There is a lot of talk about how evil Hamas is. They most certainly are. אוהבי השם שנאו רע. Our love for Hashem should be expressed, among other things, with our hatred of that indescribable evil.
But we can't change them. We can only daven for the army to eliminate them. ארדוף אויבי ואשיגם ולא אשוב עד כלותם. Down to the last one. They are not Bnei Aliyah - to say the least. So hyper focusing on their evil [as social media is doing] will do nobody any good.
What evil CAN we change? The evil that nobody is talking about.
I refer to the evil within all of us. It is not evil like Hamas but it is evil.
There is קנאה, שנאה, תאות נשים, תאות אכילה, אהבת ממון, עצלות, עצבות, כעס and the list goes on and on. There is no מדה רעה we can't improve upon.
There are all the times we are asked for tzdaka and could give but don't.
There are all the times we know we could help someone else out but don't because we are lazy or selfish or other reasons.
There are all the emails and texts we receive where people wait sometimes anxiously for an answer and we ignore them making them wonder why.
There are all the times we speak negatively about people behind their backs or share confidential information.
There are all the times we lie.
There are all the times where instead of giving people the attention they so sorely need [like our spouses or children] we are busy with our phones.
There are countless things we can do in order to purify ourselves and remove any vestige of evil from within ourselves. סור מרע.
There are even more things we can do on the positive side - עשה טוב.
We can have so many more positive thoughts - about ourselves, about others, about Hashem.
We have endless opportunities to say a kind word to someone else. We can greet someone else on the street with a smile and hello - even if we don't know the person [!!!!!]. We can profusely compliment someone - the Baal Tfilla, the Maggid Shiur, the cashier in the store, the driver or train conducter.
We can hug somebody and tell them we love them - even if they are not our child [and do it a LOT MORE to our children]. Everybody needs love and none of us receive enough. Not nearly enough.
We can write emails or texts telling people how much they are valued and appreciated.
We can think of how much we are comfortable giving to tzdaka and then give a bit more.
We can turn ourselves little by little into Ahavas Chesed and Ahavas Habriyos machines. We can make those lifestyle choices a habit.
Or we can remain in our little bubble and continue with the same patterns that we have been following now for yeeeeeaaaarrrs.
You choose.
This time, the "Simchas Torah War" of תשפ"ד which will change the world forever is our opportunity to fight evil with good, to fight negativity with positivity, to fight materialism with spirituality, to fight apathy with care and compassion.
Or we can watch gory videos and read detailed descriptions of how beasts disguised as men tortured human beings mercilessly.
We can read endless analysis of what did happen, what will happen, what should happen, why it happened, what could have happened, why it could have happened etc. etc.
Or we can change our lives. Since this is a war not merely of Hamas against Israel but of the forces of good against the forces of evil, it would be so wise to join the good side by increasing the good and light we bring to the world.
Because more than anything else - that is what the world needs. Good and Light.
Looking for a zchus for the soldiers and prisoners - THAT is it.
