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THE CANTONISTS: The Jewish Children's Army of
the Tsar by Larry Domnitch
www.milechai.com
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A Passover
Thought
by Larry
Domnitch
Apr 09, '04 /
18 Nisan 5764
 Passover is
a most appropriate time to ask how we Jews
can alter the course of history.
From their suffering, the Israelites
beseeched the Almighty's intervention,
"And it happened during those many days,
that the king of Egypt died, and the
Children of Israel groaned because of the
work and they cried out. Their outcry
because of their work went up to God."
(Exodus 20:23) Following the death of the
Pharaoh, from their servitude, their
prayers ascended to the Almighty. Why? Had
they not prayed before from their
subjugation? Rashi, commenting on this
sentence, states, "Israel was in need of
salvation." |
Perhaps, in the
past, the Israelites prayed for an improvement
of their plight in the hope that their
suffering will subside; that there would be a
lightening of their bitter load. When Pharaoh
died and yet the persecution continued,
perhaps they then fully realized that the
source of their troubles was not with the
prior Pharaoh alone, but with Egypt and most
importantly their existence in the Galut
- exile. When they came to this understanding,
then they prayed not to be rid of a king, but
to be rid of their existence in Egypt, and
hence, for redemption. Then, as the sentence
states, their prayers ascended to the
Almighty.
After the death of Tsar Nicholas II at the
hands of Bolsheviks in the aftermath of the
Russian revolution, the venerated Chafetz
Chaim reflected, "Who buried Nicholas?
Jews wept and cried out over their troubles,
and in merit of their prayers, they were rid
of the Tsar. If they so strongly felt the pain
of the churban - the destruction of the
Temple - and cried out against the desecration
that is the exile, they would be rid of that,
too." (Sichot, 82)
The Jews prayed for an end to the brutal rule
of Tsar Nicholas, but with the end of the
Tsar, they now found themselves under the rule
of Bolsheviks, who would prove themselves as
worthy an adversary to the Jews as was
Nicholas II. The Bolsheviks and their policies
of forced assimilation threatened the very
existence of Russia's three million Jews. As
in Egypt, Jews in Russia prayed for relief,
but it would not come with regime change,
because the real problem was Russia itself and
the anti-Semitism that was endemic in Russia.
The prayers for relief lead from one nightmare
to another.
Over the past few years, there have been
frequent calls for the ousting, or the
elimination, of Yasser Arafat. No doubt, the
absence of Arafat, as any enemy of the Jews,
would be something good since Israel would
have one less enemy. But once again, the main
picture is obscured. Arafat is part of a
society that is committed to the elimination
of Israel. Along with Arafat stand the masses
of "Palestinians" who support the war of
terror against Israel. If he falls, others
would take his place. The society of
Palestinians is largely one that venerates and
encourages murder and holds murderers of women
and children in the highest esteem. It is, in
fact, a cult of murder. To think that the
removal of Arafat would change the landscape
in any shape or form is like saying that
removing a small portion of a malignant
disease would cure the patient.
No doubt, there have been times when the death
of a tyrant caused the Jews great relief. The
death of the wicked Haman, or the Roman
Emperor Hadrian, or the Russian dictator
Joseph Stalin no doubt gave the Jews reason to
rejoice. But eventually, the exile would rear
its ugly head and Jews would face new
antagonists. Ultimately, there were times in
history when Jews were spared by a despot's
demise, but not really saved.
In our own times, it is no doubt essential
that Israel defeat the terrorists that
threaten its people. Yet there is another
dimension to Israel's struggle for security.
Passover being the holiday of liberation is a
significant opportunity for Jews to pray as
one, for everlasting change and the ultimate
redemption as foretold by the prophets, when
evil individuals along with tyranny and evil
itself, which they represent, will disappear.
Larry Domnitch is an author and high school
teacher living in the MileChai City of Denver
Colorado. |
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