| A Message from the Kalever Rebbe | |
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| There are those people, who are complete deniers and enemies of religion and faith, who are in government positions. | |
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| They are fulfilling the words of Chazal, that taught (Sotah 49b), that in the period before the coming of the Moshiach, the kingdoms of the world will turn to support heresy and immorality, and they will mock those who continue to live according to faith, laws, and good values that were observed throughout the generations. | |
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| There is a well-known parable that the tzaddikim have offer to place this time period into perspective: | |
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| Once there was a great king who owned a large island in the middle of the sea. The soil there was rich and fertile, perfect for growing wholesome grain for food and strong trees for building. The king sent a large group of settlers to live on the island for several years, charging them with cultivating crops and trees to provide for the needs of his kingdom. | |
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| But the island had one great danger: a certain plant grew there that could be made into a kind of "chocolate." Its sweetness was unmatched—those who tasted it found the flavor exquisite, unlike anything else. Yet hidden within it was a natural substance that clouded the mind, much like the dangerous narcotics that governments ban. Knowing this, the king strictly commanded his people never to grow or eat this plant. | |
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| At first, most of the settlers obeyed his warning. Only a few disobeyed, ate from the plant, and lost their sanity. But before long, a group of scoundrels began cultivating large fields of the plant and producing this "chocolate" for sale. They advertised its delights with great fanfare, and gradually more and more people gave in, until nearly all the island's inhabitants became addicted. Soon, the majority had gone mad, acting like lunatics. | |
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| The results were disastrous. They forgot the king and abandoned their work. They stopped eating nourishing food and refused to take medicine when sick. They tore their clothing, rolled in the mud, and even leapt from rooftops, breaking their bones—yet they could not grasp that their injuries came from their own reckless behavior. They threw themselves into countless dangers, bringing ruin upon both their bodies and their possessions. | |
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| In the midst of this chaos lived one wise man. He gathered his family and said: | |
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| "I trust you are wise enough to see where this leads. Guard yourselves carefully, and never disobey the command of our good king, who warned us for our own well-being not to eat this 'chocolate.' Though it may give a moment of pleasure, it brings lasting harm. | |
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| "Yet I fear the time is near when we alone will refrain from it. All around us, people have lost their minds and will mock us as the crazy ones—because we do not behave like everyone else. Then, Heaven forbid, one of us might start to wonder if perhaps they are right and we are the fools. Especially since our neighbors will always carry this 'chocolate,' and its scent will inevitably reach us. Even the smell confuses the mind a little, and we might then fall into foolish acts without realizing why they are wrong." | |
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| "Therefore, I have resolved that every day we will study together from the book of laws of our kingdom, and from the chronicles of our ancestors. In this way we will always remember that we are walking the upright and good path, the path our forefathers followed for generations before the world lost its senses." | |
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| Years later, when the king's emissaries came to bring the settlers back to the kingdom, they found nearly all of them insane, sick, and broken—except for the wise man and his family. They alone had remained healthy. They alone had fulfilled their task of planting grain and trees for the benefit of the realm. | |
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| When the king heard of this, he rejoiced greatly that they had stayed loyal to his command despite the severe trial, and he rewarded them with abundant honor and treasure. | |
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| The lesson of this parable is clear: | |
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| Hashem sent human beings into this world, so that through their good deeds they could provide sustenance to the angels and to all the Upper Realms, as the Zohar teaches. | |
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| For more than three thousand years, our grandparents and ancestors—who were not simpletons—lived with steadfast faith in Hashem and His mitzvos. | |
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| Even among the nations of the world, many endeavored to uphold the fundamental laws of the Noahide code and believed in Divine reward and punishment. | |
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| The more upright among them even established protective safeguards. Concerning such conduct, the Chazal declared (Chullin 92a) that the nations of the world are granted reward when they refrain from public acts of abomination. | |
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| Only about two hundred years ago, corrupt men began to spread doctrines of heresy and immorality—precisely the things from which the Creator warned us to keep far away. | |
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| Their influence has led us to the state we see today: a world where most people live like madmen, chasing fleeting pleasures that harm them, forever running after new fads and desires that only further unravel their lives. And all the while, they mock the few who continue to walk the steady, sane, and enduring path. | |
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| In such times, it is more vital for us to strengthen ourselves by setting aside fixed times each day for Torah study—for the Torah is what reminds a person what it truly means to be sane. | |
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| Indeed, we can say that this is exactly what we pray for at the start of the year, when we take on new commitments for the year ahead: | |
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| "May it be Your will that we be as the head"—that we should attach ourselves to the earlier generations who, from the very beginning, walked the upright and good path. "And not as the tail"—that we should not be dragged along by the later generations, who, like a tail swinging back and forth, are always chasing after new and strange ideologies and desires. | |
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| One can add further: this prayer also offers guidance on how we can succeed in strengthening ourselves in these generations: | |
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| "May it be Your will that we be as the head"—that we merit to remain connected to the Torah, which was created at the very beginning, before the creation of the world, and is therefore called in the verse (Mishlei 8:22), "The beginning of His way." Through this connection, we gain the strength to continue walking the ancient, upright, and good path. | |
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| And may it be Hashem's Will that, by accepting upon ourselves in these days to strengthen our commitment in the coming year with fixed times of daily Torah study, we will withstand all the trials of our generation that seek to destroy human life, and we will be granted a good and sweet year. | |
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