The Secret of Responsibility for Every Jew: The Iron Belts of the Sanhedrin

Lesson No. 271 | Cassette No. 271

Why were the Sanhedrin and Pinchas ben Elazar punished during the war of the Concubine in Giv'ah? Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a explains the words of the Tanna D'vei Eliyahu, revealing the obligation placed upon each of us to step out of our comfort zone, traverse the land, and bring the people of Israel back in teshuvah (repentance).

We travel and traverse the entire land. There is no road I do not know. From Nahalal to Beit Alfa, all the way to Be'er Sheva—in every corner, there are Torah classes. We must continue the path of Avraham Avinu (our Patriarch Abraham), who welcomed guests and brought everyone close. Baruch Hashem (Thank God), today we have the merit to bring the entire Jewish nation back in teshuvah (repentance), and through this, the verse will be fulfilled:

"And nations shall walk by your light, and kings by the brightness of your shining."

Our mission is to traverse the entire land, not to sleep and not to eat, but to walk day and night. The source for this is found in the Tanna D'vei Eliyahu, which discusses the seventy thousand men of Israel who were killed in the war of the Concubine in Giv'ah. The Midrash asks: Who killed those seventy thousand? The shocking answer is that the ones who killed them were the Great Sanhedrin and Pinchas ben Elazar, the Kohen Gadol (High Priest)!

Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone

Why were they the ones who killed them? Because if they had gone from city to city and from village to village, instead of sitting at home in comfort, eating and drinking a cup of tea with cake—they could have brought the entire Jewish nation back in teshuvah (repentance). Jews often sin simply because they do not know it is forbidden. If you go from kibbutz to kibbutz and say that something is forbidden, a Jew will hear the word "forbidden" and stop sinning. The people of Israel listen immediately when they are told that there is Hashem and there is a Torah.

The Midrash continues and says that Pinchas ben Elazar and the Great Sanhedrin should have tied iron ropes around their waists. Since they would be walking on foot, their clothes, shoes, and leather belts would tear from so much walking. Therefore, they should have girded themselves with iron belts, raised their clothes above their knees, and walked from city to city to sound the alarm in all the towns of Israel:

"One day in Lachish, one day in Beit El, one day in Chevron, one day in Jerusalem."

This is how they should have traveled around to all the places of Israel, to teach them proper conduct and to teach them Torah.

Traversing the Land from Door to Door

Today, Baruch Hashem (Thank God), we have cars. Within an hour or an hour and a half, you can reach any corner of the country. How much more so must we take a good car and start going from city to city and from village to village. The older adults at least once a week, and the youth—every single day. To walk through all the streets, from house to house, and to cover the entire Land of Israel.

If we were to do this, within a year, two, or three, we would bring the entire Jewish nation back in teshuvah (repentance). All the crime we see today is the result of neglect, the result of a lack of Torah study, and the result of people sitting secluded in their homes. If we go out and bring the people of Israel back in teshuvah (repentance), there will be no such crimes.

We must remember: "And Your people are all tzaddikim (righteous)." Truly, every Jew is a pure soul. Even the one who appears to be the greatest evildoer has a pure soul. We have seen how people who were very far away returned in teshuvah (repentance); anyone who knew them in the past would not have believed it was possible. If they returned in teshuvah, there is no person in Israel who cannot do teshuvah.

A Golden Opportunity for Awakening

Unfortunately, we sometimes act with laziness and do not do what is required of us. If we would stop dreaming, minimize our sleep and idle chatter, and only fall asleep in the car on the road or on benches—we would be operating 24 hours a day.

Especially during this period, when the security situation is difficult and there are dangers, the heart of the entire Jewish nation is open to teshuvah (repentance). We now have a golden opportunity to bring the entire Jewish nation back in teshuvah within just a few months.

All that is required of us is to get up, hit the road, traverse the entire land, and not leave a single kibbutz or settlement without the light of Torah. As the Tanna D'vei Eliyahu says, if we only have mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) for this, we will merit to see the entire Jewish nation return to their Father in Heaven.

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