The Pittsburgh Massacre: Theological & Philosophical Reflections on Kiddush Hashem & the Holocaust

this Tower class is brought to you by torahanytime.com okay welcome everyone we're sort of gonna Veer off our regularly scheduled hummus year every week we speak about the Parsha to speak about uh you know the topic on everybody's mind um certainly this is one of the most major incidents to happen in our lifetime really and really in the history of the United States of America According to some accounts this is the worst anti-semitic act ever committed in the United States of America and for me personally probably many of you are aware my family comes from Pittsburgh um my grandfather was a rabbi in Pittsburgh for well over 60 years in that immediate neighborhood he was a robin Squirrel Hill he only moved out uh recently when my grandmother was in The Terrace at the beginning of the year so we're very familiar with that Community with the Squirrel Hill Community that's where my father grew up and I've been there many many times I brought my children there it's a community that's very close to us um so obviously when something like this happens the first and most prominent reaction has to be just the human compassion fellow Jews were killed in Cold Blood regardless of their affiliation it's irrelevant what what type of uh um segment of the of the Jewish people they belong to whether we agree with it or not innocent people were killed the bottom line is a guy a self-declared Nazi came in and mowed down Jewish people on Shabbos when they're trying to damant Hashem so it should send shivers down anyone's spine and that's really uh that's the feeling that we still have human compassion um but aside from that I think that's so we all know that and everybody said that you don't need me to say that I'm sure you heard a million different clips of basically everybody saying the same thing so what I always look for is something more profound that's something that should give the the probing mind uh satisfaction in terms of what should I think about what does this mean to me what is the role of what took place in in our lives in in Jewish history and so on and so forth and uh really a question that's plagued me I don't say my whole life I would say my whole life I subconsciously thought about this but really in the last week it was brought to the Forefront and that is a question that uh don't don't get alarmed don't jump on me and I will try to disarm you before we begin please examine this from intellectual standpoint not an emotional standpoint put your feelings aside for a moment and really try let's try to present this and understand this and that is uh there is a well-known idea but I don't know if it's an accurate or a true idea and that is uh these people who were killed they're only killed because they were Jews they were killed because they were hidden that's the only reason they were killed if they went to beneath them they wouldn't have been killed and that's why they died did they die Hashem is that called dying Hashem say What's the difference it makes a very big difference if they died we know we have statements in the gamar that someone who diesel Hashem is automatically elevated to the highest level of shamayam that even sadikim can reach that level even khasidam can lead level and they're above and beyond any madrega the gemara says incall burial no no creature could even imagine the greatness of such people so when people are just mowed Down In Cold Blood are they considered to have died there is a well-known statement that if you die because you're a Jew then you died is there any basis to that statement I mean the whole world says that over everybody says that I'm sure you've heard that before if you die just because you're a Jew you died I'll kill the session is there truth to that is there basis for that statement I even heard a Rob say that one of these clips I called them up today he quoted a rambam and I said um you know you know I was just wondering there is no such rambam in fact not only there's no rambam nobody says such a thing I'm not familiar with any Makar that if you die just because you're a Jew that's called dying she said I'll tell you the truth I'm not familiar with the Makar either but the world says over that there's such a rambam and I heard from uh I'm not going to quote who we heard from a person who said it over the name of who couldn't find the ramam either and in his mind in his opinion This falls under the guidelines of look what the velt says over that if the Jewish world says over something and we don't really know where it comes from there's a certain basis for that just because says it over so I said okay I said you know I thank you for your time appreciate your opinion but the way I look at it is you can't you can't say that somebody who's just killed because they're a Jew died if we don't know of any source for this at least we have to hear the opinion look at least say that somebody who was killed because they're a Jew died out because I mean the truth is it says not um germane to the the event that that just occurred you could really ask this question when it comes to the Holocaust and that's what we're going to examine uh very soon let's let's define halachically what does Hashem mean what does it mean the ramam gives very specific guidelines says a very unique language a language that the ramam does not write anywhere else by other mits us the ramam says the rambam called base yes the whole house of Israel is commanded on some what does that mean the whole house of Israel what is that supposed to mean the whole house of Israel what does that come to include if I'm not mistaken the former Chief Rabbi RAV Lao his father was one of the big oinemen in Europe and piatricov he was the Revenge he wrote a safer a pre-war safer where he's mediac from the