|
Fear of Hearing the Truth is Nothing New, but the Phenomenon Has Certainly Reached New Heights in This Generation
In
the introduction to the book "Em Habanim Smaicha", which was written
during the time of the Holocaust by one of the great rabbis of Hungary
dealing with the obligation to live in the land of Israel, the
following is written (page 37): "And so my words in this book are
intended only for those who want to know the truth the way it really
is, and for those who are willing to stop and listen to the words
written here. I am not demanding: 'accept my views'... and whoever
would like to refute what I say, let them refute only with direct
proofs from the words of our sages as I have brought, and only then
will I debate them, with the help of G-d."
Rabbi Issacher
Teichtel, the author of this book, was caught in a strange situation.
His efforts to persuade (religious Jews!!) of the correctness of his
argument fell upon deaf ears. His lack of success was not for lack of
proofs or convincing logic, but rather due to the fact that people
simply did not want to seriously confront the proofs, sources and sheer
logic that he brought down to support his words.
This is why he
prefaced his book by saying that his words were intended for the
"person who wants to know the truth". After all, one would assume that
everyone wants to know the truth, and the argument only exists as to
what that truth really is. However, this is not so. There are some
people,and many times it is the majority, who do not want to be
convinced
Korach Was Not Interested in Hearing
This was
precisely the situation with Korach. Our sages reveal in an astonishing
midrash the following idea: "Now Korach who was prudent - whatwas the
reason for his folly?!" The famous answer is that, "His eyes deceived
him" (see Rashi), and we have dealt with this at a previous time.
However the midrash brings down another answer, which may be even a
more basic one: "all these arguments Moshe presented to Korach (i.e.
tried to convince him) - and you do not find Korach having a rebuttal
at all. This is because he was clever in his wickedness. He said: If I
answer Moshe, I already know that he is a wise man and will defeat me
in a debate, and I will be forced to appease him. It is better that I
do not talk to him. When Moshe saw that there was no point, he
separated himself from him."
The above midrash is both amazing
and shocking. Korach knew that if he entered into a dialogue with
Moshe, he would be convinced of the folly of his ways. Therefore, he
avoided speaking to him. His need for "kavod" (honor) so burned inside
him that his greatest fear was to be convinced that he was wrong, thus
forcing him to a bandon his dream of taking power. This is the deeper
answer to the question Rashi poses: "Now Korach who was prudent - what
was the reason for his folly?" He did not see! He covered his eyes from
seeing!
One may think that such behavior is an aberration
reserved for the extremely wicked. However, a closer look will reveal
that this is a very familiar trait. Very often a man sins and is well
aware that this is a bad thing. Yet, he represses this idea in his mind
so that it won't interfere with his everyday life. He knows that if he
listens to someone, even to his own inner voice, he is liable to be
convinced. Therefore, he closes all his senses and continues on his
merry way.
Why Is "The Truth Absent"
This is the sickness
our sages referred to when they said that "the truth will be absent".
It is important to realize that this doesn't mean that the truth itself
will be absent. G-d forbid! The truth exists and can befound. But the
sages mean that we will cause a situation in which the truth will be
absent, by our ignoring it, concealing it, mocking it, and banning it
from being heard by the masses... Never before was there a period of
time where the truth was so logical and necessary, yet at the same
time, so absent. This is because the leaders of today are so terrified
by it. It is obvious to them that if the truth were heard, it would
conquer the hearts of the masses. Therefore, those in power exercise
all measures necessary to silence the truth: Disqualification, mockery,
defamation, harassment, and prison.
By so doing, they avoid the painful truths, so as not to get "confused by the facts".
Our People Want to Listen!
"When
Moshe saw that there was no point, he separated himself from him."The
moment Moshe saw that the problem was not that Korach is wrong, but
rather he wants to be wrong - he let him alone and let the ground
swallow him up. But this is not always the case. Sometimes, as a result
of education and surroundings, a person is immersed in falsehood, yet
is willing to speak and willing to listen. He has no special interest
to remain immersed in falsehood. For such a person, there is hope.
Written in 1998 translated by Lenny Goldberg
|
