(The following has been taken from an article written by By Rabbi Shlomo Gottesman)
Mah Osoh Hashem Lanu — What Did Hashem Do To Us?
A few weeks ago, our family’s Yom Tov visit to Eretz Yisroel was upended by the shocking outbreak of the war with Hamas. Along with all of Klal Yisroel, we were confronted with a kaleidoscope of emotions: fear, revulsion, and disbelief. The current conflict, on the surface, seems to be just another in an endless series of confrontations with our sworn enemies. However, even as the Jewish people rallied together, once again, to confront the monsters, there was an undeniable sense that this time something was different — a concomitant palpable sense of bafflement and confusion. After all, a billion dollars had been invested, over a period of ten years, to build a high-tech fence around Gaza that they promised was impregnable. The sensors on the barrier were supposedly so sophisticated that even a small bird landing on the fence would set off an alarm in several army command posts. The ultra-sensitive cameras provided 24/7 coverage and would of course immediately detect any intrusion. A barrier built many meters underground would inhibit invaders from attacking through tunnels. All in all, it was a foolproof system. The citizens close to the Gaza border were as safe as the elite in Tel Aviv and Ramat Hasharon.
As we all know and saw with chilling clarity on videos courtesy of Hamas, it was all a mirage. The wall and its myriad warning gadgets were almost effortlessly breached with the use of low-tech weapons: hand grenades, bulldozers, and mopeds. The ease with which the murderers were allowed to invade and perpetrate the worst atrocities since the Holocaust, in scenes evocative of Nazi Einsatzgruppen killers, defied belief. How could this happen to us in the year 2023? How was it that there were almost no troops stationed on guard and that the IDF response time was so agonizingly slow? Where was the vaunted, most powerful army in the Middle East?
The Duty To Introspect
We are admonished, most prominently by the Rambam at the beginning of Hilchos Taanis, to introspect on our actions and rectify them. A failure to do so is defined by the Rambam as achzoriyus — cruelty. On my trip to Yerusholayim, I had the privilege of meeting with a close friend, Rav Dovid Kamenetsky, a distinguished talmid chochom, a scholar of Jewish history, and a prolific writer. When I expressed the universal feelings of shock, he revealed to me a story about his grandfather, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, zt"l. The following insight, never before published, is based on an intimate conversation that Rav Yaakov had with his family immediately following the Yom Kippur War. In attendance were Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, shlit"a, and other family members. The grandchildren had the foresight to tape the Rosh Yeshiva. The full scope of the disaster of the opening days of the current war became clear, almost exactly 50 years to the day of the mechdol, the terrible mistakes and misjudgments that led up to Yom Kippur. It seems that history has repeated itself. Yet again, we were surprised, and a state that prided itself on impeccable intelligence and total vigilance was caught asleep with eerily similar results.
Zechor Yemos Olam
We are also instructed to remember yemos olam, the days of history. Klal Yisroel must constantly review the lessons of the past in order to understand how to face the future. Even the secular world understands this, as expressed by the well-known words of the philosopher George Santayana: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” A half-century has passed, and in order to aid us in acquiring some clarity as to what has happened, and perhaps what will happen, Rav Dovid kindly agreed to provide a transcript of Rav Yaakov’s penetrating words. It is clear that Rav Yaakov’s words at that time were directed to the Torah tzibbur to offer guidance in how we should react and introspect. This guidance speaks to us powerfully now as well.
A few words of background will be useful.
As is well known, the Rosh Yeshiva attended all the conventions of Agudas Yisroel and his drashos were always important highlights. In November of 1973, he declined to attend and would not explain why. A short time later, at the aforementioned family gathering, he revealed the reason. The following is a verbatim transcript of his talk, edited for clarity and context with the use of brackets.
Emes L’Yaakov
What was the result of the Yom Kippur War? I think a very good outcome was had, whether or not one can understand the full implications and the lessons. Until the Yom Kippur War [between the Six Day War and 1973], a ben Torah could not go out on the street; it was actually dangerous to do so. They [the army and the defense establishment] were drunk with victory! They actually thought that after America and Russia, Israel was the third most powerful nation in the world. They regarded Bnei Torah as “klumnikim” [having no standing or value to the nation]. I believe this war was podeh [redeemed and saved] Klal Yisroel. Yes, it is true that there were many terrible losses, and in general, yeshuos do not come from such heavy losses. But it is forbidden to say so publicly, because if one does so, he will be declared meshugah. Publicly, one can only say, “Boruch Hashem, we were saved from calamity during the Yom Kippur War.”
But the truth is that immediately after the first [Six Day] war, I was afraid everyone would say, “Ani v’afsi od! [I and none other!]” and become drunk with victory. It was indeed a [form of] drunkenness to state that the most powerful nation is America, then Russia, and we are third! At the time they said, “In one day, we can be in Cairo and then Damascus, and in three days we can be in Algiers!” It was all a joke to them. When they were told [in 1973] that the Arabs were preparing for a war, the response was, “Let them prepare!” After all, they [the intelligence services] knew what was coming. After all, was the Shin Bet not working? They saw everything in front of their eyes. The answer is they saw, but they laughed. “We have no need to prepare our army. After all, we will just give them a feif, a whistle, and they will run away!” They were drunk with victory.
