Colleagues, I’m pleased to post a version of my new experimental course online for the public good. Please visit bit.ly/survivejewishhistory to access the course.
The course is divided into twelve Existential Crises, covering historical eras from the Hellenistic to the Spanish Expulsion. Undergraduate students are required to complete several academic exercises to “survive” each level and pass the course (the syllabus is located at bit.ly/survivejewishhistory). The lighter version of the course presented here does not award undergraduate credit, but students are encouraged to participate by posting their responses in the comments section. I also encourage new visitors to click on the “follow” button at the bottom right of the website in order to receive course updates.
I hope you enjoy this experimental new course! Learn in good health.
The Hasidim of the Piaseczno Rebbe who gathered for the Seudah Shelishit in his Beit Midrash on 5 Dzielna Street in Warsaw must have been unusually somber that fateful June 1940 afternoon. Over the previous week, ominous news had filtered into the Ghetto: France had fallen to the powerful Nazi armed forced. With the collapse of this major western power, Hitler was nearing his high-water mark of European domination, occupying the continent from the English Channel to the borders of the Soviet Union. Many in the Ghetto had hoped that France would be able to halt the advance of German forces, but in the summer of 1940 it looked as if the “1000-year Reich” was ever closer to becoming a reality. Germany appeared invincible.
The Rebbe, by contrast, was undaunted. Taking his cue from the weekly parashah, he fearlessly delivered a bold, undiluted message of courage. His starting point was Caleb’s call to action, exhorting the Jewish people, once a slave nation, to begin the conquest of Israel. Contradicting the fearful report of the other spies, who bemoaned that the military odds facing the Israelites were hopeless, Caleb and Joshua remained steadfast in their faith in the Divine promise.
Let us go up and take it over, for we certainly can. Let us understand: the spies certainly spoke meaningfully and reasonably, but the nation is powerful…and the cities are fortified. Why did Caleb not argue with them to rebut their rationale and their arguments? Instead, he simply said, let us go up.
Who in the audience could not help but hear the subtext? In the Torah, the spies returned from scouting the land of Israel and came back with a realistic assessment: attempting to conquer the land was absolutely futile, well beyond the military capabilities of the Jewish people. Caleb, however, did not even bother to respond to their reasoned arguments. Through thinly veiled rhetoric, the Rebbe argued that Warsaw Jews should not succumb to despair:
Such must be the faith of the Jew. Not only when he sees an opening and path to his salvation, that is that he reasonably believes, according to the course of natural events, that God will save him, and thereby he is strengthened; but also at the time when he does not see, Heaven forbid, any reasonable opening through the course of natural events for his salvation, he must still believe that God will save him and he is thereby strengthened in his faith and trust. On the contrary, at such a time it is better that he not engage in intellectual convolutions to find some rationale and opening through natural means, since it is clear that he will not find one—consequently it is possible that his faith will be diminished. This diminution in his faith and trust in God might serve to prevent his salvation, Heaven forbid. Rather, he must declare that it is all true, that the nation that lives there is in fact powerful, it is true that the cities are fortified.Nonetheless, I proclaim my faith in God, that God is beyond limitation and nature, that God will save us. Let us go up and take it over, beyond reason and beyond logic. Such faith and trust in God draws our salvation closer.
The Rebbe’s message is clear: Jews were not to give credence to the doomsayers of the Ghetto. Like Caleb’s report to Moses on the enemy forces in Canaan, the Jews need not focus on the power of the German army, they need only proclaim let us go up and take it over, for we certainly can. The Third Reich, no matter how powerful, is no match for the Almighty.
Excerpted from
Torah from the Years of Wrath: The Historical Context of the Aish Kodesh
Two things: first of all, this isn’t a “skill” per se, since it is not directly dependent on human choice, and second, it’s very difficult to discern exactly when and how it operates. This is an academic course, as therefore we tend to use the tools associated with scientific, rational thought: how can we reasonably discuss something of supernatural origin? Such an approach would be more appropriate in an explicitly religious setting like a Yeshiva, not an undergraduate college-level survey course. (Also, helpful reminder: your Guide to Survival (me) is not a Rabbi. I know, the beard and the kippah and everything, but not a Rabbi nevertheless, just a regular guy.)
