Two scenarios:
Scenario I: A young boy awakened in the middle of the night, placed in the back of vehicle, told not to make any noise, and the vehicle speeds off down the highway.
Scenario II: Young boy playing in park goes to see firetruck, turns around to see scary man in angry pursuit, poised to attack.
I experienced and lived through both of those scenarios. Terrifying, no? Actually, no; and my picture was never on a milk carton.
Here's the context:
Scenario I: We addressed both set of our grandparents as "grandma" and "grandpa". How did we distinguish? One set lived less than a half hour's drive; those were there "close grandma and grandpa". The other set lived five hour drive away; they were the "way far away grandma and grandpa". To make the trip the most pleasant for all of us, Dad would wake up my brother and I at 4:00AM, we'd groggily -- but with excitement! -- wander out and down to the garage where we'd crawl into the back of our 1962 Dodge Dart 440 station wagon with the seats folded down to accommodate a mattress where we would sleep most of the trip. I loved spending time with my way far away grandparents and was particular close with my grandpa; we had sort of a mutual admiration and love thing that never diminished till the day he passed away. Four o'clock in the morning became a magic time for me; and is till today.
Scenario II: I did go to see a firetruck... which was fighting a factory warehouse (I don't know exactly what it was, but it was big). I didn't tell Dad I was going, so when he turned around and couldn't find me, he was terrified. He must have been running around for a while when I saw him. Apparently the firemen were too busy to notice a five year old boy standing between the firetrucks and the blazing warehouse. I saw Dad, so started walking toward him to share my excitement! Then I realized he was really, really angry and I knew I was in really, really big trouble. Was I terrified? Of course not! It was my dad. Was I scared? Of course! It was my dad. It was really only years later when I was a father myself that I realized that the source of his anger was his deep love for me and terror that he could have lost me.
Our shuls are closed. Our batei medrashim are closed. We are shuttered into our homes because there is a destructive force taking untold lives that grows stronger every day. Does HaShem not want our t'filos? But we are davening. Does he not want our limud haTorah? But we are learning. In the entire history of Klal Yisroel has there ever once been a situation like this?
In fact, yes; exactly once: the night before we left Mitzrayim. There is a Ba'al Turim making the rounds; I heard it first from my son-in-law. On the verse 8, chapter 12 of Exodus in the midst of HaShem's instructions to Moshe Rabbeinu about how Klal Yisrael is to conduct themselves during that night, the Ba'al Turim brings a medrash: Just as Klal Yisrael were confined to their homes during that that original redemption, so too will it be for the final redemption.
How about this that I heard over Torah Anytime from R' Efraim Twerski, shlita? There was a tremendous excitement in Klal Yisrael 160 years ago in the year 5620 -- they were certain that the mashiach was coming that year. Why? Because the Zohar says that the year 5620 -- כת''ר -- would be the year of redemption. The mashiach didn't come... but, interestingly, the current pandemic is due to COVID-19, the corona virus -- the "crown" shaped virus. Perhaps this is the year of the כת''ר/crown?
So... what's the context? Is HaShem angry with us because of our talking in shul, kiddush clubs, and misuse of the internet? Or is He so proud of they way we managing in such a difficult world that it is time for the magical time to leave this vestibule and enter the palace?
I don't know. Am I scared, nervous, excited? Of course! It's my Dad!
Scenario I: A young boy awakened in the middle of the night, placed in the back of vehicle, told not to make any noise, and the vehicle speeds off down the highway.
Scenario II: Young boy playing in park goes to see firetruck, turns around to see scary man in angry pursuit, poised to attack.
I experienced and lived through both of those scenarios. Terrifying, no? Actually, no; and my picture was never on a milk carton.
Here's the context:
Scenario I: We addressed both set of our grandparents as "grandma" and "grandpa". How did we distinguish? One set lived less than a half hour's drive; those were there "close grandma and grandpa". The other set lived five hour drive away; they were the "way far away grandma and grandpa". To make the trip the most pleasant for all of us, Dad would wake up my brother and I at 4:00AM, we'd groggily -- but with excitement! -- wander out and down to the garage where we'd crawl into the back of our 1962 Dodge Dart 440 station wagon with the seats folded down to accommodate a mattress where we would sleep most of the trip. I loved spending time with my way far away grandparents and was particular close with my grandpa; we had sort of a mutual admiration and love thing that never diminished till the day he passed away. Four o'clock in the morning became a magic time for me; and is till today.
Scenario II: I did go to see a firetruck... which was fighting a factory warehouse (I don't know exactly what it was, but it was big). I didn't tell Dad I was going, so when he turned around and couldn't find me, he was terrified. He must have been running around for a while when I saw him. Apparently the firemen were too busy to notice a five year old boy standing between the firetrucks and the blazing warehouse. I saw Dad, so started walking toward him to share my excitement! Then I realized he was really, really angry and I knew I was in really, really big trouble. Was I terrified? Of course not! It was my dad. Was I scared? Of course! It was my dad. It was really only years later when I was a father myself that I realized that the source of his anger was his deep love for me and terror that he could have lost me.
Our shuls are closed. Our batei medrashim are closed. We are shuttered into our homes because there is a destructive force taking untold lives that grows stronger every day. Does HaShem not want our t'filos? But we are davening. Does he not want our limud haTorah? But we are learning. In the entire history of Klal Yisroel has there ever once been a situation like this?
In fact, yes; exactly once: the night before we left Mitzrayim. There is a Ba'al Turim making the rounds; I heard it first from my son-in-law. On the verse 8, chapter 12 of Exodus in the midst of HaShem's instructions to Moshe Rabbeinu about how Klal Yisrael is to conduct themselves during that night, the Ba'al Turim brings a medrash: Just as Klal Yisrael were confined to their homes during that that original redemption, so too will it be for the final redemption.
How about this that I heard over Torah Anytime from R' Efraim Twerski, shlita? There was a tremendous excitement in Klal Yisrael 160 years ago in the year 5620 -- they were certain that the mashiach was coming that year. Why? Because the Zohar says that the year 5620 -- כת''ר -- would be the year of redemption. The mashiach didn't come... but, interestingly, the current pandemic is due to COVID-19, the corona virus -- the "crown" shaped virus. Perhaps this is the year of the כת''ר/crown?
So... what's the context? Is HaShem angry with us because of our talking in shul, kiddush clubs, and misuse of the internet? Or is He so proud of they way we managing in such a difficult world that it is time for the magical time to leave this vestibule and enter the palace?
I don't know. Am I scared, nervous, excited? Of course! It's my Dad!
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