Toras Avigdor: Exposing the Eisavs and Exposing the Yaakovs PART I

Words of Wisdom from Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l

Some of what the Rav is describing was apparent 

then and is moreso especially nowadays.

Exposing the Eisavs and Exposing the Yaakovs

Reevaluating Our Evaluations

Now, this entire story is a big puzzle. Because why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu

arrange such a strange story, that a great man, a man of wisdom, should make

such a mistake? It’s a question that deserves our earnest attention because

that’s why the story was recorded in the Torah – it’s written so that we should

be able to sit here tonight and give it our attention. In one little shul in Flatbush,

there are a group of Jews sitting and fulfilling the purpose of history!

Of course, I don't say that we're going to solve it entirely – surely I would

never say that we’re capable of that – but at least we can study it together and

understand a little bit of what Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants from us.

And what is the lesson? The most important lesson, the most evident lesson,

is that we should know that as much as we imagine that we see things clearly,

we are being deceived – especially when it comes to the matter of Yaakovs and

Eisavs. That’s the real lesson of this story; that we think we see but actually

we’re walking in darkness. We see people, we evaluate them in our mind’s eye,

and we think we know. But it’s not so. We have to be very, very careful because

if Yitzchok can be deceived then we surely are being deceived all the time. And

therefore you should have חרדה-גדולה-עד-מאד-and suspect yourself always:

“Maybe I’m not thinking right. Maybe my attitude towards the Yaakovs and

Eisavs in this world is upside down.”

The Frum Detective

Now, that will take a lot of explaining and we won’t be able to finish in one

night, one lecture, but first in order to lead up to the subject, we’ll read a story

from Mesichta Bava Metzia (83b); an incident in the life Rabbi Elazar b’Rebi

Shimon.

This Rabbi Elazar was one of the great Tannaim at the end of the period of

the Mishnah; he was the son of the famous Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and he was

considered one of the very greatest in the days of greats. Even Rabbi Yehuda

Hanasi, the premier chochom of that generation, stated that Rabbi Elazar b’Rebi

Shimon was much superior to him in Torah.

Now, the Gemara tells us that this great man was once employed in a most

uncharacteristic profession. He was hired as a detective for the Roman

government. How did such a thing come about? You have to know that in the

Roman provinces they were serious about punishing crime. They didn’t have yet

criminal politicians and criminal judges, and so when a thief was apprehended

there was no jail where they supported the criminal with colored TV. There was

only one sentence – crucifixion. And there were no appeals to the Supreme

Court either. The criminal was nailed to death. They gave him the best

rehabilitation; he was guaranteed never to criminalize again.

But first they had to catch the criminals and so there were detectives who

were assigned to the job of ferreting out the criminals. The Romans had many

detectives like that; a whole force whose job it was to mix with the people in

their daily activities and try to find out who are the criminals, the thieves of the

night.

Now, Rabbi Elazar was once in a conversation with one of their detectives

and he asked him, “How are you sure about arresting people? After all, the

criminals function during the night, when it’s hard to see, and so it’s difficult to

catch them. Don’t you think that you are making errors? Maybe you’re arresting

innocent people and letting the wicked escape.”

There’s a whole story there about how Rabbi Elazar showed this detective

the way to catch the thieves who were disguised as good people and to leave

alone the innocent ones, the good ones. There’s a certain chochmah, a wisdom,

that’s required if you’re going to not be deceived and Rabbi Elazar was giving the

detective a lesson in carrying out his profession.

Now, this Roman detective was so impressed that he went and reported the

conversation to headquarters – “I met a rabbi and he taught me how to conduct

my investigations” – so they said, “If this sage of the Jews thinks he is so expert

on the subject, then tell him that he’s elected for that job. Starting today he’s on

our staff.”

Now, Rabbi Elazar didn’t like that but in those days you couldn’t refuse an

order of the Roman governor and so he became a detective. There’s a long story

there because he was catching Jewish thieves and some of the Sages weren’t

happy with him. It’s an interesting story – take a look if you want; it’s on pei beis

amud beis but I’m not going to tell it to you because it’s off topic. For our

discussion we’re going to listen to the possuk that Rabbi Elazar quoted to the

detective: תשת-חושך-ויהי-לילה-– You, Hashem, make darkness and it becomes

night, בו-תרמוש-כל-חיתו-יער-– in that night walk around all the wild animals of the

forest (Tehillim 104).

