A Thought on Parshas Vayelech

"...rabos ra'os v'tzaros..." "...many bad times and troubles..." (31:17 & 21) The Torah is explicit in its descriptions of what can befall us in exile. The further we stray from Torah, the further HaShem seems to us. The more we fragment from the Jewish nation, the more we are alienated by others. There are many bad times and many troubles that we have faced in exile, for centuries. We have endured pogroms, we have been expelled, we have been victims of inquisitions, crusades, ghettoes, concentration camps and discrimination. And we have attempted to escape it all by assimilation only to find that we still fail, either disappearing entirely into loss of values and of identity, or finding that even with our attempt to recreate ourselves as non-Jews, the world still casts us out by exposing our Jewishness. Our verse seems a bit redundant. "Many bad times" seems all inclusive. "Troubles" seems repetitive, adding nothing new than what was already subsumed under "many bad times." What is the difference, then, between the two negative tidings? The Gan helps out with this. He cites a Talmudic statement (Chagiga 5a) that describes a wasp attack and a scorpion bite. Both cause pain but both require different treatments. One needs hot water and one needs cold. Whatever helps one of the wounds irritates the other one. So, the victim is stuck. He has two injuries but can really heal neither of them for fear of complications. So too, the Gan muses, is our experience in exile: if we are harassed by an adversary and we cry out, we get no pity or protection, and are hated more for trying to draw attention to the injustice we are shown. Yet, if we do not stand up and protest, we encourage our adversaries to continue their campaign of prejudice and assault. So, says the Gan, this is the ominous message of our verse. In exile, we will face many bad times. The trouble comes when we attempt to respond to our plight. Reacting brings more oppression. Passivity encourages more aggression. Such is the reality of being a small nation dispersed among the nations. That is exile.. May our prayers for solidarity, for unity, for identity and for redemption be answered during these Days of Repentance. May this new year 5776 be the year of our rescue from exile and our return to the Promised Land with peace, health and celebration. Gmar chasima tova. Good Shabbos. D Fox