rambam and in fact of yaakov Kaminsky as the same Duke on the rambam that from this language of the realm we learned that even children are matsuba if a child gives up his life it's considered sanctifying the name of God okay that's seemingly what the Rama means the ramam says every Jew Israel be Sanctified amidst the Jewish people and we're warned not to desecrate the name of Hashem and the ramam says for example if somebody's put to the ultimate test either violate an Avera we are shatness speak Russian Hara don't put on fill in or we're going to kill you then the ramam says we are not required to give up our life but the rambam says now you're not required to give up your life you're not allowed to give up your life if you give up your life you're not Varian actually it's like committing suicide if one gives up their life to fulfill them it's not that's akin to Suicide you're not allowed to give up your life the Torah was given to live by not to die by that's what the rambam says however says the rambam that's by other Mitzvah is however when it comes to the big three what are the big three avoidazara gilia Rios idolatry adultery and murder one is required to give up their life this is the law of yehoric vial yavar and this is what we are required to do and if one does in fact give up their life look at number two the Raman says anybody upon about who the Torah says be killed and don't violate and they are killed villagova and they don't violate the word of Hashem they've Sanctified hashem's name and if it was in front of 10 people like Dania like michoel like Azaria like rabi Akiva and if somebody does so there's no higher level of Judaism you could dominate you could memorize shots with every maram shift and toisfus there's no higher madriga than being moisture place in the ultimate test in fact it would be a Kiva who taught her his whole life when he had the opportunity to give up his life he said this is what I've been waiting for my whole life this is the highest possible madrega no sad they could reach that madriguez says about such people we say we've been murdered on your account all day were considered like sheep who went to the slaughter and about such people God says amazingly gather for me my righteous ones carse Breezy those who I seal a covenant with from the realm of it implies that God's relationship with the Jewish people is dependent on hasidim who are willing to be moisture Hashem okay that's the language of the rambam in fact this is based on the Imam if you look at number three brings the tradition that we have of somebody who went up to shamayam and he heard in shamaim that they were they would say is killed by the government because the government is uh wants them to violate one of the big three nobody could be in their vicinity nobody could be in their in their area meaning even the biggest Sadiq even it's the gemara implies you could have a Russia you could have someone who's not sure you can have somebody who doesn't even maybe believe in God but if at the last moment they passed the ultimate test and they're willing to sacrifice their life not to violate the big three not only do they get garnida and they get to the highest place even greater than the biggest Sadiq and that's what the gemara says and that's why the malach came and told the basically safe basically safe right he wrote he wrote the cast of mishnah he wrote the um the the base guy safe and yet the Malik said look basically safe we're going to give you the privilege that one day you will die had not yet reached the heights of human achievement the greatest madrego newvin achievement is to be able to moisture so I was bothered by the following question and it's not a question it's it's a philosophical question it's a theological question clearly the rambam learns that what's the definition of Hashem when a person makes a conscious choice where they're faced with a test where somebody comes and says either bow down to the idol either denounce God denounce your religion either commit adultery or either murder or we're gonna kill you so now the person has a decision to make and he's aware of the two choices he could either Elevate the word of God and give up his life or he could violate the word of God and save his life so this person is making a conscious decision to say that the word of Hashem is more valuable to him even than his own life so he has now elevated Hashem above the most valuable human commodity which is human life that's a killer shashem it's a decision it's a free it's a free choice decision the person has made evaluated two options and decided that there's nothing more valuable than the word and what would be if somebody did not have a choice what if somebody was just killed in Cold Blood it's a terrible thing but how would that be a killer shashem what's the Hashem how is that a kiss Hashem why do we say it's a question first of all not only what's the basis but how would that fit into the halachic definition the Raman is very clear that the definition of the reason why it's a Christian is the person had made a conscious decision to place the davar Hashem ahead of his own life but what about somebody who's not given a choice they were just murdered in Cold Blood is that a kidish Hashem and I dare to search like would anybody dare ask this question I would never ask the question publicly I would never even ask myself the question if somebody greater than me did not pose it before and I found that in the history of the Jewish people only one safer has ever been written in Hebrew about the Holocaust a philosophical work about the Holocaust not a halachic work we have a few halachic words we have uh we have Suchi Hashem we have books in English as far as I know I discovered there's one safer written about the Holocaust and I didn't have it I actually never heard of it and it was written