Rabbi Elazar was describing to this gentile the difficulty in exposing the

real criminals because they are compared to the wild beasts who function only

at night in order to escape detection. They don't go out by day – not as criminals

at least – and so maybe you’re arresting innocent people. Maybe the real thief is

well dressed by day; he’s disguised as a respectable citizen but actually he’s one

of the thieves. That’s how Rabbi Elazar described the problem – that it’s not easy

picking out the criminals in the darkness.

Criminals in Suits

But they’re very hard to see because who are the wild animals? When you

spot one of them you’re not going to see a tail on him. You won’t see claws. You’re

going to see him dressed – not in jeans. They’re well-dressed gentlemen with

pressed trousers. Many of them are important personalities. Politicians and

professors and judges and scientists. Inventors and businessmen and actors.

Famous television people. News people. People who are fighting for justice.

Wealthy innovators, seekers. Some of them are people you look up to, people

you speak about with a sparkle in your eyes. Those are the Eisavs in this world.

Now if I hurt your feelings, excuse me because I speak the truth. Nobody

has to accept what I tell you, but at least give me a chance to explain it; maybe

after a while you’ll see there’s some justice in what I say.

College Demons

Here’s a professor speaking to his college class. He’s well-dressed, polite. He

looks like a human being and he’s intelligent too. He’s quite impressive actually.

But actually he’s a wild animal, a wild beast. He’s a dangerous creature and

nobody knows it.

How is that? Because he stands for the opposite of the emes. First of all he

stands for atheism. It means he’s a proponent of the very worst thing in the

world! The Rambam says avodah zarah, to worship idols, is less than atheism;

atheism is worse. And so this college person, it’s his influence that causes the

world to become spoiled with apikorsus.

And all of his ideas about society are filthy and corrupt. He’s a degenerate

bum but because he’s well dressed and he makes a lot of money and his ideas are

published in journals so the world accords him respect.

It’s not the mafia who are the real criminals. It’s not the murderers, the

thugs in the poor neighborhoods. It’s the people dressed up in suits who are

undermining the foundations of society. The whole academic world is opposed

to the belief in a Creator! They are the biggest criminals because once you

destroy the values of mankind, then it’s easy for Hitler to come along and get

people to murder millions. Because if there’s nothing to be afraid of, if there’s no

other world, no Hereafter, so everything is possible. And that means that the

entire academic world, they are actually the very worst enemies of mankind.

Hospital Demons

Even if you walk into a hospital; you see people dressed in white – physicians,

surgeons – and you see them as angels of mercy, helpers of mankind. They are

the biggest criminals because they're atheists. I know that it seems an extreme

statement but it's not my fault. It's the fault of the people who are not accustomed

to that attitude.

I'm not talking about Orthodox doctors – them, it’s a pleasure to see, a

kiddush Hashem. But in general the ‘angels of mercy’ are the biggest demons

because they're robbing the world of the most important of all benefits, the

most important knowledge that every human being must gain: that there’s a

Creator in charge of everything! He’s in charge of antibiotics and He’s in charge

of the surgeon’s hands and He’s in charge of all sickness and healing. And the

ones who refuse to mention this most important fact, they are the greatest

criminals of all. The people in white, the ones who are concealed in habiliments

of mercy, are like Eisav who put on his garments of kibbud av.

Mental Unhealth

Now, I can’t leave out the psychologists who are undermining all morality.

“Oh, but we’re trying to heal people. We want to straighten out people, help

them with their problems.”

So how do they do it? They’re preaching that there’s nothing wrong with

alternative lifestyles. It’s the psychologists who are preaching that ..... can be

healing. They’re teaching that today and they say it’s nothing but a societal

taboo. And so they’re destroying all the values of mankind because in a mask,

under a disguise of helping mankind, they actually are destroying mankind.

Hidden Hostility

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I don’t say that you should adopt an attitude

of hostility to every college professor, to all the judges and politicians and

scientists. I don’t say you should be impolite. You also should be a person in

disguise. Put on a nice mask, smile to everybody and extend a cordial hand.

When they leave, let them leave with a pleasant impression of you. Why not?

But don’t be misled in the darkness – don’t look up to them. Because you

must know beforehand that Hakadosh Baruch Hu made this test in order to

deceive you. תשת-חושך-means He made it so; You, Hashem, made 

a darkness. It’s a test and the world is being deceived because the world 

does not understand that their function is life is to battle against the darkness.

PART II Continued

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habiliments def:  accouterments or trappings