I Caused the Holocaust

There are many stories of old ladies who lamented during the last moments of their lives. Lying in their beds, surrounded by their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, they had a moment of clarity, and then cried.

They remembered when a bully beat them. They remembered when a tyrant sent them to jail unjustly. They remembered going for days with just enough food to keep breathing.

They understood, at this moment, that their suffering was the reason why they were blessed with such long life. Every time the bully swung at them, G-d decreed an extra year of life.

They look back and wish the pain had been more intense.

Is this the Holocaust? Did the Holocaust speed up the Redemption? When we bask in His Divine Light, will we be grateful that G-d did what was necessary to bring this great day a little sooner?

Is that the point of suffering? Did our slavery in Egypt hasten the Exodus? Did the horrors of the Holocaust hasten the building of the Second Temple?

Does it have to be that way at all?

We learn in the Torah portions B’Chukotai (end of Leviticus), and Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy) that if we do not serve Hashem, 100 curses will befall us. For every Holocaust, this is exactly what we endured.

We are a nation on cruise control. We have a starting point, and end point, and a specific path. If we veer of this path, Hashem will put us right back on it. He does this out of love for us. He knows where this journey ends. He knows how grateful we will be to Him for keeping us on it.

That is why when we veer to the right, or to the left, He sometimes hits us with a stick, very hard, to keep us on the path that will lead to the greatest eternal happiness.

Jewish belief, which states that all of our tribulations are caused by our own sins, places the guilt of the Holocaust upon my shoulders as much as is does Adolf Hitler. I am as guilty as he is for the death of 6 million of our people.

That’s the consequence of sin.

We are mourning the loss of the First Temple, the Second Temple, and a lifetime of exile in the dessert for committing the sins we are all guilty of today: 

• Sexual immorality. 
• Murder: which translates into slanderous talk, which embarrasses people and is legally considered taking a life.
• Idolatry: which is putting our foremost energy into something that doesn’t begin or end with G-d, like our jobs, who will be the next American president, or who will win this year’s world series.
• Refusal to enter the Land of Israel. Refusal to accept and live like Israel is our permanent home once we do enter the Land.
• Baseless hatred of another Jew. Refusal to deflect anger from Jews acting foolishly towards more spiritually productive pursuits.

All of this led to death. All of this led to unspeakable misery. The consequences for every choice we make are severe, and have repercussions to the four corners of the earth.

The Gemara warns us that every generation that doesn’t experience the rebuilding of the Temple is as guilty as the generation that witnessed its destruction. The Third Temple will usher in an era of perfect and immutable peace for all the Nation of Israel.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe tells us that we are so close, just one deed can tip the scales towards Redemption. Any deed we do right now has the merit to cleanse all mankind and rid the world of suffering.

Every failure to act. Every action that is wrong has real consequences which will impact the well-being of every man, women, and child on earth.

Choose wisely.