by the nasiva shawline and the problem was it was already Monday night but the good thing is that there are a lot of storm stores and there's something called uh Uber so um I have a certain Farm Store where there's somebody I don't know I I never even met him his name is he said he told the owner if gladstein comes in it's on the house so I try not to take advantage of it but I didn't I wasn't able to come in it's Tuesday now and I can't go to Barbara because I call the store owner you go to Bar Park yeah this is a much better story for the share there's a better story for the show yesterday you were there so it's right next door that's a story I told Senator Schwartz to get the things this is much better story so um so I I told the store owner if it's with the guy instead of paying for the safer would he send the safer because the safer doesn't cost too much money it's a transportation the kits are 45 minutes later I had the safer okay this is written by nasiva challenge with nifter in the year 2000 he's the rebel of slanum he escaped Europe in 1935. and uh from my understanding this is the only safer ever written theologically about the Holocaust as a safer and he is plagued by this question he's literally pained and plagued by this question should be available the name of the country it's called countries and he passed away recently his farm are very popular not only in the hasida chevalt even in the modern world he has um it's a hasida safer with very modern language sort of stripped from the heavy Kabbalah of classical and uh very often the lessons that he brings out are are human lessons so it's become a very popular saver and he's very plagued by this question he says in general you know why did the Holocaust happen obviously that's you know the question of the center the question of our lifetime but he says what's even more troubling about the Holocaust is not why it happened there could be some understanding there could be some reasoning given if we could say that six million Jews died out Hashem because if they died they've been elevated to the highest levels of the shemaim they've been elevated to levels that even Tana were not on for whatever reason Ivana Islam saw fit to elevate these yet into these levels but says the nasiva Shalom what really plagues me what hurts me to the Core is to realize he says this is how he says it there were six million but there weren't six million mitzvahs how many of these are retirement space I don't know I don't know the numbers what about you then who we're not sure my Shabbos okay they're still here then no question but what about you then who didn't know who Hashem was can their death could be be construed as a kid to shashem maybe yeah at the end of the day they have in a shaman they gave up the life because they were Jew well what about Jews who didn't even have the presence of mine to be to be able to think at the time of their death that they're sacrificing their life okay there's just some in other words if there's no awareness that you're doing an action you're doing a Mitzvah is it a mitzvah I'll give you an example let's say somebody is unconscious and is there an Indian to put fill in on them is it like a good thing to put fill in on them no you don't do it why not because it's not a Mitzvah to be fulfillment you need awareness without awareness it's not emits what do you mean we wrapped filling around his arm Nobody Does that without Consciousness without awareness without knowing what you're doing it's not a Mitzvah the same thing with another If somebody walks down the hall and bumps into a light switch is that an Avira is that anavera it's misastic do you need atonement says you need a local government so you don't need capara why but I turned on a light on Shabbos that's not cool turning on a light on Shabbos a human being is about presence of mind without a thought process it's not an act so you have yiddin who they didn't know who Hashem was what about Jews who were intermarried what about Jews who didn't even know they were Jewish the Germans knew they were Jewish and at the last second they said you're a Jew and they killed them they gave up their life Hashem I wouldn't call that shashem they had no awareness number one they were not given a choice he says what about you then that if they would have been given a choice are you going to give up your life or uh do you want to denounce your religion what about a yid that would have said fine I don't need the religion I'm not that religious I don't even I'm not even into Judaism How Could You construe that every Jew that passed away in the Holocaust died what about a Jew that would have said had been had the choice been given I'll save my life so the nasiva shell really has three problems saying that everyone who passed who was killed in the Holocaust died number one there's no choice given me you would think you need a choice for it to be considered dying on conditioner number two you need a certain level of presence of mind you need a certain level of awareness many people their lives were snuffed out suddenly don't you at least have to be aware that you're giving up your life and make a decision I'm giving up my life Hashem and number three there was a lack of will every Jew that was killed in the Holocaust wanted to be killed don't doesn't there have to be a rod sign and therefore it says in nasiva Shalom more deeply that six million people died is the fact that in my mind I cannot honestly say that six million Jews died and in that case whether it was a half a million Jews or a million Jews but how do we reconcile how does how does it sit in our mind easily that Jews died and we we can't even explain why they died and what happened to their nashamas and what God wanted from them that's what's so uh painful about the Holocaust says that it's we can't give meaning to their death