Rav Avigdor Miller often spoke about the real reasons behind Jew-hatred.
It doesn't mean that the perpetrators are guilt-free. Not at all. They are evil. And they're going to pay for every vile thing they do.
But as long as Jews keep attacking the stick that hits them rather than looking at the prime cause (i.e., our own attitudes & deeds), this will not solve the problem.
Even worse, as we've seen many times throughout history (including current events), the Jew-hatred keeps going and even intensifies as long as Jews focus on the agent rather than the underlying cause.
Because this approach rams against every other kind of reasoning, many often see this approach as cruel, unjust, and blaming the victim.
But it's not.
Like so much else in Judaism, it forces us out of black-and-white thinking.
Jew-hatred provides messages for us to improve...at the same time, we are absolutely allowed to defend ourselves and the evil perpetrators will not escape ultimate justice.
We are also allowed to hate the perpetrators—no problem.
But as the Rambam explains, attributing suffering purely to natural causes is CRUEL.
THAT is cruel.
Why?
Because focusing solely on natural causes ensures the continuation of the suffering.
Sure, some suffering may continue due to the needs of a particular soul-tikkun.
But any suffering that can be remedied via adjustments in our minds, hearts, and deeds?
Then it is cruel to ignore that.
At the same time, a person still may struggle emotionally with this concept. That is totally normal.
But a minimal intellectual acceptance leads to clearer thinking, which enables us to improve whatever we need to improve.
Below, you'll see Rav Avigdor Miller's Torah-based insights on Jew-hatred (particularly terrorism in Eretz Yisrael).
As he passed away in 2001, these explanations are from years ago. But they remain just as applicable today. (Unfortunately, the situation hasn't changed much.)
He is not making up anything. His is the traditional Torah view.
At the same time, please keep in mind how much Rav Miller's writings & lectures brim with ideas on how to serve Hashem with joy and how to work on ourselves via humor & baby steps.
So here's Rav Avigdor Miller on the fundamental way to view and respond to terror against Jews in Eretz Yisrael today:
It doesn't mean that the perpetrators are guilt-free. Not at all. They are evil. And they're going to pay for every vile thing they do.
But as long as Jews keep attacking the stick that hits them rather than looking at the prime cause (i.e., our own attitudes & deeds), this will not solve the problem.
Even worse, as we've seen many times throughout history (including current events), the Jew-hatred keeps going and even intensifies as long as Jews focus on the agent rather than the underlying cause.
Because this approach rams against every other kind of reasoning, many often see this approach as cruel, unjust, and blaming the victim.
But it's not.
Like so much else in Judaism, it forces us out of black-and-white thinking.
Jew-hatred provides messages for us to improve...at the same time, we are absolutely allowed to defend ourselves and the evil perpetrators will not escape ultimate justice.
We are also allowed to hate the perpetrators—no problem.
But as the Rambam explains, attributing suffering purely to natural causes is CRUEL.
THAT is cruel.
Why?
Because focusing solely on natural causes ensures the continuation of the suffering.
Sure, some suffering may continue due to the needs of a particular soul-tikkun.
But any suffering that can be remedied via adjustments in our minds, hearts, and deeds?
Then it is cruel to ignore that.
At the same time, a person still may struggle emotionally with this concept. That is totally normal.
But a minimal intellectual acceptance leads to clearer thinking, which enables us to improve whatever we need to improve.
Below, you'll see Rav Avigdor Miller's Torah-based insights on Jew-hatred (particularly terrorism in Eretz Yisrael).
As he passed away in 2001, these explanations are from years ago. But they remain just as applicable today. (Unfortunately, the situation hasn't changed much.)
He is not making up anything. His is the traditional Torah view.
At the same time, please keep in mind how much Rav Miller's writings & lectures brim with ideas on how to serve Hashem with joy and how to work on ourselves via humor & baby steps.