As we shall see as we proceed through the course, however, Divine Providence is undeniably the most important element in Jewish survival. Think of it like oxygen—we are completely dependent on it, conscious or otherwise, but because it is ubiquitous we tend to forget about it altogether. It’s only when we go places where it’s not normally found—outer space, for example, or underwater—that we think to bring it with us. So too, when Jewish history gets to those frequent Existential Crises, there is inevitable an element of the unexplained, the fortuitous, the uncanny coincidence: our clean breath of fresh air once again.
What, exactly, is Divine Providence? The Hebrew term is hashgahah, and it comes in two well-known varieties: the most popular version is called hashgahah pratit (השגחהפרטית), which might be translated as “individual supervision.” Chances are, this is what you think of if you use the term hashgahah at all. This concept argues that G-d watches over every single human being (indeed, every creature in the universe) at every moment and exercises specific supervisory activities related to that person. On the other hand, there is another version of this concept, also well-supported by traditional Jewish thinkers, called hashgahah klalit (השגחהכללית) or “general supervision.” According to this approach, G-d exercises a more laissez-faire approach to Jewish history, supervising the overall destiny of the Jewish people—but not necessarily directing and shaping the lives of individual Jews. In other words, the Jewish people as a whole are promised survival—but not necessarily any specific community or individual.
Theologically, the Rabbis have generally been hesitant to argue for complete and utter reliance on Divine Providence alone in practical matters. There are notable examples of what me might want to call “blind faith,” like Psalms 55:23: “Cast your burdens on G-d, and G-d will support you; G-d will never turn away the righteous.” Perhaps because the will of G-d is fundamentally inscrutable, impenetrable to our puny human minds, the Rabbis have urged the counterbalance of hishtadlut (השטדלות), or “effort”—humans are required to put in their best effort to affect their personal status and improve their chances of survival, trusting in hashgahah for the parts that are out of their control. Consider for example the comment of Rashi on Deuteronomy: “You do your part, says G-d, and I will do the rest,” or the classic teaching of Rabbi Tarfon in Pirkei Avot: “you are not required to finish the task—but neither are you free to desist from it.”
So, Survivors of Jewish History: when you engage in the assignments associated with the Existential Crises, I suggest you bear in mind the power of Divine Providence, but do not rely on it until you have exhausted all other avenues of conventional effort. Be conscious of the role that Divine Providence plays, and it is certainly inspirational when you point it out to the rest of us, but in general I would suggest you look to the next six Survival Skills for your first responses to the Existential Crises.
2. Scholarship and Creativity
Some scholars have characterized Jewish history as an alternating series of “books and pogroms, pogroms and books.” An over-simplification to be sure, but there’s something to be said for this pithy assessment (another popular one is “they tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat.”). On a more significant level, however, we should understand that a major part of Jewish survival may be attributed to having something worth surviving for.
Imagine, for example, that all left-handed people were brutally persecuted for nothing other than their failure to be right-handed. If you were a left-handed person, what would you do? Probably teach yourself as best as possible to use your right hand! There is nothing especially glorious or earth-shattering to do with left-handedness, nor would you be abandoning a population of shared goals, values and heritage were you to assimilate to the right-handed majority.
Not so with the Jewish people. Despite the periodic and often unimaginable persecution, they have nevertheless achieved incredible works of human creativity. Many of them are expressed in the gloriously heroic works of spirituality—including the Prophets, the Talmud, Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed, to choose just a few examples—but there are also incredible works of art, contributions to science, landmarks in virtually every aspect of human endeavor.Unlike the left-handed example, which is a mere physiological feature—the apparent accident of Jewish birth, or the intentional act of conversion to Judaism, effects a bond between the individual Jew and the larger scope of Jewish scholarly and creative contributions to world civilization. Each achievement separately represents a point of pride that lends meaning to Jewish existence, and bolsters efforts for Jewish solidarity and, ultimately, survival.
So, Survivors—use this strategy to create reasons for Jewish survival. And unlike the Survival Points, which will only get you past the current Existential Crises and into the next, Scholarly and Creative Contribution points, if awarded, retain their value throughout the course. You can use them to bail yourself out in the future, or even give them to others to help them survive.
3. Servant-Leadership and Inspired Followership
Throughout their millennial history, the Jewish people have been blessed with a large number of great leaders, distinguished not only by their brilliance and courage but even more so by a key characteristic of “Servant-Leadership.” These leaders have exemplified dedication to the larger community, often putting themselves in harm’s way rather than expose their charges to danger, like David, the young shepherd who would be king, defended his flock from the attack of a lion, or like Don Isaac Abravanel defending the Spanish Jews before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. In many cases these servant-leaders sacrificed themselves for the benefit of their followers, as Janusz Korczak accompanied his orphan charges to Treblinka rather than have them enter alone.