and this is one of the main themes of this safer again you have to have a lot of uh guts to ask this question you have to have big shoulders to ask this question but it's a question that now clearly just want to point down you see from his question that he does not believe that if you die just because you're a Jew you died because if they were if there was some kind of mysterious Messiah on Claire Israel that automatically that if some if a Nazi kills somebody just because they're a Jew they died then he wouldn't have a question six million Jews died out because then why because they died because they're Jewish clearly the Naseem does not accept such a premise he doesn't he doesn't uh he doesn't acknowledge that as a possibility so okay this is not totally in me observing an act that happened it's probably in the person yeah the the fact that the fact that um it's not dependent on the onlooker no kill Hashem is not dependent on the um no the the onlooker is there is because let's say what's the classic example if somebody doesn't have veira and he stands to gain nothing from it for example the Rams have someone speaks Hashem because you're showing that God's word is worthless that you're willing to violate the word of God and you're not gaining anything stealing money is not if people make a big mistake oh this guy stole it's not true it's not a kalashem he's still he needs money he loves God he happens to Love Money a little bit more he loves God he needs a million dollars so it's not a kalashem says it's a bad thing it's wrong um if somebody Arias is not a kalashem he loves God he likes pleasure more because you don't get anything out of it so you're basically declaring that God's word is not worth anything on the flip side is demonstrating that that hashem's word is more valuable than human life I'm demonstrating to the onlookers that hashem's word is more valuable than human life that's how the rambam defines there's no other definition so that seems to be what the um the nasiva Shalom is plagued by and I couldn't believe it asks the exact same question in the exact same way the mix Emilio and I'll tell you I'm going to tell you a lesson in life this happened to me a few times in my life if you try something one time and it doesn't work you and you chat I'll tell you what happened I I saw quoted this the safer quoted it and hey like hey page 348 and I didn't have the Merced million so I went to my neighbor knocked on his door I needed okay page 348 I'm looking it's not there I look 347 I look 349 I know already it's always off by one then I figure maybe it's really dalid I think maybe it's like a dollar I saw a pack of corn in a different place or something like that I went back to my neighborhood it wasn't okay I said no I can't be I was I was ready I was really frustrated I said you know what I went for Kayla gimmos I have one other time in my life I tried something two times and I was like really for the third time third time's a charm anyway the maximilio says the exact same question he says what's so painful about the Holocaust is the fact that if you didn't let's say in the times of the Crusades they said either denounce Judaism except Christianity or we're gonna kill you so they died so even if they weren't from a you didn't their their deaths had tremendous meaning they were elevated to shamayam but says mcclellio how do we explain what happened in the Holocaust they weren't given a choice there was no conscious decision that just happened to them if something just happens to you it's not a kidish Hashem therefore he says it's it's a it's um a perplexing issue it's it's a paradoxical issue how could God just take a soul and their death doesn't even have meaning he asks and he says there's a second definition of Hashem and that is even though in general Hashem is to the onlooker there is an inherent killer shashem in the heart and the mind of the one doing the Mitzvah meaning says did any individual Paris in the Holocaust make a killer shashem the answer is only Hashem knows that if when their life was being snuffed out they accepted it upon themselves wholeheartedly without tyness without complaints accepting God's uh DIN and judgment if they made that decision in their life they Sanctified God's name in their heart and we will never know and nobody will ever know and I guess we're Dan them lakovskus then in fact they did make that decision but to say that any individual who perished they were makade it's not for us to say and it's not for us to know says again so in terms of what happened recently where the deaths of these Jews who never suffered can we say that they died again in no way is this denigrating what happened in terms of our compassion for them our hearts go out and our hearts bleed for them are they kadoshim very possibly maybe we'll call it any anybody who dies are their sins are atoned for when they're murdered according to many opinions but did they die out Hashem we are not the dying we can't know such things very possibly as their lives are being taken away let's assume let's assume that they accepted the din upon themselves and in their hearts they Sanctified the name of Hashem the problem though and and what this really doesn't answer is what about somebody who was killed and did not have any presence of mind to really accept the din shamayam be aware other than their hearts that's really where the question is so um is so profound and that's what we're going to address tonight the approach of the nasiva shalom is a sudden death let's say the guy will know that they kill him because it's true he's going to accept it but if it's a sudden death he's not have a chance exactly so so then uh it would be hard that's what the military was saying in other words you would have to be have had the opportunity to make that conscious decision Alvin who got killed because