So here's Rav Avigdor Miller on the fundamental way to view and respond to terror against Jews in Eretz Yisrael today:
Could we think Hakodosh Boruch Hu will be silent when He sees that the reshaim are trying to wipe out the Torah in the Eretz Yisroel?
The answer is, He’s not silent. That’s why there are terrorists.
It’s a big mistake to read the newspapers and think that it’s the result of them not wanting the peace treaty or because they want to have the Jews out of Eretz Yisroel.
No.
The terrorists are sent by Hakodosh Boruch Hu as a puraniyos on the Labor Party, on the apikorsim, on those who are trying to teach Jewish children immorality and atheism in the Israeli public schools.
https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-when-hashem-is-not-silent/
And:
But I have to tell you something. People don’t realize this, but why did this uprising happen right now?
Just before this uprising began, Barak came out with a statement and it was in all the headlines.
He said that he’s going to do everything in his power to change Eretz Yisroel into a secular medinah. What it was up till now, I don’t know.
But he said that he wants to make it, that religion should have no connection to the Medinah at all.
Do you hear this statement from the Prime Minister of the State of Israel?!
He wants that the Am Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel should be a completely secular nation – a nation without any Torah at all.
And he said this openly.
It was all the headlines. And the New York Times was very happy about it. They wrote these headlines with excitement.
But our people were very disturbed.
People protested against such a thing. People wrote letters. I sent him a letter.
And then, just now, immediately after Barak announces his plans, the Intafada erupts.
That’s why they’re suffering through this now. Because they made a public declaration that they’re going to rebel against Hakodosh Boruch Hu and that the Torah will play no role at all in our nation.
That’s what he said, that the Torah will play no role in the life of our nation. We are a secular nation and the Toras Hashem will play no role.
So Hakodosh Boruch Hu said, “I’m going to give you a lesson about my role.”
And now people are crying out to Hashem. “Please help us Hashem.”
And even some choifshim are beginning to think, “Maybe we should also cry out to Hashem.”
And this is midah ki’neged midah.
https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-terror-in-eretz-yisroel/
And:
Everything that’s taking place in Eretz Yisroel, you should know, is done by Hakodosh Boruch Hu – not by Arabs.
Arabs are not killing anybody – Hashem is killing. No question about that.
Why is He doing it?
Because the Jews in Eretz Yisrael are going m’dechi el dechi.
Here they passed a law decriminalizing homosxuality. It’s kosher now to be a homosxual in Eretz Yisroel.
Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, “That’s a toevah. If that’s what Eretz Yisroel is going to be, I’ll take steps.”
They passed a law now that you could import treifeh meat now.
For the first time since the history of the medina you could import treifeh meat in Eretz Yisroel.
Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, “I’ll show you. I’ll show you.”
And now Tel Aviv has become a place of hefkeirus. All kinds of wickedness in Tel Aviv.
Hashem says, “I made Eretz Yisroel for Tel Aviv?!”
The Israelis, some of them, are so terrible, they’re even worse than goyim in some places.
Why are women in the Israeli army? You know why they’re there?
So a man wrote a book about the IDF, the Israeli Defense Force; not a frumme. He said, “The purpose of women is not for fighting.”
You hear that? The purpose of women in the Israeli army is not for fighting, not for defense.
You understand that? You understand what that means?
And this great wickedness happened before America had female soldiers.
America is now no good either. But Israel led the way with this abomination.
And therefore, Hakodosh Boruch Hu says, “Pay attention. הֲיֹסֵר גּוֹיִם הֲלֹא יוֹכִיחַ – The one who is bringing upon the nations adversity, isn’t He showing something? He’s showing something! הַמְלַמֵּד אָדָם דָּעַת – Isn’t He teaching wisdom (Tehillim 94:10)?
So it’s up to us to understand that we’re being taught.
We’re getting messages from Hashem.
Of course we have to fight back. Of course, we have to defend ourselves.
Of course we have to look for ways and means of stopping the terror.
