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.