like he ran back inside to try to save people about him so he gave up his life trying to save other Jews is that cool dying alcoholism he that's he died trying to help right so there at least he made a decision he made a conscious decision to risk his life to help someone so you could say his death had meaning did he classically die of Hashem I guess you could make have the same question this that's not the technical definition of Christian so I want to share with you really the astounding explanation of the nasiva Shalom this is something that really shook me to the core because this is something that should be meaningful to all of us Hashem we have the we have the privilege to be mikadishim shamayam there's a number says like this the gemara says Israel number 10 the Jewish people are holy okay a beautiful statement the Jewish people are holy yes there are many people who want to help they want to give sadaka they want to invite people to their homes they don't have the money we all know people like that they have Great Hearts they don't have the resources I wish I could give a million dollars what could I do I don't have the money I wish I could help out this fellow I don't have the resourcesla they're people who have the resources they ain't right son they don't want to help you hear all of the Jewish people are holy some people want and they can't some people can but they don't want to so Texas asks I understand the people that wants and can't have their holy they want but the people that could and don't want what's their holiness they could help other people but they don't want to so why are they holy so Tyson says even though they don't want to they do it anyway well why do they do it because they're embarrassed not to you know how it is okay it's uh it's William Kipper you know um leave you a thousand dollars Friedman a thousand dollars theft recording a thousand dollars and then the guy you know um sprocker is sitting there he's saying look I don't want to give down that but I'm embarrassed so I'll also give a thousand so you throw a condition Jews who have the resources but they don't want to so the river of zusha I don't think I ever caught the rubber of zusha before first of all the Red Revolution never wrote any tradition but they have a collection of his uh of from some of the things he said who's the rubber of zusha what generation of hasidos his third generation of right he's the Tamil of the Magid the town of the Magi lived from 1718. thank you the brother of romela the Reba revzusa the brother the the famous story he's one of the Close Associates of the magidis part of the magnet of nazrich and his whole life he was bothered by Akash on this choices what in the world does places mean that a yid who doesn't want to give tadaka and just gives sadaka because he's embarrassed not to give sadaka's called the kadash that's a kadash you want to say he'll get scar give him scar he did the Mitzvah but he's called the kadosh he doesn't want to help other people why is he a kadash this was the Kasha that the rabba RAB zusha was bothered by his whole life until tysus came to him in a dream yeah but until it happens are you a college tices came to the rebel Revolution he said let me be Maserati what I mean that no individual yet ish nobody's a cause I'm not a Cutlass for sure and even you're not a kadash so what does it mean you spell your strollers they want to do Mitzvah so they have the nisham of them so they have the rasling to do the mitzvah but they do it the guy who doesn't do it he's not a cutter she didn't do the Mitzvah the guy who doesn't want to he's not a cuddler she doesn't want to do the mitzvah but if Kyle Israel comes together as one then the myself of the stingy guy doesn't want to give it is the act of tadaka the right sign of the Sadiq who wishes he could is the nashama the Mitzvah and then the Mitzvah fuses together and his oil says look at Carlisle the unit The Entity of class so produced the perfect Mitzvah therefore Israel kaisa is an entity as a kadash there is no individual Jew that we're going to say about them he's holy he did a perfect Mitzvah everyone contributes to their part some contribute the heart and soul some contribute the ACT I'll give you an example of this that I found in but the rubber of zusha took it to the next level there's a famous question how many minutes are there on the Tyra there's 613 misses in the Tara the problem is it is impossible for any Jew to fulfill all 613 midsize yeah you're a coyan you're a levy this guy's Israel there's Ceramics that's only Kai hanum kadu sermons was only levium Services only is Sir mixes only women could do sermons only men could do so basically at the end of the day the upshot is nobody could fulfill the whole Torah and he says that's right nobody is expected to fulfill the whole Torah the job is we are half dollars that if a person joins up with the rest of the Jewish people thereby they're able to fulfill all 630 Mitzvahs but the moment you segregate the moment you break away from the entity of classical it's you've lost the ability to fulfill all 630 Mitzvahs that's the cloud Garden in the Torah and the observance of the Torah without feeling a connection to the entity of Kalisto no Jew could fulfill the whole Torah that's why this is when it says no they didn't but Salah did and a few people donated so he says this idea that Salah built this guy contributed money that guy contributed that talent and together The Entity of classical builds the Michigan but the rubber of zusha saying and tysus came to him in a dream you know if tysus comes to you in a dream then you know you're getting good stuff twice is told the river of zusha that some you didn't do Mitzvahs without any and some you didn't Supply the nashama without the mitzvah says nasiva shalim this in my mind allows me to be at peace and to