"The hidden things belong to the Lord, our God, but the revealed things apply to us and to our children forever: that we must fulfill all the words of this Torah." [Nitzavim 29:28]
[Written by Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein]
Rashi explains that a Jew is not expected to offer his friend rebuke for the sins that lie hidden within his heart, for how can he possibly know what another man is thinking? Therefore, in the case of hidden sins, Hashem exacts retribution from the sinner alone.
On the other hand, a Jew is expected to rebuke his fellow man for the sins he does openly. Consequently, when Jews overlook other people's misdeeds, Hashem's anger is brought upon all of them.
A terrible dispute broke out in Radin, the Chofetz Chaim's hometown. Though the Chofetz Chaim was by now in his later years, he rushed to the shul and approached the bimah. From there, he addressed the community.
"My dear brothers!" began the Chofetz Chaim. "If someone would have offered me 2,000 rubles to deliver a derashah in shul, I would not have accepted it! I am not willing to sell my precious time for money. However, because of the situation, I am forced to speak. We must know that there will come a time when each and every one of us will be required to stand before the Heavenly Court and give an account of all the deeds that he performed over the course of his life.
"You must be aware that strife is a very serious matter! A person may have performed scores of mitzvos in his life, but if he was guilty of causing or involving himself in matters of dispute, then he is like a person who tried filling a bag that had a large hole at its bottom - all the mitzvos he performed will be lost.
"I have no doubt that when the individuals from Radin who were involved in the dispute come before the Heavenly Court, they will attempt to clear themselves by stating the following:
"We cannot be held accountable! For in our city there lived an elderly Jew, by the name of Yisrael Meir, whom we deemed to be a talmid chacham. He saw all that was transpiring, yet he remained silent."
"Therefore, my dear brothers" concluded the Chofetz Chaim in a voice filled with emotion, "I beg of you - do not mention my name before the Heavenly Court!"
As these words left the mouth of the Chofetz Chaim, he broke down and wept bitterly, and his frail body trembled. This sight made a very powerful impression on the people of Radin, and the dispute was resolved immediately.
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.....Elie Wiesel
4 comments:
I tried not to be silent, but these days vague facebook posts seem the only way to go, lest you get accused of "judging" and being fanatic. I have been bothered by the way people dress to come to shul. In honor of my daughter's 4th yahrzeit yestercay, I posted the below:
L’iluy nishmas Kayla Rus bas Bunim Tuvia & Chaya Rochel:
My daughter Kayla Rus loved Shabbos and we tried to light early as often as possible. But the other main attribute that comes to mind about Kayla Rus was her tsnius, her complete modesty. Modesty not only in her dress, which was of course important to her, but also in her behavior, the way she carried herself. This is something we could all take lessons from. She didn’t need to be the center of attention, didn’t want to be loud and let everyone know she was in the room. She was refined, a true Bas Melech, daughter of The King. She always got dressed properly to daven to Hashem, even if she would be alone in the house all day, even if she was in the hospital. You would mistake her dress for office attire. Just another day in the job of being a Bas Melech. Skirts always A-line and 4 inches past the knees so as to cover them even while sitting... sleeves always way past the elbow, and of course necklines to the collarbone. And nothing skin-tight. She explained that the body is holy, and holiness needs to be covered up, to respect the dignity of Hashem’s daughter, and to respect Hashem’s presence. She was always careful also to look “like a Jew,” not to follow secular modes of dress and styles. And yet she always looked elegant and beautiful. This is something we can all learn from, especially when going to shul, and especially this time of year. It is usually freezing in shul, air conditioned way past necessary, and with the weather cooling off this time of year, it would be so wonderful to see more of my friends covered up l’kavod Ha’Shechinah, especially while davening. At least think why you are choosing a certain garment, what message you are trying to send, and to whom. This is not about “judging,” it is about halacha. Many of us, (myself included, years ago), don’t realize that it is not optional to cover up. We are just so desensitized to dressing like the secular world, where, the more skin shows, the better, that we think the Torah’s tsnius rules no longer apply. But this is not true. Just as we can’t change the laws to allow driving on Shabbos to accommodate the “modern world,” we also shouldn’t adapt the modern way of dress (or un-dress, as is the case). Just some food for thought as we approach Rosh Hashana. As a favor to me, in honor of my daughter on her yahrzeit, and to elevate her neshama, won’t you please consider taking on an increase in tsnius in shul? (This goes for men as well, by the way, dress Shabbosdik on Shabbos, no short sleeves or khakis, a suit and if it is your minhag, a tie, no skinny skinny pants, etc.). If you can do this for one week or two, or maybe through Yom Kippur, perhaps Hashem will be honored and will bestow honors upon His nation. Thank you for reading. Shana tova umetuka to all.
Rachel, I am so sorry for your loss.
Beautiful words Rachel
Rachel, I'm sorry for the loss of your beautiful daughter. Thank you for passing on her legacy of tzniut to those of us who read this site.
Shana tova u'metukah to you and yours.
~deedee
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