This drunkenness was erased by the Yom Kippur War. A drunk has the halachic status of a shoteh, a fool. They were an entire nation of fools. They were totally impervious to the nations of the world. “We don’t need them or even their money. Ani v’afsi od!”
Hashgochah Was Telling Us That The “Drunkenness” Needed To Be Wiped Out.
The Yom Kippur War saved us from this arrogance. In reality, the war was a great yeshuah that saved Klal Yisroel. After the initial defeats, we merited great nissim, open miracles. Only then did the army understand that these were truly supernatural [miracles]. After all, had the Jordanians decided to attack, they would have been able to reach Yerusholayim and even much further. Everything was open territory. The Egyptians and Syrians inexplicably stopped their advances because they thought the lack of initial resistance by the IDF was some sort of trap on the part of the Israelis. They actually turned around!
The explanation is clear: Hashgochah was telling us that the “drunkenness” needed to be wiped out. Sadly, we paid a big price for this lesson. But even the korbanos, the victims, were with a cheshbon [a calculation], but this I cannot say publicly; I can only think this for myself.
This is the reason I did not go to the convention. I was afraid I would say things that were not for public consumption.
History Repeating Itself
The insight of the Rosh Yeshivah’s words, spoken 50 years ago, is startlingly relevant to our current situation. It seems that the shock therapy of Yom Kippur that awakened Klal Yisroel from its drunken slumber had an expiration date — exactly a Yovel. 50 years. Yet again, we witnessed a stupor, updated for the 21st century. Instead of the 1973 Bar-Lev line that the Egyptians evaded, as easily as the Germans did the impregnable French Maginot line in 1940, we had our hitech line. In retrospect, the folly of this attitude is inexplicable, unless you understand the shikrus, falsity, that is caused by an arrogant reliance on “kochi v’otzem yodi” (It is my power and the strength of my hand).
A Message To The Torah Community
Fifty years ago, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky was wary about stating the above truths to the Torah community. After all, it was barely 25 years after the Holocaust and the vibrant Torah community of today was still in a relatively nascent stage. He was understandably unsure if his thoughts about the drunkenness of kochi v’otzem yodi would be accepted. However, he was not alone. During the Yom Kippur War, Rav Chaim Friedlander expressed similar thoughts (Sifsei Chaim, Middos Vaadim 21- 22). Ten years ago, during the 2014 war with Hamas, Rav Matisyahu Salomon, in sichos to the bnei hayeshiva in Lakewood, said, “The Jewish world says Hamas has missiles but we have protection through our Iron Dome. They shoot missiles, but most do not hit. Our missiles always hit. These,” Rav Salomon said, “are words of kefirah, the apikorsus of kochi v’otzem yodi. We forget that all is in the Hands of Hashem. Bnei Torah must be especially careful, as we are all affected by the street talk. The truth remains, as the pasuk says, ‘Hashem goes in front of us to wage war with our enemies.’ Nothing else matters.”
Hopefully A Beacon Of Hope
As always, Rav Yaakov included a deep message that hopefully will serve as a beacon of hope, a nechamah, a consolation, as we face a treacherous battle. On the surface, the odds of a swift and clean victory look very poor. But that is only if we apply the natural norms to the analysis. In the aforementioned conversation, Reb Shmuel said to his father, “In reality, in all the wars of Klal Yisroel, there were no losses. The pasuk says, ‘Vayishbo mimenu shevi.’ Only one person was captured, and Chazal explain that this one person was actually a foreigner who was being held by Am Yisroel.” Rav Yaakov retorted, “This is true. In fact, only 12,000 Jewish soldiers fought in the war with Midian. I believe Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein makes a cheshbon that they were arrayed against many hundreds of thousands of Midianites. Nevertheless, the pasuk tells us, ‘Lo nifkad mimenu ish — We did not lose one soldier!’ When Hashem directs a battle, everything and anything is possible.”
If the 2,600 victims of the Yom Kippur War “redeemed” Klal Yisroel, we plead to the Ribbono Shel Olam that the 1,500-plus korbanos we have already sacrificed will serve as a “mizbei’ach kapporah” — an atonement for yet again falling into the trap of hubris. We were all drunk, including the Torah tzibbur, and now we have been rudely and painfully awakened. We need to replace the “Ani v’afsi od” with “Ein Od Milvado” – There is only Hashem alone. Only then will we merit to cry out to the Ribbono Shel Olam. We will beseech Him that just as in 1973, He will accept the sacrifices as a redemption, allow us to witness open miracles, and protect all of Klal Yisroel.