reconcile what occurred in the Holocaust how's that she says something this piece I've said over a few times lately and that is that I think come out nobody knows about writes look at number 15 you should say Shema with intention with fear with awe with trembling and with sweating now okay fear I understand you're accepting the Yoke of Heaven oh I understand trembling do you know people who tremble I once saw somebody who trembled when they said trema sweating what is it why should you sweat when you say Shema why why should you sweat I mean you don't have to sweat you when you do any other do anyone here aware of a Mitzvah that you should sweat when you do that reason says if you sweat when you bake matzah it's macapa fine but I never saw anywhere in the entire chass they need to sweat so the rajma has a chuva and the rajbar writes that when a person says Shema what does it mean that you say all of my desires all of my wants all of my limbs till my very life I accept your will that I would sacrifice my life and so the rajbal you're required to imagine that your being your life is being taken away for the sake of it's not me saying this the rounds were rights when you say Shema you're obligated to imagine yourself being moisture enough says the rajma this is what mean God we are killed for you every day cesaraja is it possible to die every day for God only a cat has nine lives human being how do you die every day says the rajma every day you say shiman you imagine as if your life has been taken away it isn't it is considered as if you gave up your life Hashem in fact I saw do you remember in the Shabba shivajra should we set over that if you close your eyes and you avoid an immodest image it's considered like you're a Suma and it's like you give up your life and it's remember that if you say Shema and you're having to give up your life it's as if you've given up your life and it's but the rajma writes this is the cavano during Shema comes the mission of and the mishna Brewer says this is you know why you says you know why you need to be sweating when you say Shema what do you have to be sweating about it's because you have to be imagining a pretty uh powerful poignant image that during Shema by the way in order in the settle cotton Legends he writes you should imagine yourself as if you're in a burning hot fire but aside from that it's that the way to say Shema Isaiah because the Jew is Hashem twice a day twice a day by the way this is not a good thing it's not a nice thing it's not a khamra this is uh hmm Sesame something that really hit me very hard he said in the Holocaust certainly there were big Sadiq Mur account and when they were killed they had presence of mind and their they chose rebanishum I was waiting my whole life for this and they accepted upon themselves and they certainly were my in the fullest sense but what about little children they didn't even know who Hashem was what about Jews who maybe were not observant didn't even know what Judaism was what about a yid who who had he had the opportunity he would have chosen not to but at the end of the day they died and they died because they're a Jew was that act an act of Hashem no it's not Shem but it's the act of kidashem it was the Maison without the nashama and all the hidden who survived who when they say creation to give up their life fuses together with The Miser of those conditions and they join up together like Tyson's told the river of zusha to create a perfect ACT of Messiah so you want to know did that you give up his life okay we don't we don't look at it that way we don't look at individual Jews Hashem six million times but they didn't intend to it doesn't matter what each individual intended or did not intend to do but there are many sadikum survivors who they said Shema every day their masiras nafesh their kavana that they would have done it believe shalim fuses together with what was the act of killer shamayam and produced the greatest Arcadia in the history of Israel look the ones that died Hashem so they certainly they died okay and yeah he says both he says though that Sadiq who died and the tadiq who are limbs the reason why it hits me personally is so hard because I know my my grandfather should live and be well he said Kadesh for the kadoshim for 72 years three times a day he never missed the countess so think about what he did he was also Machado together he never lost focus of all these kadoshim not only to remember them it's not just to remember them it's we need them we need them the survivors need them because it's our kavana that is reliant on what occurred to them to be able to go beyond and create the greatest mysterious in the history of and the is the hill Russia so it's a very profound idea in fact the nasiva song goes even further to say he says if you look at the generation following the Holocaust you know if he says it was like a bumper crop it was like a bumper generation he said never in the history of the Jewish people do we ever have Alias you know usually Generations go down they go down you know we're worse than our parents they're worse than their parents and after the Holocaust in the generation the two or three generations after the Holocaust yes we don't have the good island of the caliber we used to have but in many ways the generations are rising says the nasiva shelling you have people today who are more madactic in than the generation before and the generation more in some ways were even more redactic than the previous generation look at the yeshivas in America on Earth Israel did we ever in the history of the Jewish people have Amir Yeshiva with 10 000 students no was there ever a Lakewood were there ever buildings that are going up in every single Jewish Community the size of everyday buildings are going up did we ever have I mean look at the Sabbath remember what looked like