Page 14 - HaMizrachi #25 Chanuka 2020 USA

TORAT MIZRACHI MIZRACHI SCHOLARS-IN-RESIDENCE

Sivan Rahav Meir and Yedidya Meir
Eight Thoughts

for Eight Days

Self-sacrifice. It sounds like an buying more than $1 million worth child-rearing (whoever makes a floor-
old, antiquated, irrelevant word. of online products. The human brain mop of himself cannot expect respect
1In previous generations, there simply cannot contend with the flood from their spouse or children), but it
was self-sacrifice; today everything of information – much of it unneces- is also true nationally. Some 200 years
is easy and comfortable. Neverthe- sary and undesirable – coming its way. ago, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch in
less, the past year has taught us all a Germany dealt with many Jews who
lesson in a new kind of self-sacrifice: Rav Chagai Londin, of the hesder abandoned and belittled their tradi-
Grandma must not be hugged. It is yeshiva in Sderot, writes that this is tion. At that time, he wrote an essay
forbidden to pray together. Things exactly what we need to learn from for Chanukah, in which he reminded
that were considered mitzvot became Chanukah – how to contend with the them that even if they give up on their
offenses, and vice-versa. Our basic powerful forces of the surrounding culture, it would still not help them to
Jewish communal life… collapsed. culture. We become dizzy and con- integrate into German society:
Much of what we loved… diminished. fused, continually bombarded by alien
We are at home more than ever, close forces and hedonistic messages, but “To the extent to which you respect and
to the nuclear family, far from every- must strive to keep our focus: admire your past and your holy values,
one else. We need to wear weird and “Am Yisrael always tries to connect so will the nations respect you. It could
annoying masks, keep a distance, wash everything to one place: ‘Shema Yisrael, be that for this reason or the other you
our hands. will win less or more sympathy from
Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad.’ them, but their respect – you will win.
But we are doing it together. The G-d is One. We endeavor to focus and However, if you yourself treat your past
whole world, and the Jewish world to concentrate and to unite the forces with disrespect, if you do not respect
within it, is going through a period of of the soul into our purpose for living. the burial places of your fathers, if you
trial, of examination, as in previous Greek culture was a culture of many do not respect your Holy Temple and
generations. It is our self-sacrifice. idols, with many focal points targeted you do not try to acquire proper knowl-
After almost a year of small outside in every direction. The struggle of the edge of your Torah – how could you
minyanim, of Zoom, of days in iso- Hasmoneans has not ended. Today expect others to respect you and your
lation, of Seder and Rosh Hashanah too, we are likely to live absentminded forefathers? Many pleasures are in
so different from what we are used lives of perpetual distraction, of run- store for you if you deny the Torah, but
to, of chesed and Torah and prayer ning from one new thing to the next, respect is not one of them. How great
that have undergone such creative of always searching for something that the mistake that all of those progres-
changes – after all this, Chanukah has doesn’t exist. To defend ourselves from sive, educated people made, the priests
arrived! We light Chanukah candles overpowering forces that seem stronger of renewal. Go out and learn what a
and know that we too are heroes and than ourselves, each of us needs to be a Chanukah candle tells you!”
pioneers. We too know something Maccabee – not to be ashamed to take
about self-sacrifice and how to come breaks, to set boundaries, and to take Ori Kotler, a commander in the
through the darkness stronger. control of our digital devices instead of Rotem Unit of the Givati Bri-
allowing them to take control of us. The 4gade, shared the following idea
Every single minute, worldwide, Chanukah struggle is not over.” with us:
humans are sending 18 million
2text messages, watching more If you do not respect yourself, no There is a famous phrase that states
than four million video clips, down- one will respect you. This princi- that if you have a hammer in your
loading 400,000 computer apps, and 3ple holds true in marriage and in hand, everything looks like a nail. So

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