within the framework of Torah law, thus fostering within oneself an element of self-control in all the different aspects of desires in ones life. When one refrains from eating non-kosher food, one fosters an aspect of self-control in the area of eating-desires. It is not a dietary concept, but a spiritual concept that is gained within the person. Repeating that over and over again throughout ones life, makes one more holy, which is to say more and more seperated from the ways of the instinctual animals and the gentile world that also only follows its own perceived self-interests and desires (since the latter do not have a Torah which teaches them HOW to sanctify those desires, it is impossible for them to do otherwise). In any case, the mitzvah of havdalah teaches us this idea of believing that we are meant to be spiritually seperate and superior to those outside of our chosen camp, which is a concept which makes us appreciate more the fact that we are in that Jewish camp. One who merely performs the ritual, on the other hand, really cannot arrive at that higher level of feeling. Not that he won't receive a Divine reward for such a ritual-without-understanding because there is a benefit from performing a mitzvah-ritual even without understanding its concepts in that by doing the ritual one is positively affected, even if only subconsciously. However, doing a mitzvah with a general attitude that one is doing it merely out of habit or because one believes one will receive a reward or avoid a punishment for it, is not the higher intent since one will never come to true apprecation of how that mitzvah makes the Jew special, and thus of how much G-d loves him having given the Jews this specialness. And it's not that we can always gain such understanding in every single mitzvah that exists, but that we should have a general attitude that we want to have such a level of understanding as we study Torah further in life so that we can come to the proper level of appreciation of the purpose of each mitzvah we do.
Thus, it is not the external rituals that have been lost via golus influence so much as it is the conceptual understandings; the ideas behind the mitzvot. The gentile majority, having control of the media, bombards us with their own gentile ideas and philosophies on a regular basis. These ideas, many of which are contrary to Torah ideology, have a pervasive influence of the Jewish mindset. For the majority has a stronger influence on the minority than vice versa. In our era, the ever prevelant ideas associated with democracy is a constant influence on the Jewish mind and soul. Many of these western democratic ideas run counter to Torah ideas, as Rav Kahane explained over and over again (see "Uncomfortable Questions for Comfortable Jews" chapter on western democracy vs. Judaism).
In conclusion, another reason why G-d "regrets" having created golus is due to the fact that the very Torah itself in certain respects has become negatively affected by the golus ideologies.
4) Finally, another reason for the golus is expressed in the Gemara in Pesachim, 87b, that G-d created golus "only" to bring in converts. That is, when Jews live among non-Jews it gives the non-Jews an opportunity to recognize the truth of Torah Judaism and possibly convert. Not that we believe in proslytizing the gentiles, but that by way of example they can come to realize the better ways of the Jews and arrive at the conclusion that being a Jew and observing the Torah of the Jews is the best life. If the Jewish people were all living in the land of Israel, isolated and seperated from the gentile world, then it would be practically impossible for gentiles to have the chance to come to this realization. This is in fact, as Rav Kahane explained, the reason why it seems that our generation is closer to the "end time" of complete geula than previous generations. For the purpose of geula is that the world recognize that the G-d of Israel and His torah are true and His people are His chosen representatives of that Torah truth, and as such must be glorified as such by the rest of the world (or, if they prefer, they can join us via conversion). In previous generations, much of the world did not even have an opportunity to recognize the G-d of Israel, because they had no knowledge about His chosen people. Jews did not live in many parts of the world for many centuries. As such, many nations could not be held responsible for recognizing the truth of Torah and of the G-d of Israel. But in our days, Jews are well known throughout the world. Modern technology has made it even more apparent. Mass production of Jewish books throughout the world also makes it apparent. Thus, it is fair to say that all of the world now knows of the Jewish people. They thus have been given the best opportunity to recognize the truth of Torah and of the G-d of Israel.
Yet, the vast majority of the world has rejected the concept of Israel's choseness. They have for the most part not converted, nor even accepted the concept of a ben Noach in the truest sense of that concept. Thus, yet another purpose of golus, the spreading out of Jews throughout the world so as to give the gentile world the best chance to recognize the truth and act correctly upon that recognition by converting has not come to fruition. Nay, it is largely scoffed at. And so, yet another reason why G-d regrets having created golus.
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Re: Why does G-d "regret" having created golus?
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2007, 09:38:52 PM »
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In conclusion, I think it is important to get this message out to others who have an ear to listen and a willingness to understand. Many fine learned religious Jews will dwell on the fact that G-d punished us for our sins via golus. And they will dwell on the fact that we have to do teshuva, which is of course good and true too. And some will go so far a to imply that it is better that we remain in golus until such time that we have done complete teshuva first since to think otherwise is to go against the very purpose of why G-d allowed us to go into golus in the first place. Others will go into lengthy discussions of the Gemara in Kesubos, 111a, concerning the oaths of golus, and based upon this how G-d desires us Jews to remain in golus until we have first done full teshuva. And of course, I agree that one can and even should delve into any Talmudic subject in all of its fine points and details, even writing seforim about them. However, what holds true for one Talmudic sugya (i.e. subject), likewise holds true for other Talmudic sugyas, such as the one I've attempted to delve into here, as taken from the Gemara in Succah. If our chazal teach us that G-d "regrets" having created golus, it is indeed a subject that should be dwelled upon, explained to others, and understood properly.
I think that the upshot is that just as G-d now "regrets" having created golus, so too should we now regret living in golus--and even if one has an halachically valid reason for doing so at present, one should still at the very least regret having to live in golus.
Topic: Why does G-d "regret" having created The Exile? (Read 2548 times)