Rabbi Peretz Chen | Calm and tranquility for days full of uncertainty - for you and for your children

00:00 Hello. I very much hope you haven’t been listening to the news every hour this morning, because what they’re reporting about preparations in Iran for a possible attack and what Hezbollah is planning is very, very stressful. It creates pressure and anxiety. Last Friday morning I was visiting Jerusalem, and one of the members of our Chabad House in the Agamim neighborhood of Ashkelon called me. He said, “Rabbi, where are you?” I told him, “I’m in Jerusalem.” So he said, “Rabbi, come back quickly. Don’t be on the road if something suddenly happens. Just get home.” Someone else told me that he went to the neighborhood supermarket around midday on Friday. He said, “Rabbi, you don’t understand. Every week at this hour the supermarket is packed and there are long lines, but this week it was empty.” Everyone had done their shopping early Friday morning, because who knows what might happen at any moment? Rumors were already spreading about a milk shortage, and people were buying things at the supermarket and emptying the shelves. A friend who works for one of the big chains told me, “Rabbi, do you understand how much work we have? You have no idea how much work. People are emptying the shelves.” What pressure, what anxiety. Whether we want to or not, we pass that pressure and anxiety on. We pass it on to our children at home, too, and that’s the last thing we need right now: children at home feeling anxious because they’re waiting, not knowing what might happen at any moment. In this class we’ll talk about how Judaism looks at this, how we should look at the situation. With Hashem’s help, these ideas will give us a great deal of calm, peace of mind, confidence, optimism and joy—and, most importantly, big smiles on our faces. With Hashem’s help, we’ll be able to pass that calm on to our children as well. In the class, we’ll also

01:57 talk today about practical things we can do. Not only will they greatly calm us down, they will also genuinely help the situation—help ensure, with Hashem’s help, that no Jewish man or woman is harmed. I’d be very grateful if you would share this class so it reaches more people, more Jews, and gives them that sense of calm and peace of mind that is so important right now. Leave a comment; give it a like. Every action like that prompts YouTube’s system to share the class with more and more Jews. So let’s get started. In 1967, in the lead-up to the Six-Day War, there was tremendous pressure here in Israel. There was a great deal of anxiety. People were talking about a war without knowing what would happen or what its outcome would be. Hashem have mercy. They prepared public parks to serve as cemeteries, G-d forbid. The situation was very, very grave. Newspaper headlines, like today’s, screamed about something whose outcome no one knew: How would we get through it, and what would the consequences be? There was tremendous pressure here in the Holy Land. At that time, the Lubavitcher Rebbe spoke in his beis midrash in New York about how Eretz Yisroel is the safest place. Of Eretz Yisroel it is said: “A land that the eyes of Hashem your G-d are always upon, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.” It is a land under a special Divine Providence unlike any other place in the world. Some chassidim who were residents of other countries and students at Chabad yeshivos in Israel asked the Rebbe, “Should we go home?” The Rebbe told them, “No, you should stay here.” And to those who wanted to flee, the Rebbe said no as well—and that people should not even know they had considered it, because it would cause panic. Why leave? This is the place. There will be great miracles. Stay here. And some time before

04:08 that came Shabbos Parshas Va’eira. Parshas Va’eira has a very special haftarah. It speaks of a war that the prophet Yechezkel foretells between Nevuchadnetzar, king of Babylon, and Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The prophet Yechezkel foretells that the Babylonians will defeat the Egyptians. At the end of that haftarah are some very special, moving words. Hashem says there to the prophet Yechezkel: “And to you I will give an opening to speak among them, and they will know that I am Hashem.” What does that mean? The reason Nevuchadnetzar would defeat Pharaoh was that Pharaoh and the Egyptians had caused trouble for the Jewish people, and they deserved to be punished for it. So there would be a war and they would receive their punishment. Nevuchadnetzar would defeat them, and that is indeed what happened. He defeated them decisively. But at the end of the haftarah, it tells us: Do you know why all this happened? Why was there a great war between them? All right, the war was important—but what was the real reason for it? “And to you, the prophet Yechezkel, I will give an opening to speak among them.” What does that mean? Toward the end of the First Beis Hamikdash period, in the time of the prophets Yirmiyahu, Yeshayahu and Yechezkel, there were Jews who did not sufficiently believe in Yechezkel as a prophet. For Jews to come to believe in their prophet, as they should, he would foretell something and they would see it happen. The result of all this would be that a few more individual Jews would believe in Yechezkel as a prophet. In other words, as the Rebbe explained then, the lesson is that every war in the world, everything that happens in the world, is for the sake of the Jewish people. So that a few Jews who did not believe in the prophet would begin to believe in him, the prophet foretells