At the same time, no matter how heroic a leader may be, it takes followers to create a movement: visionary people who recognize the significance of the moment and choose to throw their lot in with the brave servant-leader who will identify the path forward. These inspired followers are, in a sense, leaders as well—the first person to choose to follow is also a leader. Consider the case of Nachshon ben Aminadav in the Midrash, who plunged into the waters of the Sea of Reeds before all the other Jews fleeing Pharaoah’s army in complete confidence that Moses’ leadership would win the day. He fearlessly demonstrated inspired followership, advancing into the waters until they reached his neck—and then split, allowing the Jewish people to reach safety.
Identifying the Servant-Leaders and Inspired Followers in a given Existential Crisis may be used to earn a Survival Point. Be sure to describe why you think they deserve that exalted nomination.
4. Communal Authority and Personal Autonomy
Stepping back from the individual level to the communal, there’s no question that one of the most important elements affecting Jewish survival was the composition, structure and power of the traditional Jewish community organization known as the kehilah. Invested with considerable authority, the kehilah acted to enforce community norms based on Talmudic law, ensuring support for the weaker elements of society. Recognizing the beneficial impact of this important communal institution, however, does not limit the fact that it could be forceful, even coercive, in maintaining group standards. Independent-minded individuals could chafe under its authority, and in fact in the modern period the kehilah was forced to adapt to a much more limited scope for various external and internal reasons.
On the other end of the spectrum, Personal Autonomy allowed individual Jews to identify paths to survival in areas outside the more invasive areas within the purview of the kehilah. Individual freedoms to pursue specific goals—for example, women managing businesses (even, in some rare cases, Rabbinical seminaries), or circles of enthusiasts focusing on mystical texts—prevented the kehilah from becoming a stale, desiccated institution with little growth or change.At many points in Jewish history those arguing for greater Communal Authority came into conflict with others demanding Personal Autonomy, yet their symbiosis contributed to the overall vitality of Jewish civilization.
To earn Survival Points with this Skill, be sure to identify the important trends—whether in favor of Communal Authority, Personal Autonomy, or some combination—and articulate how they improved the chances of Jewish Survival.
5. Communal Solidarity and Altruistic Self-Sacrifice
The Jewish people often survived Existential Crises because of incredible levels of Communal Solidarity, when communities of Jews with little in common with each other would rise to the aid of their coreligionists. A great example of this is the outpouring of support and political activism in United States to force the late Soviet Union to relent in its persecution of the “refuseniks,” Jews who were sent to labor camps and otherwise abused because they had applied to leave the country (and were “refused”). “All Jews are connected to each other,” teaches the Talmud—demonstrations of communal solidarity are excellent ways to earn Survival points.
Some of that communal solidarity comes at a very personal price. I was just a young man during those heady days of anti-Soviet agitation, and I recall well how Rabbi Baruch Taub addressed his congregation with a very clear directive: every member of his community was to mortgage his or her home, if necessary, to provide significant monetary support to the cause. Jewish survival often happens because people go beyond simply showing up for the rallies: individual Jews will make huge, completely altruistic sacrifices to benefit other Jews they have never met.
Survival Points can be earned by identifying and analyzing aspects of Communal Solidarity and Altruistic Self-Sacrifice that contributed to Jewish survival. Note that while these behaviors are virtually proverbial, there are many sad examples when some Jewish communities failed to live up to these lofty standards—the many Jewish communities on Mediterranean shores, for example, that refused to take in refugees from the Spanish Expulsion. These Survival Skills should not be taken for granted.
6. Textual Commitment and Adaptive Innovation
As we discussed above in Jewish Survival Skill Number Two, the “books” part is pretty much as important as the “pogroms” part of Jewish history. In Survival Skill Number Four we looked at the tension that sometimes existed between Communal Authority and Personal Autonomy. In Survival Skill Number Six, we see these elements come together in terms of fidelity and innovation regarding traditional texts. The former is easy to understand: the Jews are known as “the people of the book,” and maintaining steadfast attachment to books and their interpretations is key to Jewish survival. At the same time, there are moments in Jewish history when innovation—often challenging the status quo—has resulted in brilliant creativity and positively advanced Jewish survival. Consider, for example, the explosion of spiritual activity in the northern Israel town of Safed (Tsfat) in the sixteenth century, or the Hasidic movement of the eighteenth century. From time to time textual innovators have been excoriated by more traditional elements in society (most infamously, opposition to Maimonides’ writings resulted in some public burnings, for example), until ironically—like Maimonides—their work is accepted as mainstream. On the other hand, it is impossible to deny that some “innovations” are hugely corrosive to the Jewish body politic, and have a massively negative impact on Jewish survival.