you know it's more than anyone's house over here the biggest yeshivas in history were like little you know Shacks and now every Shoal that goes up is bigger than the greatest Yeshiva from 200 years ago you have says right people think you know before the war before the warm says you know how many young people were in shul there were no young people in Shoal the Haskell was rampant in in Lithuania and today the Young Generation is very strong very Stark very inspired yes of course we have challenges but the challenges are so are so um magnified because of the strength and the power of the masses of Orthodox jewelry never in the history of Jewish people do we have the phenomenon the Renaissance that we have today I have a question says we've had great godlam we've had great Sadiq tell me any Akron you want any Acron you name was greater than anybody alive today so how was it that all these greatness could not make a Yeshiva like there are a thousand of today what I mean we don't have roshishiva the caliber of what we used to have so why is Yeshiva World the total world the world of hasida so successful he says who raised up this generation and the answer is God God is doing it and why is God doing it it's because the greatest act in the history of the world was accomplished two generations ago what was that the Holocaust the Holocaust was the akeda times 6 million really times six million but they were in 6 million doesn't work like that there were six million Jews who died and whatever their kavana was and whatever the respective level was the collective kavana of kaly Israel fuses together with the fact that six million people died and if one arcader raises somebody up to the level then can you imagine the effect in heaven of six million people dying that's why Kali is so so strong today that's why we have erots Israel that's why the Yeshiva World the oil is at unparalleled unheralded levels Holocaust and in terms of the event that happened in our own time and in terms of what our responsibility is the way we should look at it is at the end of the day 11 Jews were killed was it Al-Qaeda Hashem that won't be decided by the Nazi who killed them and that won't be decided by them either that will be decided by us to whatever level we declare our commitment when we say Shema and when to that extent we will determine whether they died they did their part the question is whether we will do our part according to this understanding of the nasiva shalom so back to the question if a Jew dies just because they're a Jew is that Hashem clearly nasiva Shalom would say no I mean it's quite evident that he would say no he's struggling to explain why the six million dollars the only answer he could come up with is through the cavanus of other Eden so I'm looking I'm looking I'm looking finally I got a hold of a state fair if you look at number 24 because is like a state fair of hundreds and hundreds of pages on the midst of them so I figure it's got to be in there somewhere so in fact in the last chapter of the safer he asked the question if somebody is killed just because there have been Abraham is that a killer system by the way I told you I'm not going to say it again I asked the question and he said that's the Messiah Israel so I'll say to that like the Gomorrah says there's such a messiah then there's such a messiah will accept it but I found in this safer that this question was asked and said if somebody dies just because they're a Jew alone is that again this Hashem he says no but I did find in a letter from abshak that there was a Yeshiva boy who was killed in Yeshiva and with shock wrote a letter he was killed just because he's a Jew and therefore it's a killer session so is it a kiss Hashem apparently it's not clear it's not clear in the safer because he brings down the world says over that the rambam says it he said the ramam doesn't say it neither does anybody else but if the veld says it over then probably there's some a car by the way he asked of some well if it's not Kiddush Hashem then would a person make a bracha because we know that if somebody gives up their life because he does bring that when the Nazis came to kavana and they took and they're about to we set over on a Shear here I believe Tish above time that if they kill you just because you're a Jew it is you know what I was getting at is somebody has to ask him right so the end of the safer the last few lines of the safer they asked did so if someone is killed just because he's a Jew is that Hashem and says some say so some say so which to me means as follows it's not the rambam because it was not say some say and to me that means there's no official Makar for it because if there was a this one says it what I think of Kai means is as follows there's a reason why we say when a person dies as a Jew they're makade we don't mean it Hashem there's not a Makar for that if somebody dies and someone is killed doesn't matter what level they're on and what their affiliation is somebody died because there's a Jew the dignity we need to have as their covet akharine is to give a certain meaning to their death and we make the statement they died it's just the laws of compassion require us to to treat their death with reverence and all is says some say so that means however um that's the conclusion um be it SME I think this concept on the Civil sham is a very powerful concept that the basically if an event transpires a Masco transpires it's up to us it's up to us who hear about it who know about it who are feeling it to imbue and Infuse it with uh as uh as uh say that after the akedah even though yitzra kovino would have given up his life okay that's Hashem but even greater than that he lived the rest of his life and everything we do and their should protect us protect him you've just experienced another Torah class brought to you by torahanytime.com