06:47 it, that war takes place, and what the prophet said comes to pass. Then they believe in him. In other words, everything that happens in the world is for the sake of the Jewish people. And really, this is very simple. At the very beginning of the Torah, the first word is “Bereishis.” Look at Rashi’s commentary there: Divide “Bereishis” into two—“beis reishis,” two things called “first.” The world was created for two things. What are they? The Jewish people, who are called “first,” as it says in Yirmiyahu, “the first of His produce”; and the Torah, which is also called “first.” For these two things—“beis reishis,” the Torah and the Jewish people—the world was created. Everything that happens is for the sake and benefit of the Jewish people. The Rebbe brought this up in that wonderful, reassuring sicha before the Six-Day War. Think how much calm and peace of mind the Rebbe instilled: Things will happen, but in the end it is all for our good, for the good of the Jewish people. The notes to that sicha mention two or three stories. One is from the Rambam’s introduction to his Commentary on the Mishnah. He says that a person might build a palace—a beautiful palace—with a lovely vineyard beside it. It could be that the entire reason this person built the palace, planted the vineyard, invested money and energy in them, and lived there for some time was so that a pious man could one day come along and want a little cool shade by the palace wall, near the vineyard, under the grapes, or want something to eat from there. So that one Jew, a pious Jew as the Rambam writes, could come and have what he needed—that is why someone built a palace and planted a vineyard, with everything that entailed. Because for the sake of one Jew, immense things happen in the world; entire processes unfold. Or—and it also brings there, in the name of the Baal

09:10 The holy Baal Shem Tov said that there was once a war between two non-Jewish nations that lasted seven years. Seven years! Why? Because during the war there were many sounds—battle cries, victory cheers, all kinds of cries. Someone made a melody out of those sounds, and a certain tzaddik prayed to that melody, which elevated his prayer. So that the prayer of one tzaddik—one—could be elevated, there was a war for seven, seven years. Seven years of war so that one tzaddik would benefit from it. In other words, for the sake of even one Jew, events and wars take place in the world. To put it another way, imagine that right now there is a war in Africa between two African tribes. We have no idea what those tribes are called or where they are; we’ve never heard of them and know nothing about them. It is as clear as day that the reason that war is taking place in Africa is for the sake of the Jewish people. How exactly? We don’t know. But in one way or another, something beneficial must come of it for a Jew, or even for just one Jew, because every event in the world happens for the sake of the Jewish people. It’s interesting that the Rebbe delivered that wonderful sicha back then. But when was it published as an orderly booklet, with everything arranged and carefully edited? That happened in 5751, during the Gulf War, when suddenly there was anxiety again. That I already remember myself. I was a child then. I remember the war and the lead-up to it. People were anxious; they came and sealed up their rooms. And then this sicha was published as an orderly booklet, once again to reassure everyone: Friends, calm down. Everything that— And we saw what miracles there were then,

11:31 everything that happens is for the sake of the Jewish people. The Yalkut says that Hakadosh Boruch Hu tells the Jewish people: “My children, do not be afraid. Everything I have done, I have done only for your sake.” So we have nothing to fear. Everything that happens is for our good. Everything that happens, everything that will happen, is for the good of the Jewish people in one way or another. Hashem has many ways of bringing that about, because nothing in the world is not for the sake of the Jewish people. As we said, in Rashi’s first commentary on Bereishis, why was the world created? “Bereishis”—for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of the Jewish people, both of whom are called “reishis.” So first of all, as parents, we have nothing to worry about. We don’t. It would be a good idea to cut back on the news. Of course we’re curious; we can’t help wanting to know what’s happening. But don’t let it make you anxious. There’s no need. Think of all the boastful threats before the Six-Day War, and all the boastful threats before the Gulf War. Think of the videos circulating before the Gulf War about Saddam Hussein’s Scud missiles, each one the size of a truck. All these things were going around, and people were terrified. Oy vey. And boruch Hashem, there were tremendous miracles. Tremendous miracles. A few weeks ago, during the drone attack that came at us from Iran—what anxiety there was, what things people were saying. Analysis upon analysis of the threat, the weapons they had, ballistic missiles and the like. Boruch Hashem, do you remember the miracles we had here? Everything was intercepted. One got through and caused minor damage at an air force base. Boruch Hashem, things were repaired quickly and everything is all right. Even property was barely damaged. So do we have reason to be afraid? There is no place for this anxiety. None. There is no place for this anxiety. It doesn’t lead anywhere good. It isn’t a Jewish approach at all. Our hearts need to be calm. Of course,

