The Zera Shimshon, Rav Shimshon Chaim ben Rav Nachmon Michoel Nachmani, was born in 5467 (1706/1707) into an illustrious family with great Rabbinical lineage. He served as Rav of Modena, Pisa, Sayna and Reggio, Italy. His Seforim were named, Zera Shimshon (al HaTorah) and Toldos Shimshon (Pirkei Avos). He passed away on the 6th of Elul 5539 (1779). His passionate plea and promise regarding learning his Chiddushim:
“I implore of you with ten terms of supplication to choose from my Chiddushim (novella) the piece ... that finds favor in your eyes, for your learning will sooth my soul etc... “This righteousness will stand by you forever – to ‘eat’ in this world, and be satiated in the next. In this merit, Hashem will repay you with children, health and sustenance. “...and now my brothers and friends etc. do a true kindness, and with your eyes you will see children and grandchildren surrounding your table, houses filled with all that is good, wealth and honor will not cease from your children...”
The problem with history is that the future is so unpredictable.
If it were more predictable, then we would have avoided World War I, and certainly World War II. Things just seem to happen, and even though some of the most brilliant strategists sit down to discuss what has happened, what is going on, and how to manipulate the future, in the end, things just seem to blow up in their faces, figuratively and literally.
The reason why is simple. To predict the future means to know what G-d is thinking and what He plans to do. If you are not a prophet, that is impossible, and even more so if you don’t believe G-d runs history. The leaders making the decisions rarely incorporate G-d and His will into their picture of history, which denies them to consciously play a role in the fulfillment of G-d’s plan for Creation. Whatever they think they are doing, at the end of the day, they are really only doing what G-d wants to get done.
This means that G-d tells them what to do, but in a way that they think the ideas are their own. Their perspective, which guides their decision-making process, is based upon what G-d wants them to see, so that they will respond in a way that is logical to them, but really just doing what G-d wants accomplished to further the cause of redemption. Only a leader with the fear of G-d is privy to the truth about history, so that he can act as a conscious partner with G-d in forming it. The message could not be more appropriate for this period of time.
“Eichah?”
It’s a question that a person can only ask upon waking up to reality. It’s the question a person asks upon finding himself drowning in consequences that he could have avoided had he only taken life more seriously, and had only been real with the reality of G-d.
“We were caught, just like G-d said He would catch us.” “We were punished, just as He had warned we would be.” We are now back in Gaza in full force, just as was foretold by so many years ago in advance of the hitnatkut (disengagement).
“HOW . . . how could we not have seen THEN what we were setting ourselves up to go through NOW? HOW could we have been so willing to have taken what we clearly see now as a completely unnecessary risk?”
“How?” It was the first question ever asked to man after he perpetrated the first sin ever, except that it was pronounced, “aiyekah” and is translated as, “Where are you?” However, it wasn’t a question that G-d was asking of man, it was a question that G-d asked man to ask of himself: Where am I, that is, where did it get me, this sin of mine? What did I gain by throwing away Paradise? What was I thinking at the time that convinced me that gaining so little could make it worthwhile to lose so much?”
