We live in crazy times. I don’t think anyone will argue with that. But I recently realized that I don’t ever remember a period in my life when people didn’t comment that we are living in crazy times.
I clearly recall sitting at a Shabbos table a few years ago when someone said exactly that.
People often say things like: “Things have never been this bad,” “I feel like the end is coming,” “Mashiach has to come; things are so crazy.”
The reality is that this article could have been written five years ago, ten years ago, or 20 years ago, and I’m quite sure it would have been applicable during all those times, as well. (For all you, dear reader, know, this article may actually be reprinted from ten years ago.)
When I listen to Torah lectures from past years, this point becomes even clearer. The lecturer will invariably connect his message with the current events of that time. Discussions of anti-Semitism, terror attacks, political instability in Eretz Yisrael and/or the United States, a plethora of personal challenges and tragedies, to name a few, were constants then, as well. In varying degrees, these have been ongoing challenges that our community has contended with in recent decades.
When I commented to a friend that things have always felt erratic and out of control, he replied that it’s unquestionably worse now. It’s hard to know whether that’s really true. We know how the past played out. Even if things did not turn out well, when viewing events in retrospect, we can hardly recapture the angst and anxiety of the moment. Contrast that with the fact that in the present we don’t know what the future holds, so we feel anxiety over our current situation far more acutely.
In May 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic, Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky wrote a seminal article in Mishpacha Magazine entitled “Sometimes Mashiach is NOT the solution.”
One of the points he addressed in that article is the often-touted sentiment that “things have never been this bad.” Rabbi Lopiansky offers numerous examples to debunk that myth.
He notes that cholera and typhus epidemics ravaged communities in Europe, women commonly died in childbirth, appendicitis was usually deadly, and fires would destroy entire towns in a few hours.
“I often hear that ‘Never, ever has there been so much anti-Semitism.’ This sentiment is astonishing! Even putting aside the Holocaust for a moment, there are people alive today who have lived in countries where the normal legal status of a Jew was second- or third-class citizen. Throwing rocks at Jews in public was the norm rather than the exception.
“And most disconcerting is the claim that ‘Never, ever has the Jewish Nation experienced such spiritual decline.’ Yiddishkeit literally disintegrated from the mid-1700s until World War II, with enormous numbers of Yidden abandoning it completely.
“The postwar renaissance is nothing short of a miracle. Of course, there are some issues that challenge our generation more than previous generations and there is much to improve, but that does not belie the general picture of the state of our Yiddishkeit relative to other generations.
“We need to teach our children history. And that history needs to include much more than dry names and dates and stories of g’dolim. They need to have an accurate understanding of the experiences of the Jewish communities of each generation: the daily life, the hardships, the challenges, the successes, and the wounds.”
The legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey poignantly quipped: “In times like these, it’s helpful to remember that there have always been times like these.”
Koheles, written by the wisest of men, teaches us that “There is nothing new under the sun.” No matter what comes our way, the Jewish people have been here before. That’s not to say that the tears and anguish are not bitter and painful. But it helps to know that we have emerged in the past and will do so now again.
My rebbi, Rabbi Berel Wein, notes that we are the only nation that makes a blessing on maror. It’s unpleasant and symbolizes anguish and heartache. But we also know that soon after maror is Shulchan Oreich, the festive meal, and the celebration of our ultimate redemption and triumph.
Currently, the Jewish people are living through a period of maror. Indeed, it is a crazy time, and we have no way of knowing what will be. But we do know that we have been through worse, and just as we have prevailed then, so we will prevail now.
In the end, the afikoman will be removed from its hiding place and restored to us – not the afikoman of matzah, but the afikoman of the Korban Pesach.
May every Jew merit ascending to Yerushalayim for Pesach this year from all corners of the globe, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, United States, and Gaza.
Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW, a rebbe at Heichal HaTorah in Teaneck, New Jersey, is a parenting consultant and maintains a private practice for adolescents and adults. He is also a member of the administration of Camp Dora Golding for over two decades. Rabbi Staum was a community rabbi for ten years, and has been involved in education as a principal, guidance counselor, and teacher in various yeshivos. Rabbi Staum is a noted author and sought-after lecturer, with hundreds of lectures posted on torahanytime.com. He has published articles and books about education, parenting, and Torah living in contemporary society. Rabbi Staum can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. His website containing archives of his writings is www.stamTorah.info.
