The first Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of Gilui Arayos, Shfichus Domim and Avoda Zara.
The second - Sinas Chinom.
Baruch Hashem - all of those aveiros are alive and well today, even in our communities.
Gilui Arayos - The Internet is FILLED with gilui arayos. The advertising industry is about gilui arayos. Every attractive woman in advertisements is there to activate one's gilui arayos yetzer hara. The way some frum women dress is definitely in that category. She is married and yet dresses in a way that causes married men [not married to her...] to look at her not as they would look at a pretty flower. והמבין יבין. IIIII yiii yiii! Midtown Manhattan is gilui arayos. The billboards, the movie theaters etc. etc. Not to mention the women walking down the street. Frum Jews are surrounded by gilui arayos. A lot more to say but I want to keep it clean. וד"ל.
Shfichus Domim [murder] - Speaking Lashon Hara is like killing someone. There is LOADS of Lashon Hara in our communities. And what about embarrassing people? That is like killing them and yet we delight in reading about the various sins [imagined or real] of individuals, the more prominent the better. What about their dignity? Some would respond - "Who cares, they deserve it. They are evil." Maybe yes. But ask a Rav before deciding that. Journalism [that we support] is built on embarrassing innocent and not so innocent people. The families of the accused party are innocent and it causes them unbearable embarrassment that EVERY paper, website and blog are talking about their relative's story.
One scandalous story in Israel that hit the papers caused one person involved to commit suicide, another person became sick with cancer at a very young age [it is well documented that excessive stress and anguish causes illness], and another to become mentally imbalanced which resulted in hospitalization [if I remember the last fact correctly]. Untold pain is caused to so many people because WE are interested in filth and not always לתועלת.
Avoda Zara - "How is he going to get us on this one" - we don't bow down to statues. HAAA!:-)
Yes, but according to the Chazal - living in Chutz La-aretz is like serving idols. Ahhhhhh. A few yidden left there and many have ZERO desire to come to Israel. What do they lack where they live? They have kosher food, good schools, shuls, two mini-vans, a personal trainer, seasons tickets to the Knicks and Rangers and a comfortable job.
I will tell you what they lack. Kedusha. Chutz La-aretz - even Monsey and Lakewood, Flatbush and Passaic, is tamei. We do our best to instill kedusha, but our Sages teach us that there is only so much we can do. The gemara calls it טומאת ארץ העמים.
We also make our money into a G-d. Dovid Hamelech said הצילני מדמים אלהים - Save me from making money into a god [R' Meir Parmishlaner]. אלהי כסף ואלהי זהב לא תעשו לכם - Don't make gold and silver your gods, says the Chumash. People often love their money more than their own relatives, even their own children. People will do ANYTHING for money. Money often destroys shalom bayis. People are more attached to their money than they are to 5000 years of Jewish history. People serve and are slaves to money.
Sinas Chinom? That requires both no commentary and many, many books worth of mussar and chizzuk.
Hashem is going to bring Moshiach. That means that all of our sins will be fixed. Let us make it happen sooner rather than later.
The most important quality here is רצון. Start with a desire to fix these sins. If you can't live in Israel - then at least WISH you could. If you can't part with your money - wish you were more generous. If it is so interesting for you to talk about the latest scandal in your community or elsewhere - ask Hashem for help in overcoming the terrible yetzer to talk about it. Daven that you should love every Jew.
Do acts of chesed you would normally not do with the express intention of training yourself to care about others and fix the sinas chinom. Don't tell the person he is only a training device:-).
| שמואל בן רחל | לרפואת | |
| אליהו טוביה בן שרה מלכה | ||
| פרץ ישראל בן בתיה קיילה | ||
| מרים בת חיה | ||
| ראובן אלטער מרדכי בן מלכה | ||
| שמעון יחזקל בן רחל חנה | ||
| עטרה רחל בת שרה מרים |