So tread carefully here when identifying Textual Commitment and Adaptive Innovation for Survival Points. It’s a double-edged sword; whatever challenges the status quo may result in danger to Jewish survival just as it promises to benefit the community.
7. Fight, Fee, or Flee (The Kenny Rogers Rule)
Well, the title says it all, but Kenny Rogers says it best.
You got to know when to hold ‘em—Jews need to know when to argue and fight.
Know when to fold ‘em—and when a situation is hopeless.
Know when to walk away—perceive when flight is the best option.
Know when to run.—now now now
You never count your winnings—Avoid ostentation.
While you’re sittin’ at the table—as long as you want to be part of society.
There’ll be time enough for countin’—One day you will enjoy peace and prosperity.
When the dealin’s done.—In the Messianic era, may it come speedily in our days.
Here’s a new project you might find interesting. A few months ago I came across the work of Ken Bain (What the Best College Teachers Do), which inspired me to take a dramatic new look at the way I’ve been teaching a bread-and-butter course for a long time: History of the Jewish People I, your basic undergraduate survey course, covering Jewish history from the Mishnah to the Spanish Expulsion. Professor Bain emphasizes the value of the journey of discovery in learning, and with that in mind and a bunch of behavioral economics theory, I’ve completely rethought the course. I’m really excited about how undergraduate students will appreciate it.
At the same time, I’d like to make a simpler version of the course available to my students on the web. Please stick around, as I hope to upload some really interesting stuff over the next few weeks and into the next academic year! Please visit this page to see the full syllabus as I’ve presented it to undergraduates, and here’s the introductory video.
Chaim Kaplan, an unemployed former Jewish day school principal and resident of the Warsaw Ghetto, recorded the mood as the Jews received increasingly distressing news of German military victories on the western front in the summer of 1940:
All normal conduct of business has ceased.In place of business, peddling has come, and the place for all such vending is in the street.So the streets are filled with men, women, and little children, as in the good old days, even though all the stores are closed and the houses demolished.Mob upon mob fills the sidewalks until it is as crowded as a market day.And every crowd of vendors is also a crowd of politicians.Every oddity finds listening ears and spreads so fast that within an hour “all of Warsaw” is discussing it.There is no limit to the lies.
Our Jews don’t believe in the murderer’s victories in France.The newspapers announce victories which cannot be denied, whose truth is apparent — yet the Jews don’t admit them.They stick to their conviction: The Germans will end in destruction.
The Rebbe’s message for parashat Naso resonated with the themes of Shavuot and the receiving of the Torah. He exhorted his Hasidim to invest themselves in Torah study and Hasidic life with every fiber of their being, even under the pressurized environment of the Ghetto:
It is not sufficient for a person to merely perform a commandment to fulfill one’s duty as a Jew, rather one must transform one’s self into a Jew in the sense of and you will be a nation of priests unto Me, and a holy nation.This is the transformation represented by the phrase,and you will be.Consequently, the Jew must employ one’s entire character, nature, and inclinations for the purpose of holiness.
A parable is mentioned in the work Zot Zikaron by the righteous and holy Rabbi of Lublin in the name of the great and holy Maggidthat when a person wishes to arouse love of God before prayer, one should contemplate one’s love for one’s children or even material possessions.Stirred by this love, the Jew should then recall that these blessings represent the greatness and kindness that God has bestowed, and this will inspire greater love of God.In other words, even one’s base love of material possessions are elevated into a love of God.
The Rebbe was cognizant, however, that many in his audience had lost all their possessions, and indeed many had lost children–the Rebbe himself lost his only son and daughter-in-law in the brutal Luftwaffe bombing during the initial invasion of Warsaw in the fall of 1939. He tempered his spiritual directives with an acknowledgment of the suffering of his Hasidim, yet stressed the importance of renewed spiritual effort in a new reading of Exodus 15:2, this is my God, Whom I will exalt; the God of my father, Whom I will glorify.
