We find ourselves at this time in a state of pain and confusion. Shemini Atzeres is not only a time of joy; it is the day when the Borei Olam reveals his desire for the Jewish people. “עצרתי אתכם אצלי כמלך שזימן את בניו לסעודה לכך וכך ימים, כיון שהגיע זמנן להפטר אמר בני בבקשה מכם, עכבו עמי עוד יום אחד, קשה עלי פרידתכם.” I have kept you with me, like a king who invited his children for a feast for a certain number of days, when the time came for them to leave, he said: ‘My children, I beg of you, remain with me one more day; your parting is difficult for me.’” Yet on this last Shemini Atzeres, thousands of the Jewish people were viciously attacked. Men, women and children were murdered, maimed, and violated; bodies of the slain were paraded through the streets of Gaza.
Still, despite the incomprehension and shock, or perhaps because of it, we search for meaning. Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu allow this to happen? What does He want from us? What is the message? It would be premature to attempt to answer these questions. It is likely that we are only at the beginning; hundreds of thousands of reservists have been called up as Israeli troops mass at the borders of Gaza. There is, however, a second response, no less meaningful, which also requires careful reflection.
We want to be נושא בעול with our brothers. We think about the victims, their intense suffering at the hands of brutal monsters. We think about soldiers, in danger and weary, brave or scared or maybe both. And if we dare, we think about the captives: a fate too horrifying to comprehend. And we want to do something, to express our concern through action; to help in some way. That action or commitment should be related to the situation of the victims, their families, or the soldiers fighting. Every zechus is welcome, but an unrelated, arbitrary commitment will not connect us as much to those in pain. One possible approach is as follows.
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The typical soldier does not see the larger picture; that is the responsibility of generals. The responsibility of the regular soldier is to focus on his particular task: to conquer this hill, to tend to the wounded or even to prepare breakfast. He does not need to know how everything will come together on a larger scale — he deals with that which is placed before him.
In our Avodas Hashem, we are accustomed to taking a broad, intellectual approach. We contemplate how each Mitzvah fits into the greater scheme. We want every action to be part of a mehalech. In and of itself, this desire is wonderful, but there is another aspect to Avodas Hashem. We can also serve Hashem as soldiers, focusing on the task at hand, without seeing the larger picture. Even with a Mitzvah which has a clear mehalech, such as Shemona Esrei, you can focus entirely on each individual beracha as you daven. Or if you sit down to learn as a zechus for Klal Yisroel, the learning does not have to be part of an ambitious plan to finish a mesechta or even a sugya. You have to learn now, period.
When we serve Hashem as soldiers, we perform every task, as inglorious as it may be. There are soldiers who drive trucks, there are soldiers who cook, there are soldiers who clean. Likewise, in Avodas Hashem, we can focus on our immediate responsibilities, whatever they may be, even if we don’t know how they contribute to the ultimate goal.
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In truth, the world itself was created with this quality of a soldier. Chazal teach us “כל מעשה בראשית בדעתן נבראו”- The entirety of creation was created with their knowledge and consent. (Chullin 60a, Rashi ibid.) What was included in their consent? The Talmud (Chullin 7a) relates: Rebbi Pinchas ben Yair was travelling to redeem hostages and he reached the River “Ginai”. He said to the river, “Ginai- split for me your water so that I may pass through.” The river responded, “You are going to fulfill the will of your Creator and I go to fulfill the will of my Creator– your success is uncertain, whereas mine is certain. (Therefore, I should not change for you.) He said to the river, “I will decree upon you that no water will pass through you forever.” The river split for him. What was Rebbi Pinchas ben Yair’s “threat” to the river? Certainly, he was not simply bullying the river into submission. The explanation is that the river objected to splitting because of a calculation: your success is uncertain, whereas mine is certain. (Therefore, I should not change for you.) Rebbi Pinchas ben Yair replied that it is not your role to make calculations. The river missed: “כל מעשה בראשית בדעתן נבראו”. Meaning that you, the river, consented fully, even to something which you do not understand or agree with. There was no threat made; that was simply the condition of the river’s creation. You do what you must, without calculations.