“Just be wary and guard yourself carefully lest you
forget the things that you saw with your own eyes. …”
If you are from Brooklyn, you will know what I mean when I say fuhgeddaboudit. Some things are best to just forget and not dwell on. On the other hand, there are things that we are told we need to remember.
This past week, the world has heard an exceptionally great number of opinions. Some are saying that we should never forget Oct. 7th, and therefore Israel must continue the war in Gaza until all objectives are reached. Others are saying that it is time to move on. Let Oct. 7th be a lesson, but we have to stop the fighting so that we can put an end to the suffering and move on.
Is it possible to bridge this divide?
In this week’s Torah portion of Va’etchanan, the verse says: “Just be wary and guard yourself carefully lest you forget the things that you saw with your own eyes. …” The verse is talking about the importance of remembering the Torah and all the Mitzvot that we received at Mount Sinia.
Clearly, it is important to remember not only this momentous occasion but the lessons of the Torah as well.
Story: The Talmud tells us that the great Talmudic sage, Rabbi Zeira, wanted to move from Babylonia to Israel to study there. To prepare for this journey, he fasted many days in prayer beseeching G-d to grant him his wish to forget all that he learned in the past.
The reason for his desire to forget the Torah that he learned seems to be contrary to what the Torah teaches us: Remember. Don’t forget.
A little background is necessary to help shed some light.
There was a very big difference in the style of learning in Babylonia vs. Israel. In Babylonia, the style was to ask questions, debate every answer until you figured out not only what the answer was, but why the answer was the way that it was. In Israel, they just cut to the chase and related what the facts were. No questions. No explanations. Just facts.
The Israeli style was not to ignore the questions. No, they too asked all the difficult questions. The difference was whether they dwelled on the questions or on the answers.
Rabbi Zeira was seeking clarity. He wanted the Israeli way. He was not looking to forget as much as to remember what really matters.
Much has stayed the same over the years. Israel still sticks to their decisions, while others prefer to go back to the questions.
There is no question that we are living in challenging times. Fighting an enemy that is determined to destroy us.
Today we should remember this verse: “Just be wary and guard yourself carefully lest you forget the things that you saw with your own eyes. …” and apply it to our current situation.
We too, should seek the Israeli way. We should not stress fuhgeddaboudit so much as to remember what really matters.
Let’s get the job done!
Shabbat Shalom