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Remember Your Past
If you stay and you sin by yourself, you'll stay sinning and you'll never improve.
But if you do not remember the sin, if you do not remember the mistake that was made as a nation:
You will never do teshuva;
You will never get out of your own way;
You will never rebuild the Beit HaMikdash chas v'shalom (G-d forbid).
A nation that does not know its past certainly does that have a good future.
A nation that does not connect to its past does not have a future.
Teshuva from what Happened in Eden - The Removal of Reality
This is why it's our obligation to learn the details of our past: what happened 1950 years ago, what happened 2400 years ago, and what happened 70 years ago. Because that's the only way that we're going to have an idea about who HaShem really is. And that He's not our friend, He's not a puppy. He's not some "thing" that just is supposed to work for us.
This is was the mistake that Adam HaRishon made.
The first sin, the serpent came and said: "no no listen... HaShem doesn't want you to eat, to touch the tree...See I touched it."
At that moment, the serpent convinced Chava that HaShem is just there to give you stuff.
Why? The tree of course. Why is he telling her to touch this tree? No, look, I can touch the tree. It's all about touching the tree, not touching the tree, eat the tree, don't eat the tree.
It's just about that: the tree.
It's not about what HaShem said therefore don't do it. Or HaShem said therefore do it.
He completely removed the reality from the situation
It all became about the fruit. It all became about getting stuff from HaShem
Eating the Fruit – A Mindset of Getting Stuff from HaShem.
Unfortunately, this is what's happening today. We have a generation of people that believe that the relationship that that we're supposed to have with HaShem is based on stuff. Stuff we're supposed to get from HaShem.
I pray, so therefore HaShem will give me stuff
I do mitzvot, so therefore HaShem will give me stuff
If He doesn't give me stuff, then why should I pray then?
Why should I pray? He's not gonna give me stuff.
If your relationship with HaKodesh Baruch Hu is based on stuff – I do it, therefore, He's gonna give me stuff... and if He doesn't give me stuff, therefore, I'm not really gonna want to do it – that type of mentality ultimately leads to complete Kefirah, complete heresy. It's abandonment of Torah and abandonment of mitzvot because it was never real to begin with.
HaShem Tests Those He Loves
It says in Sefer Devarim that HaShem tests those He loves. One of the tests is by not giving them what they want, to see how they react.
Do you still love Me? You look for a zivug? How many years? 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 years, 10 years. You're looking for a zivug? I didn't give it to you. Do you still believe in Me?
So you still love Me?
Do you still pray with Kavanah?
I gave you a lot of money, now I took everything. Do you still believe in me?
Do you still pray to Me with Kavanah?
You're still going to give a little bit of tzedakah proportional to what you have now?
Or no. You're only going to give when you have a lot?
When HaShem Stops Protecting Us
HaKadosh Baruch Hu does not want to punish us. How could it be?
People say, where was G-d during the Holocaust? What do you mean? He's the one that did it. So what do you mean? You just said G-d doesn't want to punish. How does this work?
There is a verse that explains it.
HaKodesh Baruch Hu does not want to punish us. But what happens is that he withdraws His hand that's blocking the enemy from eating us alive. When? When we distance ourself.
It's not that He punishes us. It is that He is protecting us.
When we distance ourself from Him, He simply uncovers what's being covered right now.
And that's what this verse says:
In fierce anger, all the dignity of Israel; He withdrew His right hand [that shielded Israel] in the presence of the enemy, he burned though Yaakov like a flaming fire consuming all sides.
-Eichah - Lamentations (2:3)
As soon as He just withdrew His hand that's covering, that's protecting us, the fire of Esav started burning Yaakov.
The minute that we forsake HaKodesh Baruch Hu, HaShem says, okay so each time
you do something, I'll uncover more. He doesn't do it all at once. He gives us warning signs.
But if we if we don't get the warning signs, it gets worse.
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