And yet, fundamentally we have to understand it’s Hashem and the purpose is to teach us that something is very wrong in Eretz Yisroel today – very wrong!
In the schools, they teach atheism.
In the schools in Eretz Yisroel they teach Jewish boys and girls atheism!
Children should be taught there’s a Boirei, a Creator. In every school, even not a religious school.
But no, in all the Israeli schools they’re being taught atheism.
So what does Hakodosh Boruch Hu say? “You’re forgetting about Me? I’ll remind you.”
https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-investigating-terror-attacks/
And:
Why are many who were killed frum people?
I must explain something here.
It’s a fundamental principle that Hakodosh Boruch Hu conceals His hand.
He doesn’t want to show that it’s a neis.
Now suppose only reshaim would be killed; suppose only mechalelei Shabbos and oichlei treifos would be killed.
Then everybody would do teshuva.
Let’s say a man who walked in the street on Shabbos and lit a cigarette, he would fall dead right away; so nobody would smoke on Shabbos. Even the Puerto Ricans would make teshuva. The Mirrer Yeshiva would be filled with Puerto Ricans.
So Hakodosh Boruch Hu conceals it.
In order to leave room for bechira, for free choice, He makes it look camouflaged; so you shouldn’t see His open hand.
And that’s what it says, כיון שניתן רשות למשחית – when a mashchis has power, שוב אינו מבחין בין צדיק לרשע – he makes no distinction between a tzaddik and a rasha.
Like it says in Mitzrayim; when the malach came to destroy the firstborn in Mitzrayim, אתם לא תצאו איש מפתח ביתו עד בוקר – you shouldn’t walk out in the streets.
Why not? We didn’t do anything wrong. Egyptians oppressed us – why should we be afraid to walk in the streets?
The answer is no. Once the mashchis is loose, then he makes no distinction.
And therefore, Hakodosh Boruch Hu doesn’t make any distinctions.
People should know that once there’s a tzara, the tzara comes upon the tzaddikim and the reshaim equally – that’s a fundamental principle of how Hashem guides the world in order to leave room for free will; so His hand shouldn’t be so evident.
TAPE # 942 (November 1993)
torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-investigating-terror-attacks/
And:
Look, I’m not saying that the message is that we should therefore walk across the border with outstretched arms to embrace the Arabs and make peace – because most likely they’ll greet us with gunfire.
But there is a message from Hashem that we have things to fix inside of Eretz Yisroel. A lot of things.
Maybe, for instance, we have to start pressing for the observance of Shabbos in the Land of Israel.
The Torah says, “Michalileha mos yumos” – those who profane the Shabbos will be put to death. The Torah says that.
And the Gemara says “Af al pi she’batlu Sanhedrin,” although we do not have a Sanhedrin to execute sinners today, “din arbah misos lo batlu,” the judgement will still be carried out.
So maybe when men fall at the border, or when a hand grenade is thrown into a bus, or when people are gunned down in Tel- Aviv, maybe we should think, maybe we should suspect – and it’s a reasonable suspicion – that maybe Hakodosh Boruch Hu is carrying out what He said He would do.
If buses publicly travel on Shabbos and if the Ministry of Labor is giving out permits to so many factories to allow them to open on Shabbos – so many factories are open in Eretz Yisroel on Shabbos!
A lot of factories, with the explicit permission of the government. In the Land of Israel, it is now accepted to profane the Shabbos!
We should think about this!
* * *
They’re destroying Jewish souls!
So maybe, if you’re destroying Jewish souls, that’s why Jewish bodies are being destroyed.
It’s really not hard, not difficult at all, to look for reasons for why things are happening.
Of course, if you don’t have ears, so you say, “Well, this is nothing. Every new state has troubles. Growing pains. They have battles in the beginning. For the first hundred years they have to battle.”
But the truth is that it’ll never get better.
And it will get worse and worse.
So there are plenty of messages being sent by Hakodosh Boruch Hu that we have to listen to.
https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-the-message-from-the-terrorist/
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