The following is second half of the recap of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand in his annual Teshuva Derasha which was broadcast live from Baltimore on the TCN network Thursday Night. This was a very powerful derasha and my attempt to summarize should not be viewed as an exact transcript. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand said that while we won't understand why the attack occurred, but we are aware of the ramifications. The rise of antisemitism is beyond what anyone could have dreamed.
R' Frand tied this to the Meshecha Chacmah's writing on Galus in Parshas Bechukosai in connection with the Tochacha. He writes that the Jews were destined to be in Galus for 3,000 years and that in order to prepare them, Ya'akov gave his children certain instructions when they went down to Egypt - they needed to be different and not change their clothes, names or language. And he told them that they must bury him in Canaan because if they were buried in Egypt, his children would give up on ever leaving Egypt.
Similarly Daniel enacted certain rules during the 70 years of the Galus after the destruction of the First Temple. He forbade Pas Akum and Shemen Akum and Bishul Akum. Because if they would not be allowed to eat with the Akum they would not be fraternizing with them and there would not be a danger that they would be marrying their daughters. Later Ezra and the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah reinforced this to prevent assimilation.
But the Meshech Chachma notes that after being in a country for generations there will be assimilation. And then there will be a terrific storm which causes the Jews to leave that country for another country. But after rebuilding Torah and being successful, they will again forget that they are in a foreign country and they will give up on being saved. But then there will be another storm which will be even stronger. And the pattern will continue and continue and the Jews will forget where they had come from and will believe that Berlin is Jerusalem. As he died in 1926, this was well before the Holocaust.
R' Frand recounted the Aggadah in Bava Basra that people were on a boat and they saw an island. They got off the boat and settled and cooked and baked on the island and thought they had made it. But then it was too hot for the fish which actually was under the dirt they were on and it turned over and they all slid off. And if the boat was not close by, they would have drowned.
The Maharsha says that this story is a parable and the Nesivos writes that this is something like Achris HaYamim like America. But eventually it gets too hot for the fish.
R' Frand said that he saw the Meshech Chachma more than 40 years ago and wondered if it could happen in the USA. And yes it can.
R' Frand quoted Nathan Lewin in an op-ed where he talked about his grandfather who was on the city counsel in Lodz. A Jew was shot and killed in broad daylight and Mr. Lewin's grandfather wanted to mark the event at the city council. But a virulent anti semite got up and said - "If I could I would shoot 1,000 Jews...what are you doing in Poland, go back to Palestine."
And now 86 years on the college campuses, the "River to the Sea" protestors tell the Jews they should "go back to Poland."
So which is it - is it Palestine? Is it Poland? Is it the sea? Where are we to go?
R' Frand said that antisemitism cannot be cured until the Moshiach comes. Because as Rashbi states - Halacha He Esav Soneh L'Yaakov. But this is not a halachic ruling! R' Moshe Feinstein writes that the same way that halacha wont change, this wont change. R' Frand added on that the same way that we don't understand all halachos, we won't understand this.
And it is not logical. Dr Salk saved the country by curing polio and there have been hundreds of Nobel Prize winners. But just like there are laws of nature, the world was set up that Esav Soneh L'Yaakov.
R' Frand quoted a Gemara in Shabbos which writes that the Toah was given on Sinai, but Sinah came down to the world at the same time. And just as inexplicable was the giving of the Torah was the the devolution of antisemitism.
And antisemitism started in the womb with Esav fighting Yaakov. We don't know why this was Hashem's plan, but maybe it has to do with the fact that we would in Galus for so many years and that this is a way that they will reject us and we will not intermarriage with them.
R' Frand said that there is way to survive and thrive and we learn it from Bila'am who tried to curse and kill us. But he said something so profound in Bamidbar 23:9 - הֶן־עָם֙ לְבָדָ֣ד יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן וּבַגּוֹיִ֖ם לֹ֥א יִתְחַשָּֽׁב.
R' Frand quoted the Netziv who writes that the Jews are not like every other nation which assimilates and becomes accepted into the society they are in. When the Jews are separated and are not mixed, they will be able to live in serenity and peace - if they are separate they will leave in peace, but if you want to be with them, they won't consider us a nation.
R' Frand quoted R' Chaim Volozhin who said that if the Jews don't make Kiddush, the Akum will make Havdalah and will separate us. Our job is to be a holy people and to live an exalted existence, then they will leave in peace with us.