All this, however, is impossible when a person is immersed in suffering, Heaven forbid, and for this we pray that God save us with great acts of loving kindness,as my father of blessed memory wrote regarding the words and perform for us great acts of loving kindness.While everything that God does for us is an act of loving kindness, we pray that he should perform acts which also appear to us as good.For even if we perform commandments, if we do so while we are downtrodden, then we do not perform them with the depths of our being.Is it possible to immerse oneself in the study of Torah when one’s mind is ailing?Is it possible to experience fiery enthusiasm when one’s heart is sick, Heaven forbid?This is my God–this is my personalGod, Whom I will serve with my innermost being, and also the God of my father, Whom I will glorify.I will not be satisfied with the sense of holiness and Divine Service which I inherited from my ancestors, rather Iwillalsoexalt God.
The Rebbe brought his drashah to a close with a prayer for concrete, material blessings of redemption for his Hasidim, alluded to in the Priestly blessing that appears in the Torah reading:
“Each generation according to its interpreters, its interpreters according to their generation.”An interpreter must be in touch with his generation, in order that he be closer to them and their inclinations so that he may train their distinctive natures to Divine Worship.Similarly, the salvation that God affords them should not remain beyond them, in some sort of metaphysical sense alone, rather the salvation should be drawn down them personally and for their practical benefit.As it is written in my holy father’s work, that Abraham our father should not say, “you fulfilled the prophecy of and they will will enslave and torture them, [but you have not fulfilled and I will take them out amidst great wealth],” for were it not for this claim, God could have fulfilled the prophecy and afterwards they will go out with great wealth, referring only to great spiritual wealth.In order that Abraham our father [should not make this claim], God fulfilled this prophecy in concrete terms, with silver and gold.
This is the sense of thus shall you bless the Jewish people…may God bless you.Granted, God will bless them, but they will place My name on the Jewish people, meaning literally upon them, and not remain merely above them, in a manner that will only benefit them in Heaven alone.They are, after all, human beings, and need even physical salvation, as Rashi comments on these [priestly] blessings, “with children” and “with possessions.”
Shimon Huberband was a student of the Rebbe and an amateur historian working for Emanuel Ringelblum’s underground Oneg Shabbat archive (Rabbi Huberband, who was killed along with Ringelblum and most of the archivists, was probably instrumental in convincing the Rebbe to entrust his manuscript to Ringelblum for burial). Rabbi Huberband visited the court of Piaseczno on the holiday of Shavuot and provided a brief but evocative first-hand report.
At the time (June 13-14, 1940) rumors circulated throughout the Warsaw Ghetto to the effect that France’s fall to the Nazis was imminent.
I went off to the Piaseczno Rebbe to his Hasidic gathering. There was a crowd of about 150 people, but the traditional dairy meal wasn’t served as it was in earlier years. The Rebbe said words of Torah, including many words of strengthening and encouragement. Various zmiros were sung. When the gathering concluded, the traditional dance—-with one person standing behind the other—began. During the dance the Rebbe wept profusely.
Huberband’s comment that the Rebbe wept profusely during the traditional dance is puzzling. Were these tears of anguish, tears of joy, or something else? The Rebbe’s sermon that day should provide insight, but it is unusually complex, relating to the question of how God, an infinite Being, could communicate with a finite human being. For the Rebbe, the holiday of Shavuot represented a direct and immediate transportation over this philosophical divide, an unmediated communication from God to the Jewish people. The Rebbe described this as nothing less than an intimate and mystical sharing of God’s very Self. Based on the content of the sermon, it is tempting to think that the the Rebbe’s tears were expressions of overwhelming gratitude at the immensity of this Divine communication.
Sometimes the prosecutors overpower the Jewish people, Heaven forbid, and it is difficult for the Jewish people to be saved. Then the Holy One who is Blessed is revealed, which silences all the accusers, as in Egypt when the Almighty said I am God. Consequently Shavuot, the time of the receiving of the Torah—and any time when Torah is studied—is a moment of salvation, and no accuser has power over the Jewish people, Heaven forbid.This is because God is speaking with us, and the essence of “I” is revealed. This is the sense of the verse, may Your kindness comfort me as You spoke to Your servant, not as one who speaks to one’s self, rather as You said to Your servant: When You spoke to me…for Torah is my delight and You speak to me.