13:40 being calm does not mean ignoring instructions. If the instructions are to enter a safe room, if there are instructions to do something else, follow them. But do it because it needs to be done, and no more than that—with a calm heart. There’s no point in all this anxiety. Beyond the fact that we shouldn’t be anxious, because there really is no reason to be—Hashem is with us, Hashem was with us, is with us, and will be with us forever, through the coming of Moshiach speedily, with Hashem’s help, and beyond—there are things we can do that will, first, help the situation, and second, keep us busy with positive, good, holy, useful action. That itself calms us. Before the Six-Day War, the Rebbe spoke about tefillin. The Rebbe said then, citing the Gemara, that putting on tefillin causes fear in our enemies. I put on tefillin here, while the enemy is hundreds or thousands of kilometers away. Suddenly he becomes afraid of us. Why? Because a Jew here is putting on tefillin. The Rebbe spoke then about how much we need to make sure this happens. Chabad chassidim went out across the country to help soldiers put on tefillin, and to help people put on tefillin in general. How important it is to put on tefillin. So if I myself put on tefillin during this period, I have to make sure another Jew puts them on too—a neighbor I’m friendly with, a coworker. There’s no need to be embarrassed. I’m telling you, I have a lot of experience with this. There’s no need to be embarrassed. You approach a Jew and say, “Come put on tefillin,” and his heart opens. Even if someone says no, next time he may say yes. Even after ten no’s, don’t be embarrassed. Aren’t we offering him something that’s good for him? Offering a Jew the opportunity to put on tefillin is doing him the greatest favor imaginable. So this is the time to strengthen our own tefillin observance and encourage

15:44 other Jews to come and put on tefillin. You all know that recently there was a lot of attention around the prime minister putting on tefillin. Yesterday, at an event I attended, I heard from someone who knows the rabbi—the Chabad shliach who helped Prime Minister Netanyahu put on tefillin. That rabbi told him that afterward the prime minister said to him, “You don’t know how many likes I got from all over the world for putting on tefillin. I haven’t received that many warm responses for other things.” And by the way, someone said—and it would be interesting to look into this more closely—that since he put on tefillin, it suddenly seems that they’ve shown more courage and strength. And boruch Hashem, the recent eliminations. Tefillin bring strength; they bring power. There is a strong connection between tefillin and success in war. That might be a subject in its own right, but let me give one small example. The Torah says that when the Jewish people go out to war, not everyone goes. Some are called “fearful and fainthearted”; they do not go to war. What does “fearful and fainthearted” mean? One explanation is someone who fears the sins he has committed. He does not go to war. What sins? The Gemara gives the example of someone who spoke between putting on the arm tefillin and putting on the head tefillin. The question is: So he spoke between them. Is it the end of the world? But not when it comes to war. Tefillin have to be put on properly, because tefillin bring the strength needed for success in war. There is a special connection between tefillin and war. Another thing: I’m speaking to the women listening. Shabbos candles, Shabbos candles. Do you light candles? Boruch Hashem. What about your neighbors? You can do the simplest thing in the world, something we did during the first period of the war. In the building where each of you lives, you can place

17:58 Together with the little girls. On Friday, put a nice table with a nice tablecloth and little kits downstairs in the building lobby for people to take. Buy Shabbos candles and put two candles in each little box or bag. You can make it even nicer by adding a challah for Shabbos, right? Each person according to what Hashem has blessed them with. That’s a way to have an impact. We did this in our neighborhood, and at least one woman told us that because of it, she started lighting Shabbos candles. At other times, perhaps some people would make faces. I don’t know what it’s like where each of you lives—maybe people would make faces at something like this. But during a war, who’s going to object? Who’s going to say a word? You can even put up a sign: “For the merit of the Jewish people, for the merit of the soldiers, and for the return of the hostages.” It really does help with those things. And even someone who is bothered by it can’t say anything when they see that, because that truly is what it’s for. So when we and our children get busy with this kind of activity, we’ll be occupied with something so positive for the safety of the Jewish people, and that will ease all the stress, anxiety, confusion, and everything else. So, to sum up: there’s no reason to worry. Hashem is with us. Everything happening in the world is for our sake. That’s the first thing. And something that can help tremendously is to keep busy doing something positive: helping another Jew put on tefillin, helping another Jew light Shabbos candles, doing these important things. When we’re busy with that, it will ease our stress and anxiety and all those things. Much success. May we hear good news for the Jewish people. May we, with Hashem’s help, soon walk to the Third Beis Hamikdash; may the hostages return, may the wounded recover, and may there be only good for the Jewish people. Thank you very much. Good and joyous news. All the best.