Some say it’s the Arabs in Gaza. Others blame it on the PLO. Others say it’s Arafat. Some say it’s everybody. Others claim it’s nobody. Who’s throwing the stones?
I once was in Bnai Brak to visit a Yeshiva. The principal took me around to visit the classes. It was a beautiful sight, hundreds of little boys learning with great hasmodoh (incessant Torah scholarship).
I went into one of the lower grades that happened to be learning Bechukosai. The rebbi asked me to ask the class a few questions. I took him up on his offer. I turned to the class, and asked, “Who makes it rain? Thirty little hands immediately popped up in the air, and before I even had a chance to call on one of them, a youngster in the back who probably couldn’t contain himself at such a ridiculous and stupid question called out on top of his lungs. “Hashem.” All hands went down. It seemed as if he had unanimous approval.
They had it out clear. They knew it cold. I listened to the sing-song manner in which they all said together, Im Bechukosai telechu (if in my statutes you will go and my mitzvos you will carefully. observe and do them). I didn’t bother asking them any more questions. They knew the chumash perfectly. If they were to make a mistake with a teitch of a word here or there it really didn’t mean anything. They knew the pshat – meaning – cold. They gave me no scientific explanation. The clouds. The sun. The temperatures. The wind. Sure that’s all true but who controls them?
Little ten-year old boys knew the answer. Yet, very clever and intelligent adults fail to know who’s throwing the stones and who is shooting the mortar shells. A tiny finger doesn’t get hurt down below unless it’s so decreed up above. That’s basic. It’s an axiom. It needs no proof!
Who throws the stones? Who sent the frogs? Who sent the lice? Who sent the wild animals? Who threw down the hail? Who shut the lights? Who sent the snakes in the midbar?
Even Pharaoh and his servants caught on to the answers by the third makkoh (plague)! It took him all of three times to catch on to what was happening. But the rocks keep flying and flying, and nobody seems to know from where they are coming.
Who threw the stones upon the great armies of the five most powerful kings as they fled for their lives before Yehoshua and the B’nei Yisroel? Who threw down the stone that crashed into Nevuchadnezzar’s giant monster and smashed it to smithereens?
When Dovid was fleeing Yerushalayim and rocks were hurled at him by the head of the Sanhedrin, he didn’t bother throwing them back. That’s because he knew where they really were coming from. He had his own experience with rocks. He had used one himself against that giant of a man – Golias. He knew quite well who made it hit its mark. He took no credit for himself! He wasn’t really a master at using a slingshot!
Stones, rocks, Molotov cocktails. bullets, rockets, bombs – they all come from the same direction. They all originate from the same source. Ask Kayin. Ask Pharaoh. They’ll tell you the whole story. Ask Sancheriv. He saw the answer.
Its’s written in the Torah. It’s written throughout the pages of Jewish and world history. An intelligent person can figure it out if he wants to. If only he opens his eyes! If he only begins to think. Just don’t wait for the tenth makah to find out. Then it may be too late.
But why does He throw the stones? That question is too simple. I didn’t even bother asking it of the little kids. If they knew who was making it rain, then they certainly could figure out why He’s making it rain. Could G-d’s judgment be challenged? Could there not be a good reason? The Chumash gives you the answers clearly. Just keep reading. You don’t need glasses to see. All you need is a brain to understand! But if you put on sunglasses, you won’t see it so clearly. If you use your eyes to look at things you are not allowed to, then our vision becomes hazy. You think you see, but it’s distorted. If you use your brain to think about things that you aren’t supposed to, then it’s like a computer that’s been incorrectly programmed. How do you expect it to give you the right answers.
Can a person taking drugs be expected to render a clear decision? Can a person wearing red glasses see a blue sky? Can a doctor find the solution to a difficult medical problem by looking in a comic book? Can historians learn the lessons of history by reading the Bazooka comic strips? Where are you searching for the answers? Where are we looking for the solutions? In a distorted media that warps all Torah values? In a radio broadcast that’s deaf to the truth? To the college professors whose knowledge is tainted by false conceptions and distorted values? Look into the Torah! The answers are right there! Check the Chazal. They’ll give you the true answers. Untainted of human bias. Undiluted by poisoned thoughts. Uncontaminated by world opinion. Unrestricted by constitutional law. Untouched by human values. For they speak G-d’s word. They contain His seal – emes!
Why do they throw stones?
Some say it’s because of local discontent. Others explain that they want self rule. Others claim they want a land of their own. Sociologists keep themselves busy finding the reasons. Pollsters enjoy getting everybody’s opinion. Politicians grapple with covering up the facts. Newspapers make a booming business by feeding opinions. Readers write letters to air their own views. Yet everybody fails to read the true meaning!
You want to know the real answers? Then you simply may be looking in the wrong place! Go search in the Beis hamedrash. Go find a tolmid chochom. Go ask a rosh yeshiva. They know the score! That’s because they haven’t read today’s Times. That’s because they keep themselves busy checking the real sources. Studying the true wellsprings of life. Extracting beautiful reasons buried in the gold mine of Torah. They know the answers without even knowing the questions. They have the solutions before the problems ever arise.
Chilul Shabbos grows more prevalent and you want to know why they throw stones?
More and more movie houses flagrantly violate the Shabbos, and you want to know why they throw stones?
They desecrate the shemita in every leftist kibbutz, and you want to know why they throw stones?
They register goyim as Jews and you want to know why they throw stones?
They arrange meetings between Jews and Arabs, but forbid the same between one Jew and his Orthodox brother, and you want to know why they throw stones?
They trample our holy mitzvos and you want to know why they throw stones?
They openly flout and ridicule our holy Torah and you want to know why they throw stones?’
Why do they throw stones?.
Ask a ten year old who learned chumash. You can’t miss it. Check it up in the mishna and the treasures of chazal. The answers stare right back at you. It’s not hidden in the world of confusion. It’s not covered up by distortion! It’s spelled out with the greatest of clarity How could you possibly not see it!
But how could chazal have known it? The Mishna and Talmud were written nearly 2,000 years ago! The Torah is already 3,500 years old. L’havdil, the Times was written yesterday, yet they don’t know what will happen today. How could chazal have known 2,000 years ago what will happen tomorrow? Ask any ten-year-old Yeshiva boy. I’m sure he’ll be able to give you the answer!
No wonder the gemorrah tells you that if you’re having problems and questions which you can’t solve, you should go to a young child and say psok li pesukecho (give me a posuk; tell me a sentence of what you learned today). The little child’s mind has still not been contaminated and poisoned by world opinion. Unpolluted by prejudice. He’ll give it to you straight the way it is. Just as it’s written in the Torah.
As for those who physically throw the stones, you needn’t worry in the least. G-d can surely be trusted to reward them generously for their religious efforts. For He’s ne’eman leshalem sechar (He is trusted to give Divine retribution). Certainly they will take their front seats alongside Pharaoh, Sisro, Titus, Amolek, and the long list of the many other reshoim who so eagerly and conscientiously did their job shelo leshem shamayim (not for the sake of Heaven), but because of personal interests. You can rest assured that they too will get their justified reward. .The fires of geheinom never seem to run out of fuel.
You want to know who’s throwing the stones? Ask any ten year old Yeshiva boy. He’ll give you the answer! Who cares, you say?
Unless we know who’s throwing the stones and why, the stones will chas v’sholom continue being hurled in our direction!