Dayan Yisroel Yaakov Fisher ZT”L was one of the leading Torah luminaries in Israel and the Raavad (head of the Rabbincal Court) of the Eida Chareidis in Israel. As an aside, his father, Rav Aharon Fisher, merited to have two remarkable sons – Rav Yisroel Yaakov who was a Torah giant in the Charedi world, the religious Zionist world. It is commonly accepted that he merited such progeny due to the following story. Rav Aharon had served in the Hungarian army in his youth and was an expert marksman. He once averted a horrifying pogrom threatening the newly-built Yishuv of Meah Shearim, by shooting the Mufti, or head Arab, as he advanced upon the Yishuv with a seething mob of Arabs behind him. One shot with his weapon, (hailing back from his army days) and the Mufti lay dead, while the rest of the Arabs retreated in terror.
Rav Yisroel Yaakov writes (Even Yisroel Moadei HaShana, Page 137) that when the nation of Israel is in trouble, Heaven forbid, there are two types of Divine interventions that can bring about its salvation – “Deserved Intervention” and “Undeserved Intervention”. Deserved Intervention occurs when Bnei Yisrael deserve to be saved due to their actions and pure intentions. Undeserved Intervention occurs when we do not deserve to be saved, however, Hashem judges our actions in a comparative framework with the enemy. If our actions in a comparative sense are significantly better than the enemy’s, we may be saved.
Perhaps an example of both types of interventions is in order. Our salvation on Purim is an example of Deserved Intervention, because Bnei Yisrael communally did Teshuva (repented) to merit its salvation. Our salvation on Chanukah is an example of Undeserved Intervention – Bnei Yisrael did not do Teshuva communally and was saved due to their actions being comparatively better than the Assyrian Greeks.
In this week’s Parsha, we find that Hashem explains to Bnei Yisrael why they merited to inherit the land of Israel:
“It is not because of your virtues and the straightness of your heart (your integrity) that you will be able to possess their country; but it is because of their wickedness that Hashem is dispossessing those nations before you, and in order to fulfill the oath that Hashem made to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Devarim 9:5)
We see quite clearly from the above, that Bnei Yisrael received an Undeserved Intervention when they conquered the land of Israel. However, the implication of the phrase within the verse above, “It is not because of your... straightness of heart...” implies that if they had straightness of heart meaning integrity (or inner integrity, according to the Ramban), then our intervention could have been switched to a Deserved Intervention – such is the power of Emes, truth and integrity.
And that is a very powerful thing indeed. Returning to our prior example, we know that Purim, as an example of Deserved Intervention, has a more profound spiritual effect on us than does Chanukah, an Undeserved Intervention. This is why Yom HaKippurim is likened to Purim – because it can catapult us to profound heights in spirituality.
It is important to focus on the importance of Emes. It has the power to merit a Deserved Intervention and earn us our salvation.
