Fight Darkness with Light

In recent weeks there has been a spate of troubling reports of anti-Semitic acts and speech. This has been happening for quite a while in Europe, and is now occurring in America with alarming frequency. Things that were unthinkable just a few years ago are now on the verge of becoming acceptable, and are condoned by high-level officials including presidential candidates.

I’ve been thinking about this situation, and wondering: What message is Hashem trying to tell us? Why is He allowing this to happen? It seems that now more than ever people hate Jews. Therefore, now more than ever we need to love our fellow Jews.

This has to be more than just a lofty and nebulous slogan. We need to take concrete action to make it part of our personal goals and daily accounting. We need to show this love not only to people who are similar to us, but also to people who are different from us, who annoy us or whose behavior we find disagreeable. This is especially hard to do, but this is precisely the approach that can make the greatest positive impact. Here are some suggestions that may help.

First, it’s critical to not engage in negative speech against other Jews. This type of speech brings disastrous results both for the person being spoken about and the speaker. On the other hand, the positive is hundreds of times greater than the negative. The Vilna Gaon says that when someone refrains from speaking negatively, he or she merits a supernal light that is unfathomable. There’s no doubt that when an individual resists the temptation to speak negatively about someone, this brings Divine favor to the entire Jewish people.

The next guideline is to look for the good in other people. No matter how disagreeable a person’s behavior, he or she has virtues. Hashem is the Creator of each person. Therefore, he or she must have some meritorious traits. It’s up to us to spot at least one virtue and concentrate on that. When we overlook another person’s flaws and look at their positive qualities, Hashem will do the same for us and will only focus on our good points.

A critical step is to pray daily for the Jewish people as a whole and individual Jews with spiritual or material needs. It’s especially important to try to pray for those who may have wronged us or whose words or behavior we find especially objectionable. Rabbi Arush wants everyone to pray at least 15 minutes a day for the spiritual welfare of the Jewish people, and especially that everyone should start learning emuna and speaking to Hashem in personal prayer every day.

Rabbi Lazer Brody writes that something amazing happens when you start praying for a person with whom you have a difficult relationship: that person will begin to look upon you favorably and drop his animosity towards you. Even if this does not happen, praying for another person evokes tremendous Divine compassion and will bring you closer to Hashem.

I recommend keeping a pushka (tzedakah box) both at home and at work. Every time you hear an anti-Semitic report, put a dollar in the can, and use that money to distribute (or sponsor Emuna Outreach to distribute for you) emuna materials. Then immediately, say a prayer for another Jew, preferably someone who has wronged you or whose behavior you find offensive.  

Of course, don’t pray that the person will be successful in carrying out bad behavior. Pray that the person or his family becomes closer to Hashem and attains spiritual and material well-being. After all, we read in the Yom Kippur liturgy, that Hashem does not seek the death of sinners. He wants them to repent! Every Jew is very precious in the eyes of Hashem and has a lofty soul which cannot be fathomed.

By taking immediate and sustained daily action we can turn anti-Semitic hate into beams of goodness and light. When we work to enhance unity and Ahavas Yisrael, this will surely elicit Divine protection and blessings.