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All doubts about feelings have been erased due to the horrible Holocaust. Our heart pains us over those who were distant from us like those who were close to us. We did not ask the martyrs how they behaved before they were martyrs. They are all holy and dear. We are in pain and mourn for all. We did not search for the halachic source for our reaction, which did not interest the heart. But there is precedent in the Torah. War and hatred against Amalek are because it ambushed those who were lagging behind (spiritually); Chazal say that “and it did not fear Hashem” (Devarim 25:18) refers to the idol worshippers among Israel (Tanchuma, Balak 28). Although victims were guilty of a capital crime, their murder prompted the commandment to hate Amalek for posterity. Indeed, our national existence and religious status emerge from our being family, members of the covenant of the “seed of Avraham.” The Torah was not given to a random group, but to those about whom it says, “They became [in Egypt] a nation” (Devarim 26:5). The foundation of the Torah is that we are “the nation of the G-d of Avraham” (Tehillim 47:10); we open our prayers with “the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov.” Treating the whole nation equally starts from the root, and the differences between us are layers built upon the equality. “All of Israel are the sons of kings” (Bava Metzia 113b); “You will not fulfill your obligation to them, as they are the sons of the forefathers” (mishna, Bava Metzia 7:1). This is irrespective of level of behavior or knowledge. This relates to our concept of those of a “higher level” and those of a “lower level.” Bnei Yisrael are compared to a grape vine – the scholars are the clusters and the ignorant are the leaves (Chulin 92a). The gemara concludes that the clusters should pray for the leaves, for without them, the clusters would not exist. In other words, national growth depends on unity within the whole nation. This is the thrust of the Rabbis of Yavneh’s statement: “I am a live creature, and my friend is a live creature, I work …” (Berachot 17a). In other words, we are distinguished just by the roles we play. It is known that Moshe was told “Go down” [from his status, after the Golden Calf] (Shemot 32:7), as even his stature was only on behalf of Israel. On the other hand, “our nation is a nation only due to its Torahs” (Emunot V’deot 3). This seems to contradict and make membership in the nation conditional, as opposed to the statement, “Even one who sins is a member of Israel” (Sanhedrin 44a). Here is the explanation. A sinner’s membership in the nation relates to national connection. The Torah is the heart of national essence; it defines us. Loving one’s neighbor like himself (Vayikra 19:18) is not [only] a mitzva; it reveals a situation that captures the heart of the family/nation. Whereas the Torah appears to be the path of the individual to completeness, it is actually a way of dividing work to complete the broad community. Mutual responsibility within the nation, even for the private sins of others, only makes sense if one can make another desist from sin. In this way, the mitzva to rebuke is a mitzva between man and man, not between man and Hashem. Isolationism is antithetical to Judaism, as Judaism focuses on completing the community rather than the individual. Therefore, Moshe, at the Golden Calf, was willing to give his life, saying: “Moshe and a thousand like him should be destroyed, and not one from Israel” (Tanchuma, Vaetchanan 6). Hashem had plans to turn Moshe into a great nation, as Moshe was fit for it, for his closeness to Hashem and for his pain over Israel’s spiritual fall. He received everything imaginable but still descended the mountain and dealt with the small problems of every individual. Moshe could have accepted Hashem’s offer of further greatness; no mitzva focused on the individual prevented it. Moshe sacrificed his spirit, with all its potential, due to his love of Israel, because he understood the importance of national unity. He did not separate himself, but went down in dirty trenches to raise others gradually, so that they could progress.
Moreshet Shaul (52)
Various Rabbis
50 - Our King on Rosh Hashana, Our Father on Yom Kippur.
51 - Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
52 - Connection and Essence
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