Hagra"l Steinman: "The storm – to break feeling of 'Ani Ve'afsi Od'"

It has been a little more than a week since the storm 'Sandy' visited the eastern coast of the U.S., and the Talmidim of Hag"r Aharon Leib Steinman indicate: "R' Aharon Leib empathizes at all times with the sorrow of our brethren in the United States, who are greatly suffering after the storms they suffered. And almost everyone who enters at this time who is a U.S. resident, Hagray"l asks him if he was in the storm etc ".

In his Shiurim, Hagray"l mentioned what the sages said, "When the Temple was destroyed they did not want to eat meat, nor drink wine, R' Yehoshua told them why are you not eating meat and drinking wine, they said to him – should we eat meat from which they sacrificed on the altar and now it is idle, should we drink wine which they poured on the altar and now it is cancelled etc.. He told them – my sons, come and I will tell you, not to mourn at all is impossible since it has already been decreed, and to mourn excessively you can not since one does not decree on the public unless the majority cannot withstand it etc., but the sages said – a person paints the house with lime and the leaves a small part (unpainted), etc., and whoever mourns for Jerusalem will see her joy. Thus also for the serious trouble which hit Klal Yisroel we should have not have eaten meat or drunk wine, only one can not withstand it."

However, when asked about the cause of the storm, Hagray"l said the United States is known for a sense of 'Ani ve'afsi Od' (there is no one like me), and it was this feeling which Hashem came to 'break' for them and teach them. And when asked if this feeling is a 'claim' in Heaven on individuals, he answered: "Every American thinks he has all the capabilities ... And Hashem teaches them that the dollar is not worth anything! "

"In any case," he continued, "the claim of the Jews is much more than on gentiles, which are likened to animals. And the claim is both the study of Torah, the performance of Mitzvos, in modesty, as it is written "Velo year'e becha ervas davar veshav me'acharecha." (no immodesty will be seen in you lest He abandons you).

Rosh HaYeshiva further mentioned the Yerushalmi at the end of Brochos, "For what reasons do horrors (storms) occur, one said because of Machlokes (controversy) and one said serious matters in lewdness, it is known that terrible laws have been recently enacted there in this matter, "a gewaldige chutzpa", and because there is a lot of assimilation in the United States ".

R' Aharon Leib referred to the storm, calling it "a kind of Mabul (flood)," and noted it says that Hashem swore that He will not bring another flood on the 'entire' world, but one place - yes, and here it was a flood!"

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!