Protect Your House

And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt; with Yaakov, each man and his household came”. (Shemot 1:1) 
 

Spiritual Doctors 

HaRav Zalman Plitkin, zt”l, was the Rabbi in Liverpool, England. A student of the Chafetz Chaim zt”l. 
 

Rav Plitkin was a righteous Torah sage. However, there was an extremely wealthy Jew who lived in the town. He was influential and haughty. He constantly argued with the Rav and prevented him from leading the community unimpeded. 
 

Until, one day the man came to the Rav broken and in tears. “Rabbi, help me,” he cried out, “My only daughter has told me that she plans on marrying a non-Jew that she has been seeing! Please, speak to her and encourage her to return to our heritage!” 
 

The rabbi met with the daughter. He passionately described to her the tremendous damage that can be done by such a grave sin, while also promising a plethora of blessings if she overcame this test. However, when the girl returned from the rabbi, she told her father that the meeting with the rabbi was a waste of time. She was going to go forward as she pleased. 
 

The father immediately went to the rabbi. He reprimanded the rabbi for failing to help his daughter. After his rant, he declared, “All of you rabbis are useless.” 
 

Rav Plitkin paused for a moment and said, “Let me share a parable that I heard from the Chafetz Chaim:

“There was once an epidemic that targeted children. Every day, children passed away and the disease spread like wildfire from town to town. No one knew what to do. However, there was one specialist who discovered a cure, and he began traveling to these towns to administer the treatment. While traveling through a forest, a band of robbers stole all his money and medical supplies. Whatever medication remained was contaminated and useless. 
 

“When he arrived at the next town, flocks of people began to crowd around him seeking medical treatment. Among them was a father who came with his deathly ill daughter. The doctor recognized this father as being one of the men who robbed him. The doctor told him, ‘I could have helped your daughter. However, on my way here, I was ambushed by robbers. They stole everything I had and destroyed my inventory. I can make more medicine, but by the time it is ready, your daughter will be gone.’ 
 

“The man realized that this was the person he robbed in the forest. He went mad and started wailing, ‘My corrupt ways have destroyed my daughter’s only hope!’” 

“The lesson is obvious,” explained Rav Plitkin. “The rabbis and sages are spiritual doctors who have the ability to heal the soul. And their medical supplies and medicine that they utilize is empowered by the respect and honor given to the rabbis and sages and the Torah. If rabbis are properly respected, then they can help, and the children will listen to their guidance and be cured of any spiritual ailments. However, if they are disrespected, they cannot influence those who are spiritually suffering.” 

Your Children Listen 

There are people who constantly mock and ridicule rabbis and Torah sages. They call them “useless” and “out of touch.” Their words are like poisonous arrows that penetrate the sanctity of their families. Their children learn from this example and view the rabbis as worthless. 
 

This behavior is destroying the last hope to save these children from the spiritually deadly epidemics that plague modern-day society — the trials and tests that challenge our spiritual well-being. Without an appreciation for rabbis, these children will be beyond help; they will never accept the spiritual guidance and advice of these spiritual doctors, the rabbis and Torah scholars. 
 

An accomplished and learned Torah scholar once asked R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt”l, “Why have I been unsuccessful in raising good, Torah observant children while my neighbor, a simple Jew, succeeded?” 
 

R’ Shlomo Zalman knew these two families well and answered, “When you sit at your Shabbat table, you dismiss and ridicule other rabbis and scholars. When your children hear this, they learn to discount rabbis and their advice. They do not admire Torah study and the rabbis it produces. Your neighbor admires rabbis. He speaks highly of their accomplishments in Torah. Therefore, his children aspire to become learned individuals themselves.” 

Withstanding Egyptian Temptations 

This is the lesson of our pasuk.

The name Yisroel alludes to (Bereishit 32:29), “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you have commanding power with the [bad] angel and with men, and you have prevailed.” When the pasuk says, “And these are the names of the sons of Israel”, it refers to those Jews who withstood the temptations of their Yetzer Harah, even when they came to Egypt. They remained spiritually strong despite being in a place that was lowly, a place that was spiritually deprived. 
 

Rabbis and Jewish leaders are described as “Yaakov.” As Chazal taught (Taanis 5b) that “Yaakov did not die” because that power of Yaakov lives on in the guidance and teachings of the rabbis. These Jews who came to Egypt did so “with Yaakov, each man and his household came…”  They taught their families to live their lives according to the guidance of Torah scholars. They raised their household, their families, to honor the role that rabbis play in their lives. They respected Torah sages and scholars. And, therefore, they were able to withstand the test and temptations of Egypt. 
 

This lesson is even more relevant today when the world is being consumed with impurity. Now, you must be careful to always allot the proper respect and honor to rabbis and Torah scholars. You must adhere to all of the guardrails and boundaries that they establish to protect your spirituality. 
 

This is particularly important when it comes to technology and protecting yourself and your children from the dangers presented by these devices. 
 

By doing so, you can ensure that you and your children merit a good, happy life that is filled with blessings from Above. 

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The Kalever Rebbe is the seventh Rebbe of the Kaalov Chasidic dynasty, begun by his ancestor who was born to his previously childless parents after receiving a blessing from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, and later learned under the Maggid of Mezeritch zt”l. The Rebbe has been involved in outreach for more than 30 years and writes weekly emails on understanding current issues through the Torah. Sign up at www.kaalov.org.