Sadly in Sync
Last week we pointed out the different directions that we, the People of Israel, were going in, if one contrasts the flow of Parshat HaShavua with the Jewish Calendar. This week, we must reluctantly point out how sad it is that the Parsha and the Calendar are synchronized.

The Calendar tells us that we are heading towards the date of the Sin of the Spies; in Parshat HaShavua, Moshe Rabeinu spends a lot of time recounting for the people that same black episode of CHEIT HAMERAGLIM. It’s almost overwhelming. Quite depressing. But then there’s the bright side to look at.

B’CHOL DOR VADOR... In every generation, a person must see it as if he himself came out of Egypt. BAYOM HAZEH... One should react to Torah as if he received it today. Okay, let’s ride with it.

In every generation... In THIS generation, in our own time... TODAY. Right now, each of us has to see himself as if he was in the crowd when the Meraglim returned from their 40 day scouting assignment. And when you hear the 10 others trying to discourage the people — no. Not “the people”. YOU. When they were trying to panic you into not wanting to go into Eretz Yisrael, what did you do? What did you say? When you heard Kalev’s passionate pro-Aliya speech, how did you react?

When YOU overheard the host of the party trying to oust Kamtza, and you heard his pleas to avoid embarrassment, what did you do?

These might sound like hypothetical questions, but they really aren’t. Because everything that has happened in Jewish History keeps coming around. Over and over again.

When you hear someone “bad-mouthing” Israel or telling someone he’s crazy for coming on Aliya, how do you react? This is a real question. Not hypothetical.

What do you do when someone is embarrassing someone else? Another real question.

How do you react, what do you say when you witness a violation of halacha? Or a statement disparaging of Torah or mitzvot?

These questions are all important because the can determine whether we continue in the same mode of Jewish History or whether we can be the generation that breaks out of the rut and becomes the generation in whose time the Beit HaMikdash is rebuilt.

This is the Tish’a b’Av question that we have to deal with. We have it within our ability to change Tish’a b’Av into a festive celebration of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. All we have to do is become better people and better Jews. And help others do the same. In a pleasant way that will make others WANT to be good Jews. Sounds simple. It isn’t. Are you up for the challenge?