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A Lesson in Midas Hadin THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) based on a lecture by Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe 0021-6615 is published monthly except July and August, by theAgu dath Israel of America, 84 William 11 Bungalow Judaism Street, New York, N.Y. !0038. Second based on a lecture by Rabbi Hillel David class postage paid at New York. N.Y. Subscription $18.00 per year: two 17 Israel's Yeshivos and The Zionist Loyalty Oath years, $30.00: three years. $40.00. Ezriel Toshavi Outside of the United States (US funds only) $10 surcharge per year. Single copy: $2.50: foreign: $3.00. 21 To Distinguish Between Light and Darkness Send address changes to The Jew Rabbi Simon Schwab ish Observer. 84 William St., N.Y., N.Y. 10038. Tel.: (2!2) 797-9000. Printed in the U.SA. 25 A Nation of Devourers David Schaps RABBI N!SSON WOLPIN. Edaoc 29 Tisha B'av, A Moed of Redemption Editorial Board Yissochor Dov Loriner DR. ERNST BODENHEIMER Clla1nnan 33 Books in Review: For Our Children RABB! JOSEPH ELIAS JOSEPH FRIEDENSON The ArtScroll Youth Hagaddah/The Ten Tests of Abraham/The RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN Mentchkins Make Shabbos/AHanukkiyah For Dina/My Special RABBI MOSHE SHERER Friend/The Gift That Grew/Huny, Friday is a Short Day/ Management Board Jerusalem Gems/Olomeinu Gems/The Fateful Mission/The NAFTOLI HIRSCH Parnas/The Story of Reb Yisrael Salanter/Search My Heart/ ISAAC KIRZNER Target 613 RABBI SHLOMO LESIN NACHUM STEIN 37 Siyum of the Mishna Yomis RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING Michoel Robinson Business Mwwger THE JEWISH 0BSER\1ER does not as 39 P.S. Brotherly Love and Shmittah sutne responsibility !Or the KashnJs of any product or service advertised in its pages. 40 "With and Without Comment" ©Copy.Tight 1987 41 But WhyTehillim Devora Kramer JUNE'87 VOL. XX, NO. 5 43 Letters to the Editor Write Your "L'Shana Tova" Message in the Box of Your Choosing. 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JUDGMENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT: A Lesson in Midas Had.in he world may prefer to forget the suffering and torture inflicted on the Jews by the Nazis during World War II but at this writing, the daily newspaper headlines do not permit it to happen. While Klaus Barbie is being tried as the Butcher of Lyon, John Demjanjuk, the Beast of Treblinka, is standing trial in Jerusalem's Binyanei Hauma. The trial in Jerusalem, especially, has exerted a strong magnetic pull, drawing in spectators of all ages and backgrounds to relive the terror of the Treblinka experience, from which so few emerged alive; and a young generation is brought into stark confrontation with events it never witnessed, yet must never forget. As these trials prompt us to focus on that crucial era of unparalleled suffering, terror and death, we ask: what lessons should we derive from this direction of attention on events of almost half a century ago? Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe N""''~' one of the foremost Mussar figures of our time, author of several classic seforim, including Alei Shur, expresses his thoughts on this topic. orty years after the event, we are again being them over, and G-d had delivered them!" This is literally forced to visualize all the dreadful experiences of what took place: Small numbers of members of the Third F the Nazi death camps and ghettos. We must Reich brought millions ofJews to the gas chambers, and understand that this is but a means for Divine Provi this could only have been possible because, " ... their dence to remind us that Midas HaDin-uncompromis Protector had given them over and G-d had delivered ingjustice-is an active force in the world. them"-Midas HaDin in its strongest form. Just exactly what is this attribute of Din? In Devmim At the Eichmann trial, a generation ago, witnesses (32:29 and 30 ), the Torah describes it: "If they were wise, were asked why no one resisted the Nazi murderers-a they would understand this, they would discern their ridiculous question that could only have been posed by destiny. How can one chase a thousand, and two put ten people who were not there. The diabolic inventiveness thousand to flight, if not that their Protector had given and obsessive devotion with which the Nazis virtually stripped their victims of their defenses is without paral This essay is based on a transcription in the Israel newspaper Yated Ne'eman of a Mussardiscourse delivered by Rabbi Wolbe in Yeshivas Mir in Jerusalem. lel in histozy. How were the murderers able to muster up Rabbi Wolbe had studied in the Mir Yeshiva in Europe until the outbreak of such reservoirs ofefficiency and cruelty? There can be no World War 11, when he escaped to Stockholm. Here he worked tirelessly to save explanation other than G-d's attribute of unyielding din. lives and to help survivors who found refuge in Sweden during and after the war. He decreed it thus, or they could never have so succeeded. The Jewish Observer, Summer 1987 5 THE APPROACH CALLED "DIN" bid, he does not prove himself, no concessions are made. He must receive his punishment in this world or in the he Amara Rav describes how when Moshe as World-to-Come, since after all, the primary thought was cended to file Heavens to receive the Torah. he to establish the world on the basis of justice, and ulti T found G-d sitting and connecting crowns to the mately this remains a condition of creation. letters. Moshe said: "Master of the Universe, for whom do You do this?" Replied G-d, "There is one man that is destined to live THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND "DIN" many generations from now-Akiva, the son ofJoseph who will expound mounds of halachos on each point (of he Jewish Nation's special relationship with G-d the crowns)." is of such closeness that it demands of them a Said Moshe, "Show him to me." T higher awareness of Divine involvement in the Said G-d, "Step back." affairs of man.