from
http://www.koshertorah.com Time To Pray
By HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok. Copyright (c) 2008 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.
Times are bad, we all know it. They will be getting worse. Not all are willing to admit this; even fewer want to face it. Very few are willing to prepare for it. Sacrifice and hardship are concepts not easily welcomed in the lives of most of us. We feel things are tough enough; we do not need to make things harder on ourselves. While I understand this sentiment; I also recognize its critical flaw.
In Pirkei Avot, we are taught, "Who is wise? The one who sees what is coming." Wisdom is recognizing what is about to transpire by looking at what is happening now. Ask yourself, are you wise? Do you see where we are today? If so, how then can you not see what is coming? Do you really think that all of a sudden something magical will occur, and in a moment the current course of down spiraling events will suddenly take an upturn? How do you think this would possibly occur? What event could be so powerful that it could so positively influence the entire course of human events? While it is good to be optimistic, still, it is foolish and even dangerous not to see the proverbial writing on the wall.
Being afraid to face the facts is a state that many of us live in. Like a band-aid on a festering wound, the problem may be covered up, thus out of sight is out of mind. Yet, just because one does not see or one does not wish to see a problem does not make the problem go away. We cannot wish away reality simply because we do not like it. We are thus left with a really bad state of affairs and instead of discussing further whether or not things are really that bad, we had better get started discussing what to do about a really bad state of affairs that can no longer be denied and must be addressed.
From a religious point of view, faith is always best. We have to trust in G-d and believe Heaven will guide us through whatever hard times that are to come. Yet, in order for this to be done, we have to be open to Heaven's guidance. In this area, our sensitivities are usually quite dull. We really do need to sharpen our spiritual skills and cultivate a greater spiritual sensitivity to help us feel the true nature of the moment. Such sensitivity can mean the difference between life and death.
Once we cultivate our spiritual sensitivity, we may begin to feel an urge to do something major and life-changing. Under the present circumstances, I would not rush to dismiss such feelings as fantasy or panic. G-d speaks to our hearts, and never really to our minds. The most sincere of Divine communications comes to our hearts, all the while that our heads and minds are full of denial, contradiction and confusion. Such mental states are a poison that paralyses action and prevents one from doing what needs to be done to properly prepare for and respond to tough times.
Tough times require of us tough action. Signing petitions and writing emails are not tough actions. Indeed, in my opinion such endeavors are worthless and even distractions from the real actions one must take in order to safeguard oneself, one's community and to the greater community of Israel at large.
Right now, religion in general is under serious attack from fundamentalist secular and atheistic forces. The onslaught against religion today in western society is reminiscent to the attacks on religion made in Nazi Germany and later communist countries. All these regimes shared many things in common. They all rose to power on the backs of public popularity. They all later solidified into ruthless repressive regimes. They all persecuted those who upheld religion. They all imposed their system through numerous ways of social manipulation and they all murdered millions of opponents. In the end, these utopian socialist societies allegedly created to establish and preserve justice did just the opposite and destroyed the lives of millions.
When I hear the fundamentalist anti-religious choir preaching for the removal of religion from society, I remember back not too long ago to those societies that did succeed in removing religion and how terribly repressive they became. Let the facts be told, the three great secular, atheist societies of the 20th century, Nazi (National Socialist) Germany, Stalinist Russia and Maoist China were responsible for the deaths of more people than all those killed in religious wars in the last two thousand years.
Are we heading towards the creation of another new secular socialist order that will similarly repress religious freedoms, such as the expression of opposition to certain sexual practices and persuasions? This repression is not something reserved for the future. It is already happening now in many western countries. In some locals, it is already considered a criminal offense, a hate crime to publicly teach the Bible's opposition to certain sexual practices. In some countries, people have been prosecuted for simply and peacefully relating the Biblical stand. It is only matter of time before such a repression becomes worse, all under the guise of the promotion of civil rights and the idea of fairness. This is only one issue. It will not stop here.
Western countries are changing. The countries that we grew up in and the cultures which we knew and loved so well are being twisted into something so radically different from anything we ever grew up knowing. Do not dismiss this by saying that times bring change and that this is the way of things. Such an excuse was also presented in Germany in 1933 with the democratic election of Adolph Hitler. No one then wanted to see what such a move would bring just six short years into the future. Are we any different today?
Faith in G-d requires of one action before G-d. Action before G-d follows the ways of the Torah. One who knows Torah will know what to do. One who does not know what to do obviously does not know Torah. Similarly, one who thinks that there is nothing to do, or that one should just sit and wait it out, also shows no sign of knowing Torah. One who believes there is no crisis and that everything will turn out all right just like it has in the past will unfortunately live to see that such an outlook is deadly wrong. Remember, in the past, things did not always turn out all right. Do not be lazy, complacent and in denial. The way of Torah is to live, not to die. Life requires of us action, sometimes tough and courageous action.
It is not up to me to tell anyone what to do. Each of us must turn to G-d in solemn and private prayer and commune with Heaven within the recesses of our hearts seeking guidance what it is one should do. One should ask Heaven what to do, where to go, and how to make it all happen. G-d's promise is that Heaven will hear and that He will answer. It is we who in turn have to be open to hear the inner Voice speak within our hearts.
A time of action will soon be upon us. Change is in the air. Without change something sleeps deep within us and seldom awakens. The time has come for the sleeper to awaken. I have hinted to this for a long time. You must start your own awakening. All that I have publicly provided here at KosherTorah.com is at your disposal. In every essay and audio lesson I reveal many things and hint too many more. Let the search be yours.
I pray that those of you who read these words might take them to heart. Bond with Torah; surrender to G-d, seek to see that which is coming based upon that which is already here. In this there is wisdom, and there is no other wisdom other than Torah. May G-d bless and protect us all.
Topic: Rav Ariel bar Tzadok: "Time to Pray" (Read 617 times)