Part VI. Week #4 — Fear
Fear is Obligatory
And now we come to week number four, the last week before Rosh Hashanah. It means that the Day of Judgement is coming, and that means that it’s time to become afraid, to learn some yiras Shamayim. Now, I understand that today the rabbanim don’t want to talk too much about fear of Hashem—it’s all love and happiness; nothing to fear at all—but here we like to talk truth. And the truth is that it’s a mitzvah of the Torah to learn to be afraid of Hashem constantly.
And it’s not just any mitzvah—it’s the pinnacle of success! You remember when Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted to praise Avraham Avinu after the tenth test that He gave him, the Akeidah, and Avraham passed the test successfully, what Hakadosh Baruch Hu said about him? What words, what title did He give him? He said, הָ ּ ַ̇‡ יםƒ ̃ ֹ ל¡‡ ‡≈ר¿י יƒ ּ כ יƒ ּ ̇¿עַ„ָי הָ ּ ַ̇ﬠ – Now I know that you are a man who fears Elokim (Bereishis 22:12). To fear Hashem, that’s the paramount achievement.
So how can a person live his life without being afraid of Hashem? He loves Judaism, very good. He loves mitzvos; he’s enthusiastic about them. Excellent. He may even learn a lot of Torah. All very good. But where is the fear? What about being afraid of Hashem?
It’s a mitzvah in the Torah, a very great obligation, to learn to be afraid of Hashem constantly. Not just awe, or respect—real fear, to actually be afraid of Hashem. Afraid of everything that could happen, chas v’shalom; afraid of what Hashem could do, what He could inscribe for the coming year, or the coming years.
The More, the Better
And so, at least this one week before Rosh Hashanah there’s no question that we can try a little bit to become yerei Shamayim. To learn, to train ourselves constantly to have that in our hearts, is an important form of teshuvah. Everyone, after all, must have at least some fear of Hashem as he comes before Him at the Great Tribunal, and therefore, even if everything is going smoothly, even when you’re doing things that are proper, you’re fulfilling everything, still you must bring into your heart a fear of Hashem.
Now, just to say, “Be afraid of Hashem”, that won’t mean much. We’re looking for a way that’s karov eilecha; something we can grab onto and make part of our lives. We’re looking for something we can do without adding any new obligations and yet it should still be a big teshuvah.
So let’s take a few examples. And it would be a good idea to make use of them as much as you can during this last week before Rosh Hashanah. Of course, once you get used to them, so you’ll continue with them next year, too; why not? After all, the more yiras Hashem the better. So let’s begin.
Don’t Let It Go to Waste
You read the newspapers; of course it’s a waste of time, but sometimes you pass by the newsstand and you see the headlines; you see that in Rwanda, some place in Africa, thousands of children are dying of starvation and disease. Thousands upon thousands! The tribes there are busy all the time fighting against each other. They’re massacring each other. So the children are dying from starvation and the adults are dying by the sword.
So you’ll say, “And what about it? Somewhere in Africa the natives are killing each other, that’s my business?”
Yes, it’s most definitely your business. You know how I know that? It’s a Gemara in Yevamos (63a): ין≈‡ ל≈‡ָר¿ׂ ̆ƒי ילƒב¿ׁ ̆ƒ ּ ב ‡ָ ּ ל∆‡ םָלֹעוָל הָ‡ָ ּ ב ̇ ּ נוָﬠ¿רֻּפ – Troubles come on the world only because of the Am Yisroel. And Rashi says, םָ‡¿רָי¿ל – to make Jews afraid, הָב ּ וׁ ̆¿ ̇ƒ ּ ב ּ רו ¿ז¿חַ ּ י∆ׁ ̆ י≈„¿ ּ כ – so that they should do teshuvah. That’s one of the big reasons that things happen in this world.
And so, if you think it’s none of your business Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, “What do you mean?! I’m telling you it’s your business, and you’re saying no?! People are dying so that you should learn from them, and you say it’s not your business?!” Hashem has a big claim against us, “Look what I am doing! םָ ּ יַ ּ ב יםƒע¿בֹטו יַ„ָי ה≈ׂ ֲ̆ﬠַמ – People are being dispensed with—children, families—and you are wasting the opportunity that I’m giving you?! You’re not using it to become more and more afraid of Me?! What a waste!”
Reasons for Death
It means that when you read that there was a big flood in India and people drowned and now people are dying of starvation, you’re supposed to become much more frum because of that! “Ooh, if I were there, how terrible it would be!” And if Hashem wants to, chalilah, He can make the same thing happen right here in New York. Don’t think it’s not so! That’s why they’re dying, to make us afraid of Hashem’s power.
We should become better and better because of that. Just because of that, we should start coming to shul in the morning to daven. That’s a good enough reason.
Somebody sees all of a sudden you’re coming to shul in the morning. “You daven at home always. Why are you coming to shul this morning?”
“Well, it’s because of what happened in India.”
“What happened in India?! So what?”
“That’s what it means ם‡ליר – to frighten us,” you tell him. “Rabbi Miller said we’re supposed to be frightened.”
