But the Russian authorities didn’t believe them. As far as they were concerned they were Lithuanian citizens and Lithuania now belonged Russia.
Only the Yeshiva boys managed to prove that they aren’t Russian citizens because they stayed attached to their Religion, all the things forbidden by the Communists. The only option was that they were educated in Poland with a Religious education. They claim was accepted and the boys were sent back to Poland and from there they continued west to Eretz Yisrael or America.
Sadly the others stayed behind caught in the Communist regime that brought on all their citizens a religious and spiritual poverty.
Actually we find this message in this week’s Parsha.
In Parshas Achrei Mos we learn about Yom Kippur and the Avoda the Kohen Gadol did on Yom Kippur. During Yom Kippur day the Kohen Gadol would take two similar goats. He would then take two slips of paper, one was written ‘for Hashem’ and the other ‘to the Azazel’ (to hell). The Kohen would then make a lottery and pick out the two papers and place them on the two goats. The one that was for Hashem was brought as a sacrifice in the Beis Hamikdash. The other goat would be taken to a cliff, thrown over and killed.
Now let us think for a moment. The two goats had no clue what the papers meant. But one goat saw how the Kohen Gadol took the other goat, slaughtered it and brought it as a Korbon on the Mizbaech.
The goat, as much as it can possibly understand, would be thinking to itself, “my poor friend, he was chosen to be killed and lucky me, I am still alive and well.”
But then what happened?
The goat was taken for a walk of about nine miles and thrown over a cliff that caused it to be killed.
The passuk tells us that the first goat’s blood was sprinkled inside the Kodesh Hakadashim next to the holy Aron. The Zohar explains that the other goat is a gift to the Satan. (A very complex issue, but in a few words, the Satan that stands for the culture of Edom, derives pleasure from conflicting pain. The goat for Azazel is a similar idea to the idea of bull fighting.)
So in the long term, who did the better deal?
But the message is in fact much deeper.
The Satan attracts, entices and gives so many reasons why his way of life is so much better. The Satan shows how so often those following the way of Hashem are suffering and losing out, they are like the goat that was sacrificed on the Mizbaech. So too the person serving Hashem has to give up so much and sacrifice his life for Hashem.
The Satan continues to show a person how much fun and success those who have followed his way of life have had. His fans are enjoying the pleasures of life.
But when we look a little further into the future we see the exact same outcome as the two goats.
The one who gives up and sacrifices himself for Hashem immediately becomes closer to Hashem and starts ascending the ladder of spiritual elevation. Not to mention the long term eternal future and reward for every single act of Avodas Hashem.
