Warning from Above

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev behooves us to search for the Divine wisdom within every creation and event, for by identifying and appreciating the intrinsic Divine wisdom, that creation or event brings us closer to Hashem.[1]

Rav Shalom Arush stresses in all his writings the following three main points we must understand about Hashem:

1. Everything comes from Hashem;

2. Hashem does everything for the very best;

3. Hashem does everything for a purpose.

There are no exceptions to the above three points. As Rav Shalom explains at length in The Garden of Gratitude, even the seemingly worst events in history are messages from Hashem, intended for our ultimate benefit.

Many people ask, “Even the acts of tyrants? That comes from Hashem too with no exceptions? How can that be?”

The first principle of our faith states, “I believe with full and complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is Creator and Director of all the creations; He alone did, does and will do every deed.”[2]

Do we realize what that means? Hitler didn’t make the Nuremberg Laws – Hashem did.

The German Jews were assimilating en masse prior to World War II. The crazy chase to rid themselves of the yoke of Torah and adopt the “Enlightenment” (sic) – the culture, education and customs of their host country – thus “emancipating” themselves from Torah and mitzvot, Heaven forbid, was spreading like wildfire to the neighboring countries. Judaism was on a dangerous downward slide in Germany. Throughout Europe, the secular Jewish Press was winning the upper hand and poisoning people’s hearts against the rabbinical leaders of the generation. Intermarriage was on the rampage in Germany especially and Jewish education was almost nil. The young generation was attending public schools and soon became ignorant of any trace of Judaism.

Such a trend was leading to the death of the Jewish soul. Since the Jews lacked the sense to plug the gaping hole of the traditional dike to hold back the sea of assimilation, Hashem had to do something urgent, lest Jews and Judaism disappear totally. Overnight, Hashem put a “nobody” in power, a beer-drinking narcissistic psychopath named Adolph Schicklgruber who was a mere corporal in the Austrian Army. Overnight, he became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, becoming the all-powerful dictator, or Fuhrer, a mere year later. In 1935, Hitler put an instant halt to Jewish assimilation with the Nuremberg Laws, which excluded Jews from German citizenship and limited their rights as members of society.

Let’s see how the Nuremberg Laws were amazing messages directly from Hashem:

1. Section 1 expressly forbids intermarriage: “Marriages between Jews and nationals of German or kindred blood are forbidden. Marriages concluded in defiance of this law are void, even if, for the purpose of evading this law, they are concluded abroad.” The Torah forbids intermarriage too…

2. Section 2 forbids intimate relations between Jews and non-Jews, even outside the context of marriage: “Relations outside marriage between Jews and nationals for German or kindred blood are forbidden.” Again, the Torah concurs.

3. Article 3 forbids a Jew from employing female non-Jewish domestic help: “Jews may not employ in their households female subjects of the state of German or related blood.” 

Subsequent laws robbed Jews of further rights. Ultimately, they were forced to live together in ghettos, give up their property and businesses which were literally robbed from them, take Jewish names and wear Jewish identification badges. These were all Hashem’s messages saying, “Get out of Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Russia! Return to your Jewish identity!”

The Holocaust, and its six million Jewish martyrs, was a horrific price to pay for not listening to Hashem’s warnings. Between Nuremburg and Kristallnacht in 1938, there were three years. A Jew could have left Germany or Poland then. But, the majority refused to heed Rebbe Nachman’s advice and to look for the Divine Wisdom within every event.

A shepherd often uses a sheep dog with sharp teeth to help bring wayward lambs back into the flock. In the case of the Nuremburg Laws, Hashem used a mad dog with very sharp teeth by the name of Hitler to bring His straying flock back into the fold.

Don’t ever forget – whereas Hitler killed Jewish bodies, assimilation and intermarriage kill Jewish souls. The latter is a much greater tragedy.

Our sages teach that the Jews in Egypt were redeemed because of the four virtues they maintained:

1. They didn’t change their names from the original Hebrew names to local names;
2. They didn’t change their mode of dress;
3. They didn’t change their language;
4. They lived together in separate neighborhoods.

Notice that all of the above four points are the exact opposite of assimilation.

Fortunately, there is an unprecedented spiritual awakening in the Jewish World. Hundreds of thousands in Israel alone are returning to Hashem and to His Torah. This is the only guarantee that will prevent any future calamity from befalling the Jewish People, may we all return to Hashem speedily, amen.