Some don't like what I say
about the responsibility for us Jews for the direction of the world
If you have listened to my talks, you will have heard me say that as the darkness increases in the world, we as Jews need to take responsibility because we are not doing enough to spread the Light of Torah.
Some protest that, arguing that I shouldn’t say that, as if the moral deterioration just happens because of some mysterious reason and it has nothing to do with the Jews, the champions of the Divine Moral Compass and Divine Moral Backbone, being too quiet.
Well, here is a statement from the Talmud (Shabbos 54b):
Anyone who has the possibility of protesting the conduct of the members of his household, and does not protest, is punished for the sins of the members of his household. And, with regard to the residents of his city, he [who fails to protest their conduct] is punished for the sinful conduct of the residents of his city. And, with regards to the entire world, he [who fails to protest their conduct] is punished for the sinful conduct of the entire world.
Why is he punished? Because their conduct is his responsibility!
If he had protested, they might have changed their ways. And, at the very least, he would have sent out a clear beacon of Truth and Light to his household and to his city and to the world.
So we are all responsible.1
Fortunately, my teacher, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, did not hesitate to protest. He not only protested wrongs done against the Jewish People by its spiritual and physical enemies and by the State of Israel, but he protested wrongdoing everywhere. The son-in-law of the Rebbe’s English secretary, Nissen Mindel, told me that he has a safe full of unpublished correspondence from the Rebbe to heads of state around the world explaining to those leaders what constitutes proper conduct. For example, the Rebbe wrote to a non-Jewish leader of a non-Jewish country not to allow abortion in that country.
My prayer is that we lead in his footsteps by protesting loudly, incessantly, but at the same time in the ways of pleasantness as the Torah requires. And may his protests suffice to relieve us from any punishments.
But, it’s not merely about avoiding punishments. It’s about shouldering the responsibility for the people in our householders, our cities and our world and through speaking loudly and clearly, putting everyone on the right track for a better and abundant Divine life, in this world and the world to come.
There will those who will object and point to Rashi’s explanation of the Talmud on the worlds “the entire world” where he explains it to me “the entire Israel, for example, the king or the leader that its possible for him to protest because people are in awe of him and will fulfill his words.” And the Meiri, brings as proof the verse from Isaiah 3:14 that G-d Al-mighty is protesting the wrongful conduct of Jewish leaders against the Jewish People. (There the Meiri says the King is punished for the sins of the people because of his failure to rebuke the people, and the people are punished for the sins of the King if the people fail to rebuke the King. Thus in a Torah monarchy, the King remains accountable to the people and the well-being of the people is dependent on their willingness to protest the King’s wrongdoings.)
At the same time, I suggest that the statement of the Talmud applies to the conduct of non-Jews also. This is understood when we understand the meaning of “punishment.” Divine Punishment is a Divine consequence of our choices. If the non-Jews’ morality deteriorates, there will be idolatry, murder, theft, sexual immorality and persecution of those who refuse to condone and participate in the debased actions, may G-d Al-mighty save us. Thus, if the Jew fails to protest the immoral actions around him, he will consequentially suffer the fate of all the human beings living in that immoral place - chaos and destruction both spiritual and physical. And, if the immorality is world-wide, there is no place to escape to. The punishment/consequence will reach the Jew in every place. And, at its source, the punishment/consequence stems from the Jew’s failure to protest.
(See also the Sforno on Parshas Toldos who writes in two places that had Isaac, our Father, but rebuked Esau for choosing idolatrous wives, Esau would have immediately and sincerely reformed himself.)