To Acheinu Beis Yisroel,
As we stand today, in the time known as “Ikvesa DiMoshicha,” the “Footsteps of Moshiach,” we fervently pray for our salvation—which will mean the salvation of the holy Shechinah from its exile. We hope that we, this orphaned generation, will be chosen to see the light of the Moshiach, the building of the Beis Hamikdash, the restoration of the avodah, and the return of the malchus Beis Dovid.
Yet doubt and confusion lurk within our hearts. What does Hakadosh Baruch Hu desire from each
one of us? We have the Shulchan Aruch to illuminate our communal path, but our individual missions seem unclear.
There is one thing we do know: the primary cause for our galus today lies in the venom of sinas chinam: of baseless hatred. And if we can eradicate the root, then its effect—our suffering—will also
be removed.
To truly uproot sinah, we must engage in the avodah of ahavas Yisroel, embedding it within our minds and hearts. We must sever the root of baseless hatred and plant in its place a radiant ahavas Yisroel.
How can we imbue this middah deeply within ourselves? Let us focus on the three truths below and let them shape our thoughts—and from there, our actions.
- Every single Jew, without exception, longs with all their heart and soul to cleave to Hashem. Any thought, speech, or action not directed towards Hashem is foreign to the true nature and character of the Jewish soul. We must feel profound internal pain and infinite compassion for the immense suffering of the soul of every Jew who does not live a life true to his or her essential nature.
- Every single Jew, without exception, is a mysterious entity. Just as it is impossible to grasp Hashem’s essence, and just as it is impossible to fathom the complete depth of the Torah, so too, it is impossible to fathom the complexity of a Jew. Whatever we do see or understand about our fellow Jew, is only on a superficial level. So how, then, can we utter a derogatory word about any Jew, when we are so far from grasping their true identity? Even the thought of doing so, should evoke within us an echo of Hashem’s words: “Why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moshe?” (Bamidbar 12;8)
- Every single Jew, without exception, is the inheritor of the entire Torah, with all its commandments. The Torah was not given to only the learned; it belongs to every single Jew, regardless of his or her level. Since the entire Torah is one entity, no individual can fulfill it in its entirety without the collective participation of Klal Yisroel. As long as there is even one Jewish soul who does not know Torah and keep its laws, the Nishmas Yisrael, the collective soul of Klal Yisroel, is incomplete.
May it be the will of our Father in Heaven, with His abundant mercy, that we soon merit the geulah shelaimah, and that we soon see the time when the entire world will know Hashem.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 55 Berditchever Yahrtzeit Edition.
