Parshat Masei

This week’s haftarah, the second of the three pre-Tisha B’Av haftarot of condemnation, is taken from the second perek of Sefer Yirmiyahu and is continuation of last week’s reading that closed with the first four pesukim of this second chapter. As the navi’s mission was to censure Israel for her wayward behavior and detail for them how they had sinned, Yirmiyahu takes the people to task for the sin of ingratitude.

The prophet presents the nation with a quick review of the many kindnesses that Hashem had done for them, including liberating them from the Egyptian enslavement, providing for them and protecting them throughout their 40-year trek in the desolate wilderness and bringing them safely to the land that he helped them conquer. Despite all of this, the nation abandoned Hashem and, worse still, they searched for alternative “gods” to worship.

Among the criticisms leveled against Israel, Yirmiyahu tells them that, throughout your search for other divinities and your pursuit of “hevel,” futility, you never thought to ask, “Where is God Who took us out of Egypt?” It is a curious reproach, as it seems that the navi is asking the people why, in their search for “gods,” they did not also include a search for Hashem, thus, by implication, equating Hashem with those impotent, supposed but non-existent “powers” that were worshipped by other nations?!

HaRav Breuer, z”l, suggests that the navi was underscoring a basic flaw in the religious attitude of Israel. “Where is God” should have been (and should be) a question that was on the minds and the lips of every Jew, and yet, Yirmiyahu bemoans, it is no longer the concern or the pursuit of the people. They no longer cared about where God might be.

This comment of Rav Breuer reminded me of a story I heard from Rav Berel Wein, shlit”a, regarding his predecessor at the OU, Rav Rosenberg, z”l. (I apologize for any possible inaccuracies in the details of the story; those mistakes are mine not those of Rav Wein.) Rav Rosenberg was once approached by an individual who sought consent from the rabbi for something that was, at best, ethically questionable. The person defended his position by quoting a number of sources: “Well, he says this and this one said that,” the man explained. After hearing all of those who gave backing to the man’s actions, Rav Rosenberg responded: “Und vos zogt Gott?—And what does God say??” Those four powerful Yiddish words echoed the criticism of Yirmiyahu and drove home a lesson both to his questioner and to us all.

The navi’s condemnation of Israel for never asking “Where is God?” was a denunciation of the widespread attitude among the people who never took into account the fact that Hashem was there! He was with them! He was following them! And He was watching their behavior! And yet they never felt that He was there. As a result, the decisions were never guided by that knowledge. If their actions had reflected the presence of God then they would be constantly asking, “Und vos zogt Gott?”

So often, we are faced with decisions, even minor ones, that have real ethical and moral implications. In too many instances we tend to follow our own preferences because they may be easier or better for us. We even look for others to support our views. But too seldom do we ask that crucial question: “And what would Hashem say?”

I humbly suggest that if we would all ask that question more often, the question that was missing from the nation in Yirmiyahu’s time, we would behave in a more ethical and a more proper way.

And in doing so, we would fulfill the final verse of our haftarah, referring to God as our Father, Who is ever present, and He, once again, will call us His children.

Rabbi Neil Winkler is the rabbi emeritus of the Young Israel Fort Lee and now lives in Israel.