R' Frand also quoted the Netziv on the Hagaddah who writes that what stands for us in every generation is that V'hi - "it" - that which was said in Bris Bein HaBisarim (Bereishis 15:13) - יָדֹ֨עַ תֵּדַ֜ע כִּי־גֵ֣ר | יִֽהְיֶ֣ה זַרְעֲךָ֗ בְּאֶ֨רֶץ֙ לֹ֣א לָהֶ֔ם וַֽעֲבָד֖וּם וְעִנּ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם - the way to survive and thrive is to be a stranger. But if we think we came over on the Mayflower and this is our country, we won't surive.
So what is there for us to do? Are we not making Kiddush? Are we not learning Daf Yomi? Are we not davening three times a day? Are the women not dressed Tzniously?
R' Frand said that if there is a positive impact from the events of October 7 it is that Jews on college campuses are flocking to Hillel and Chabad in ways that there never were before. Whether this is because they want to understand what it means to be a Jew or because they are seeking shelter among their own kind, or even if its because they want Jewish comfort food, they are reaching out. And we should be there to satisfy that thirst. In so doing, our mitzvos will become more infused with holiness. And a sure fire way to do is to explain Judaism to an unaffiliated person - and both will become more holy and you will appreciate your Judaism more.
R' Frand quoted a book called Suddenly Jewish by Barbara Kessell, The author writes that if she thinks seriously about possibly being told that she was not Jewish, she would be devastated. She writes that she knows that on Friday Nights she will set her table with a white tablecloth and her best dishes and the family will talk about the week's events. She knows that in the spring her family will visit and have a Seder. And in the fall she will fast 25 hours and think about how she can better herself. And if this was taken from her she would be devastated.
R' Frand said that the Netziv asks - do we feel like we are in Galus, or do we think that Berlin is Jerusalem? But more to the point, we make the Sinah more palpable when we get in the face of Akum neighbors. R' Yaakov Kaminetsky told people in Monsey not to walk in the street with their Tallis on the outside. Why? Because this is Galus and not Jerusalem.
R' Frand said that he was told a story by a man from Lakewood who had been on a flight. He had a conversation with a seatmate who said - I can't get over how many hundreds of houses are going up on Rt 70 - have the Chasidim taken over the zoning board too? There is latent anti-semitism, but we make it worse when we do things people don't like - and driving in a way that is disrespectful to others only adds gas to the fire. So R' Frand suggested that frum Jews take on to drive in a more considerate way.
R' Frand also said that if people want to feel the Galus then when they daven Shemoneh Esreh they should have more Kavanah in V'Leyrushalaim Ircha. He remarked that he was born in the USA and likes baseball and apple pie, but he has had enough with America and its time to daven for Geulah.
R' Frand also quoted the Rabbeinu Yona who said that if you don't reach out to Hashem in this time, its a smack across His face. The Rabbeinu Yona then repeats the parable about a group of prisoners who escape prison, but one stays behind. The warden hits him and says to him - the way to get out is there and you did not use it. R' Frand said that for years he had problems with this medrash. But he heard from R' Gelbwirth in the name of R' Moshe Shapiro that the king knows that the most wonderful place in the world to be is in his country and if you choose to stay in prison you are an idiot and an insult to the king.
R' Frand said that we have a reverse incarceration - we are not locked in, we are locked out of our homeland. And if you are comfortable being here, you are insulting the King as you take the position that you would prefer to be here.
R' Frand talked about the section of the house which when built is supposed to be left empty. Why? Because in Galus you need to know that life is not complete. You may need a large house because you have a large family, but you don't need every convenience.
R' Frand closed by asking - am I advocating that everyone make Aliyah? He answered "Yes,but" sometimes its not feasible, or practical or even possible. But we need to remember that this is not our homeland and we should not treat it as such. So when sitting on Yom Kippur think about what you can do to remember you are in Galus and bring mor Kedushah into your life. Because where we are is not Jerusalem and if we feel that way, then maybe He will bring the Geulah.
R' Frand quoted Yeshaya in the 6th Haftorah after Tisha B'Av where he states that in place of being despised, I will make you an eternal source of joy for generations. Instead of being spat on and called "Jew" - you will be the joy. This will happen - and then they will come running and want to support you, but Hashem will say that it is too late, and I have the record. He quoted R' Pa'am who said - why does the UN exist? Because one day they will come and say - we were always on your side. But all the votes in the UN have been recorded and I have the record.
We should live to see the day when we will be lauded and be the pride of the world from generation to generation soon in our days.
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