“Frightened? Why should we be frightened?” He’s a Young Israel man. Fear means to have awe of Hashem. That’s what Young Israel says. No fear, only awe.
No, no, no. To be afraid of Hashem! To tremble before Hashem! That’s what a frum Jew has to do. You have to learn to be frightened.
It’s a possuk that everybody knows: ‡ ֹ לֲה םƒיֹו ּ ‚ ר≈סֹיֲה ַיחƒכֹיו – If He sends suffering on the nations, isn’t He showing something? ַ̇ﬠ ּ ָ„ םָ„ָ‡ „ּ≈מַל¿מַה — He is teaching people da’as (Tehillim 94:10). He’s teaching us to be afraid.
Hashem has His plans and His intentions, and whatever He does to the nations is certainly just, but Hashem’s main intention is to teach us to fear Him. And so, whenever you hear something happen in the world, don’t say, “It has nothing to do with me. It’s interesting, but what’s it my business?” It’s your business especially.
Crashes Happen
Here’s a Pan Am airplane with 300 people on it, and it crashed into the Pacific Ocean. So what does the fool say? “Well, in most of the cases airplanes don’t crash, so I don’t have to think about that.” Or, “I don’t do those things anyhow; I don’t travel on airplanes. I travel on buses and trains, not airplanes.” And if you hear it happened on a bus; “Oh, that bus is someplace else, far away. I don’t go in that neighborhood at all.” There’s no end to the terutzim you can use to dodge the opportunity to learn.
Now, that’s a terrible mistake. You’re misusing the airplane crash. That tragedy was for you, to remind you to learn yiras Hashem. Nobody knows when he’s going to be sentenced, chas v’shalom. A person may be packing his valise, full of joy for a happy trip. He doesn’t know that he is going now to his final execution. And therefore, a man must always be prepared with yiras Hashem. At all times a person should think, “Who knows what could happen to me because of my aveiros?”
Hakadosh Baruch Hu has ways and means of carrying out His retribution. Chas v’shalom, crossing a street—cars are coming from all directions. Suddenly a car turns, and it’s going too fast to stop. Sometimes it jumps the curb, and there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s too late. You have to be afraid!
So this week, as you’re walking down the sidewalk, say, “Ribono Shel Olam! Please let me get home safely! I’m afraid. I promise You that when I get home I won’t talk to my wife the way I spoke to her this morning. I won’t speak back to my mother like I did last night. I’ll be a good boy from now on.”
Illness for a Purpose
Because these things happen suddenly, and constantly. Every day there are accidents in the home. And therefore, people should learn to be afraid of Hashem—not to live in fear of things that might happen, but to live in fear of Hashem, Who can make anything happen.
Don’t we constantly hear about people who contracted serious illnesses? Rashi explains the purpose of illness in this world. The statement Rashi makes is as follows: Illness is for the purpose of making us afraid, ב≈ ּ לַה ̇∆‡ ַיﬠƒנ¿כַה¿ל, so that we should do teshuvah. Suddenly a cell in a man’s body goes wild; it begins to misbehave. Nobody can be certain that, chas v’shalom, something like that won’t suddenly happen to him. Illness should make you afraid of Hashem.
Not only, chalilah, our own illness; somebody else’s illness, too. You see, on all sides, things happening to people who never expected it. There could be a boy fourteen years old who’s perfectly well, getting ready to enjoy a long happy life. And suddenly he gets a certain pain in his neck, and he’s taken to the hospital and they discover he has leukemia. Leukemia! “Ay yah yay!” he says. “Why did it happen to me?”
When you hear a story like that, be afraid! Why didn’t it, chalilah, happen to you? It’s a scary thought, the thought of death, and it should make you afraid of Hashem. רָפָﬠ י≈„¿רֹיו לָ ּ כ ּ עו¿ר¿ כƒי יוָנָפ¿ל – Before Hashem should kneel all those who go down in the dirt (Tehillim 22:30). Everybody knows that someday he will die and be buried, and that’s why he should be afraid of Hashem. The eimas hamavess, the prospect of eventual death, must make everybody afraid.
Fun to Be Outside
As you pass by a cemetery, don’t merely say, “Baruch Hashem, I’m on this side of the fence.” That’s a good idea, by the way. Or when you pass a funeral parlor, say, “Baruch Hashem, it’s fun to be on the outside.” But at the same time utilize it to think, “I have to be afraid of Hashem.
When you pass a medical center, you see signs outside. Here is a specialist in sicknesses of the jaw muscles. Did you know you need a specialist for that? Yes, when the muscles in the jaw go wrong, it is a painful existence for that person. He needs a specialist. There are specialists for stomach ailments, and specialists for heart disease. There’s a whole list there. You should read that whole list and gain yiras Shamayim from it.
Remain Outside
Think about all the things people are suffering from; there are plenty of customers there, oh yes! When you pass a hospital, in addition to saying a tefillah for all the cholei Yisrael in the hospital, don’t forget to gain more yiras Shamayim. That sick person in the hospital also once walked outside of the hospital and never thought he would be inside. So be afraid!