The Rebbe was ever-cognizant of the material woes of his congregation, however, so he translated his mystical emotion into an appeal on their behalf by returning to a discussion of Psalms:
A song of ascents. I will raise my eyes to the mountains, where will my help come from? My help is from God, who creates Heaven and earth. We must understand the meaning of the question, where will my help come from? Don’t we know that God is the Savior?Furthermore, what is the relevance of the reference to the creation of heaven and earth?
It is obvious that when the Jewish people are endangered, Heaven forbid, seeing no possibility of salvation, and they ask from where [me-ayin], then the response must be my help is from God, who creates Heaven and earth, for God also created them from nothingness [me-ayin], for there was no prior basis or possibility for their creation, so too he will save us now ex nihilo [me-ayin].
The fall of Paris was confirmed by the afternoon the day after Shavuot, ruining the immediate post-holiday atmosphere by casting an additional layer of gloom over the city. Warsaw Jews, however, would not be discouraged by the worsening military situation. Shimon Huberband recorded an example of the black humor typical of the Ghetto circulating at that time:
Jews are now very pious.They observe all the ritual laws:they are stabbed and punched with holes like matzahs, and have as much bread as on Passover; they are beaten like hoshanas, rattled like Haman; they are green as esrogim and thin as lulavim; they fast as if it were Yom Kippur; they are burnt as if it were Hanukah, and their moods are as if it were the Ninth of Av.
Brief overview of the life and work of Hakham Ovadia Yosef, prominent Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel. Final installment in the Spring 2018 Lecture Series: The Sephardic Diaspora.
Sponsored by Katie and Vick Crespin of Miami Beach, FL
In honor of the Six Million and all who were killed just for being Jewish.
Had a great time here at the “Touro of Cambridge.” Great colleagues, great students, but looking forward to returning to the Mighty Avenue J for tomorrow’s lecture on Hakham Ovadya Yosef, last of the Spring 2018 series). Here’s a couple photos my wife took of me at my old hangouts: Widener Library and the rare books collection of Houghton Library.
Hope you all saw that Touro was recently ranked #1 for Jewish Students by the Algemeiner!
The brief sense of relief felt by Warsaw Jews at the beginning of Passover 1941 did not last. Decrees expelling Jews from several towns were scheduled for the intermediate days of the holiday, and pressures upon the Jewish community increased dramatically. Diarists of the Ghetto record widespread confusion among the population over new Nazi policies implemented in early May 1941. For example, non-Jewish Poles wandering through Jewish streets were suddenly subject to seizure, a measure that was apparently connected with the demand for forced labor as the Nazis pushed their offensive on the western front. Ironically, many Poles even began to wear the Jewish armband in order to avoid the decree.
The bizarre and shifting boundaries of the Ghetto prompted Chaim Kaplan to note that “even the mystics freely admit this time that it is an insoluble riddle…Warsaw, like Noah’s Ark in its day, is full of compartments and partitions that block the roads in the very places where up to now there was the most traffic.Thus for example on the corner of Nalewki and Nowolipki streets, a dividing wall has been made, and a man whose apartment is at Number 2 Nowolipki Street—a distance of only a few steps—is now forced to go around and around, via Nowloipki-Zamenhof-Gesia-Nalewki streets—a half hour’s walk…in any case, beautiful Warsaw has become a jail made up of cell after cell, whose inhabitants are treated like prisoners.”
The Rebbe’s drashah on Emor (May 11) returned to the theme of supra-rational divine “decrees” (hukim), introduced earlier in Passover. As Warsaw Jewry puzzled over frightful Nazi decrees that seemed senseless, the Rebbe exhorted them to affirm the hukim of the Torah in response. On a literary level, it seems as if the Rebbe drew upon the mood of confusion noted in the ghetto, emanating from the irrational persecution, and urged Jews to find solace in the supra-rational nature of the Divine decrees. When Jews submit to the will of the Creator while enduring what seems like self-defeating persecution, then in fact even the smallest religious effort attains great meaning:
Consequently, when it is a time of suffering for Jacob, Heaven forbid, we wonder what possible benefit we could derive from the experience. On the contrary, does it not diminish our study of Torah? Moreover, we are not concentrating on the performance of commandments as we once did.Since we have become completely annulled before God, however, and we see that there is no one to save us other than the Holy One who is Blessed, therefore from this self-abnegation itself we draw closer to the Blessed one, to such an extent that all of our actions, speech, and thoughts are directed to God, and become fulfilled commandments.That is to say, when we do everything which is possible for us to do.
Henry Abramson 